Podcasts about camp casey

Service members and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) authorized patrons have 24-hour access to the Carey Fitness Center on Camp Casey, South Korea. Active-duty service members must be 17 years or older, along with MWR authorized patrons 18 and up to be eligible. (U.S. Air Force video by Senior Airman Sergio Avalos

As a mentor, leader, and inspiration to many, COL Hughes brings a wealth of experience and wisdom to this candid conversation. Join us as we explore the profound impact mentorship has on personal and professional growth, the qualities that define great leaders, and the lessons COL Hughes has learned throughout his distinguished career. Whether you're looking to grow as a leader, find ways to mentor others, or simply be inspired, this episode will provide valuable insights and actionable takeaways. Tune in for a heartfelt and empowering discussion about the transformative power of mentorship.COL Hughes is a graduate of Washington State University where he was commissioned through the ROTC in 2002. COL Hughes civilian education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science / Pre-Law from Washington State University, a Master of Science in Supply Chain Management from The University of Kansas, and Masters in National Resource Strategy from the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security & Resource Strategy. His military education includes the AMEDD Officer Basic & Advanced Courses; U.S. Army Command and General Staff College; Joint Combined Warfighting School; U.S. Army War College Defense Strategy Course; Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Course; Division Transportation Officer Course; Support Operation Course; The Joint Logistics Course; U.S. Army Airborne Course; Battalion and Brigade Pre-Command Courses. His military career includes Division Support Platoon Leader and Division Medical Supply Officer, 702nd Main Support Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Casey, Korea; Det. Commander and Chief, Medical Logistics, Dunham U.S. Army Health Clinic; Brigade Medical Supply Officer and Battalion S4, 106th Forward Support Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team Karbala, Najaf, and Hit, Iraq; Deputy Brigade S4 and Property Book Officer, 62nd Medical Brigade; Commander, 551st Medical Company (Logistics); Battalion S3, 56th Medical Battalion; Group Medical Supply Officer, 10th Special Forces Group; Logistics Officer, Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, and Support Operations Officer, 10th Special Forces Group; Support Operations Officer and Executive Officer, 421st Medical Battalion; Strategic Medical Plans, Office of the Joint Staff Surgeon; Commander, 10th Field Hospital; and Director, Army Medical Logistics Command Strategic Initiatives Group. He currently serves as the 70K consultant to the Surgeon General. COL Hughes Combat, Operational, and Humanitarian Deployments include OIF III; OIF 07-09; Operation United Assistance, Haiti Earthquake Relief; Operation Observant Compass, Uganda & South Sudan; multiple COVID-19 support mission across the United States. Medical Service Corps Leader Development:  https://www.facebook.com/mscleaderdevelopment  https://medium.com/experientia-et-progressusArticles by COL Hughes:https://fromthegreennotebook.com/2021/06/16/7587/https://fromthegreennotebook.com/2024/07/26/the-one-question-that-every-leader-should-ask/  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

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Tyler Jeck, range non-commissioned officer in charge for 718th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, and U.S. Army 1st Lt. Keegan Buros, officer-in-charge of the 718th EOD Company, speak about the annual Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team of the Year competition at the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex near Camp Casey, South Korea, Jan. 24, 2024. The competition was held to determine the best EOD team across the peninsula from amongst multiple service participants and build more effective unit cohesion. (U.S. Army video by Sgt. Shane A. Gooden)

In the runup to Memorial Day, we're bringing you some stories from the archives about war and the cost of war. We'll be back with new episodes next week!It's September 2nd. This day in 2005, Cindy Sheehan embarks on a tour around the country to protest the Iraq War, where her son Casey had died the prior year.Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Sheehan's protests, the “Camp Casey” encampment she established outside of George W. Bush's Texas ranch, and how public opinion around a number of issues was starting to shift in late 2005.Sign up for our newsletter! Get your hands on This Day merch!Find out more at thisdaypod.comThis Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.comGet in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypodOur team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Brittani Brown, Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at RadiotopiaThis Day In Esoteric Political History is produced by Jody Avirgan's Roulette Productions.

Joining me today is Army Retired CW3 Jaime Hernandez. Jaime was born and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico and graduated from Ponce High School in 1989.  He attended Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico pursuing a degree in Accounting.  He enlisted in the Army as an 11B and went to basic training at Fort Benning, GA in 2002.  His first assignment was to B Company, 2/35 Infantry at Schofield Barracks, HI, and deployed to Afghanistan in 2004.  In 2008, he reclassified to MOS 88N Transportation and went to Fort Eustis, VA for training.  After being promoted to E-7, he again deployed to Afghanistan in 2010.  During that deployment, Jaime applied and was accepted into the Warrant Officer program.  He graduated from the Warrant Officer course in 2013 and was next assigned to the 4th ID at Fort Carson, CO.  He was next assigned to Camp Casey, South Korea in 2016 followed by an assignment to Fort Hood, TX.   He completed a Bachelor's degree in Transportation and Logistics management from American Military University in 2018, and then deployed to the Arabic peninsula in 2019.  Jaime was promoted to CW3 and was assigned to his final duty station back at Fort Eustis.  He retired in 2022.

Letters to Ma Mama Angela Carter pt 1 As you are aware, child abuse, sexual abuse, elder abuse, spouse abuse, we've covered it all on this program. And I will continue to do so in order to raise the awareness of these tragic and horrifying trends we see in society today. There is no excuse at all for abusing those you love or anyone for that matter. Period. Our guest today is going to adding to the collection of interviews discussing these things as she shares from personal experience as well. Angela Carter is originally from Barbados. Growing up, her mother, Geraldine, was her best friend. They shared everything. But, Angela decided she wanted to pursue a new life in the United States. In unfamiliar territory and no support system in place, it was not long before she was married – to an abusive husband. Whether it was shame of allowing it to happen or fear of sharing anything at all, she went years without saying anything to her mother… Angela wished she could have shared conversations with her mother – about a lot of things… Angela is a Pastor and community advocate in upstate New York, where she has been serving the community there for over 30 years. She has been recognized for her contributions to her community with many accolades over the years, including the 2022 Woman of Distinction Citation from the New York State Assembly. Her passion is to help other victims share their stories and to find their voice. Amen! She is the author of a great book that discusses the things she wishes she could have talked with her mother about, titled, “Letters to Ma Mama – All the Things I Never Said.” First question I always start with is this. Other than that brief information I just shared, can you tell us in your own words “Who is Angela Carter?” Let's go back to, sort of, the beginning. You left Barbados to come to the United States.  First, in my mind, is WHY?  It is such a beautiful place!  God's hand is all over that creation! Amen! Seriously, can you share with us about growing up in Barbados? You came from a large family, correct? At what age did you decide to launch out on your own and move to the United States? What was life like for you when you started off on your own in the States? You met your ex-husband when you were in the military? You were stationed at Camp Casey, Korea? I know right where it is at. I was in Air Defense and we had a unit near there. Amen. Were there any “signs” or “red flags” that you should have paid attention to as to what that relationship would become? How long were you in the abusive relationship? How did you finally settle in New York State? Tell us about your life in Utica, NY and how you adapted to life there? Why did you write this book, “Letters to Ma Mama – All the Things I Never Said,”  and why now? This was your first book, correct? As you have been helping other victims, what signs do you share with them to be watching out for? Control? Power? What about psychological abuse - where there is no signs of physical abuse? (i.e.

Letters to Ma Mama Angela Carter pt 1 As you are aware, child abuse, sexual abuse, elder abuse, spouse abuse, we've covered it all on this program. And I will continue to do so in order to raise the awareness of these tragic and horrifying trends we see in society today. There is no excuse at all for abusing those you love or anyone for that matter. Period. Our guest today is going to adding to the collection of interviews discussing these things as she shares from personal experience as well. Angela Carter is originally from Barbados. Growing up, her mother, Geraldine, was her best friend. They shared everything. But, Angela decided she wanted to pursue a new life in the United States. In unfamiliar territory and no support system in place, it was not long before she was married – to an abusive husband. Whether it was shame of allowing it to happen or fear of sharing anything at all, she went years without saying anything to her mother… Angela wished she could have shared conversations with her mother – about a lot of things… Angela is a Pastor and community advocate in upstate New York, where she has been serving the community there for over 30 years. She has been recognized for her contributions to her community with many accolades over the years, including the 2022 Woman of Distinction Citation from the New York State Assembly. Her passion is to help other victims share their stories and to find their voice. Amen! She is the author of a great book that discusses the things she wishes she could have talked with her mother about, titled, “Letters to Ma Mama – All the Things I Never Said.” First question I always start with is this. Other than that brief information I just shared, can you tell us in your own words “Who is Angela Carter?” Let's go back to, sort of, the beginning. You left Barbados to come to the United States.  First, in my mind, is WHY?  It is such a beautiful place!  God's hand is all over that creation! Amen! Seriously, can you share with us about growing up in Barbados? You came from a large family, correct? At what age did you decide to launch out on your own and move to the United States? What was life like for you when you started off on your own in the States? You met your ex-husband when you were in the military? You were stationed at Camp Casey, Korea? I know right where it is at. I was in Air Defense and we had a unit near there. Amen. Were there any “signs” or “red flags” that you should have paid attention to as to what that relationship would become? How long were you in the abusive relationship? How did you finally settle in New York State? Folks, Angela lived through some things that nobody, man or woman, should go through. She went through it on her own. You don't have to. In the links below, you will find Angela's contact information and I'll put the links to the National Abuse Hotline as well. Angela also wishes she could have had some heartfelt conversations with her mother – but didn't. Her book, “Letters to Ma Mama – All the Things I Never Said,”  says it all. I urge you to drop down into

Soldiers compete in Best Warrior Competition on Camp Casey, Korea.

Soldiers with the 2nd Infantry Division participate in the Warrior Friendship Week Basketball Finals at Camp Casey, Korea.-

A Week of Friendship comes to a close in Camp Casey, Korea with a demonstration of Tae Kwon Do by ROK Special Forces soldiers. Also available in high definition.

My guest today is former Army SGT Mike Appleby. Mike grew up in Cedar Rapids, IA. He graduated from Washington High School in 1963, and then attended the University of Iowa, graduating with a Bachelor's in Business Administration in 1967. Upon his graduation, he was drafted by the Army, and was sworn in at Camp Dodge, Des Moines, IA in Sep 1967. His basic training was at Ft. Lewis, WA where he received an MOS of 11B. After attending AIT at Ft. Ord, CA, Mike was sent to Ft. Campbell, KY to be trained as an armored vehicle driver in may 1968. His first assignment was to Camp Casey, 7th Infantry Div, Korea, where his MOS was changed to 11L, Army Education Specialist. After a successful tour in Korea, Mike was discharged from the Army in April 1969.

Molly Reeser, founder of Camp Casey, joins The 1 Girl Revolution Podcast to share her story, the story of a little girl named Casey that changed the trajectory of Molly's life, and the incredible work Molly and Camp Casey is doing to provide horse adventures and programming to children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.  While attending Michigan State University, Molly was working at a horse barn and met a little girl named Casey Foote. Casey was battling cancer and would come to the barn to ride horses as a reprieve from her cancer fight. Casey and Molly became fast friends and when Casey unfortunately died just two years after their meeting, Molly decided to do something to honor Casey's legacy, so she founded Camp Casey. What started as a one-day fun camp for children at one hospital, has turned into an ongoing therapeutic horse program for kids with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.  Camp Casey is a nonprofit organization that provides cost-free horseback riding programs, adventures, and other projects to children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Camp Casey has four unique programs: Horsey House Calls, Cowboy Camp Outs, Outlaw Outings, and Lone Star Getaways. Camp Casey is changing lives every single day and we're so excited to highlight their work at 1 Girl Revolution. Molly joins The 1 Girl Revolution Podcast to share her inspiring journey through life and with Camp Casey.  In this episode, you'll hear: Molly's life story;  How she and Casey met and became fast friends through their shared love of horses; The story of when Casey passed away and how Molly decided at that moment to do something to honor little Casey's life and legacy; How Camp Casey started and how it's grown and evolved through the years; About the incredible work of Camp Casey and the powerful stories of children and families that have been helped through their work; And so much more.  For more information about Molly and Camp Casey, please visit: www.1girlrevolution.com/campcasey

During this episode, COL Mike Taylor discusses the US State Department's Global Engagement Center's (GEC) hub & spoke model for directing, leading, synchronizing, integrating, and coordinating the efforts of the Federal Government to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner nations. Our wide ranging conversation covers the major components of the GEC, its data-driven approaches, and the importance of coordination within the US government and with allies and partners. Links: Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned #99 Roger Carstens on Hostage Negotiations & Diplomacy Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare by Thomas Rid The Fortunes of Africa: A 5000-Year History of Wealth, Greed, and Endeavor by Martin Meredith Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by Gen. Stanley McChrystal Al-Mawla Tactical Interrogation Reports: Report A Report B Report C Link to full show notes and resources https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-106 Guest Bio:  Colonel Mike Taylor, U.S. Army, is the Director for Counter-terrorism at the Global Engagement Center (GEC), U.S. Department of State, in Washington, D.C.  He serves as the principal advisor to the GEC's Special Envoy and Coordinator on countering foreign Violent Extremist Organization's (VEO) propaganda and disinformation (CPD) activities.  In this role he is responsible for overseeing GEC CT operations and planning to include interagency and international coordination such as with the Communications Working Group of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.  Prior to the assumption of this assignment, Mike served as the Director, CJ39 Information Operations (IO), Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Operation Resolute Support (RS) and US Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A). In previous assignments, Taylor served as the U.S. Army's Integrated Joint Special Technical Operations (IJSTO) Force Modernization Proponent Chief and as the U.S. Army Service IJSTO Chief, Operations and Technology Division, Operations, Readiness, and Mobilization Directorate, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, Washington, D.C.; Branch Chief, Deputy Director for Global Operations (DDGO), J-39, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.; Information Operations Field Support Team Chief, 1st Battalion, 1st IO Command, Fort Belvoir, Virginia; and J39 IO Chief, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Arabian Peninsula (CJSOTF-AP), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Balad, Iraq.   Earlier in his career, Taylor served in multiple tactical command and staff assignments to include as military advisor to the G-3, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, OIF, Tikrit, Iraq; Commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), 24th Infantry Division and the United States Army Garrison, Fort Riley, Kansas; Commander, HHC, 1st Battalion, 34th Armor, 1st Brigade Combat Team (BCT) “Devil Brigade,” 1st Infantry Division (ID), Fort Riley, Kansas and OIF, Khalidiyah, Iraq; Commander, Cobra Company, 1st Battalion, 34th Armor, 1st BCT, 1st ID, OIF, Iraq; Plans Chief, 1st BCT, 1st ID, Ft. Riley, Kansas; Commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop (HHT), 3d Squadron, 16th Cavalry (CAV) Regiment, Fort Knox, Kentucky; and Executive Officer and Tank Platoon Leader with 2d Battalion, 72d Armor, Camp Casey, Korea.  Taylor enlisted in the United States Army Reserve and served as Wheeled Heavy Equipment Operator, 892d Transportation Company, Belleville, Illinois and Operation Desert Shield/Storm, Saudi Arabia.  Taylor's awards include the Bronze Star Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Army Achievement Medal, the Valorous Unit Award, the Meritorious Unit Citation, the Combat Action Badge, Basic Parachutist Badge, and was also awarded the U.S. Armor Association's Bronze Medallion of the Order of St. George.    Colonel Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer and Operations Management from Eastern Illinois University, a Master's in International Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Washington D.C., and is a graduate of the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff Officer's Course and the U.S. Army Information Operations Qualification Course.  Colonel Taylor was born in Biloxi, Mississippi and is the eldest of three children of a retired U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sergeant.  Taylor resides in Lake Ridge, VA, married to the former Constance (Connie) Lorraine Bremer, has two daughters Madison (Maddie) and Elizabeth (Ella), and enjoys cheering on the Green Bay Packers. About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain. For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org. Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

COL Mike Story joins us from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania to discuss his research on mindfulness and how it impacts the Warfighter. Bio below. Michael C. Story was born in Augusta, Georgia. He graduated from John Carroll University in 2000, with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and was commissioned into the Medical Service Corps. He holds a Master of Public Health in International Health from New York Medical College, a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare from George Washington University and is a current student at the U.S. Army War College earning his Master of Strategic Studies.Colonel Story has served in a variety of leadership positions including: Platoon Leader, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment (Air Assault), Camp Casey, Korea; Chief, Environmental Health, Department of Preventive Medicine, Keller Army Community Hospital, West Point, New York; additionally, during his tenure at West Point, he served as the Medical Officer for Cadet Basic Training, Department of Military Instruction, U.S. Military Academy; Executive Officer, Group Medical Plans and Operations, Preventive Medicine Officer, and a Civil Military Affairs Officer/CJ35, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Company Commander, Charlie Company, 64th Brigade Support Battalion,, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado; Chief Instructor, Environmental Health, Adjunct Lecturer for Texas A&M, School of Rural Public Health, and Training and Operations Officer, Department of Preventive Health Services, AMEDDC&S, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Executive Officer, Office of the U.S. Army Dental Corps Chief, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Detachment Commander, 71st Medical Detachment (PM) and interim Battalion Commander, 421st Multifunctional Medical Battalion (MMB), Baumholder, Germany; Deputy Commander for Administration, Reynolds Army Health Clinic, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and Commander, 264th Medical Battalion, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He is scheduled to assume command of the Weed Army Community Hospital, Fort Irwin, California in July 2022.Colonel Story's military education include: Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Officer Basic and Advance Course, Command and General Staff College, Brigade and Battalion Pre-Command Course, TRADOC Pre-Command Course, Defense Strategy Course, AMEDD Executive Skills Course, Principles of Military Preventive Medicine Course, Preventive Medicine Senior Leaders Course, Fundamental of Occupational Medicine Course, Medical Plans and Operations Course, Brigade Surgeon Course, U.S. Army Flight Surgeon Course, Survival Escape Resistance and Evasion (SERE) Level-C Course, Instructor Training Course, Basic Parachutist Course, and Air Assault Course.His awards and decorations include: Bronze Star Medal (3rd Award), Meritorious Service Medal (7th Award), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (6th Award), Army Achievement Medal (9th Award), Joint Meritorious Unit Award (3rd Award), Meritorious Unit Citation (2nd Award), Army Good Conduct Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Combat Medical Badge, Expert Field Medical Badge, German Troop Proficiency Badge (Gold), Chilean Parachutist Badge, Army Basic Instructor Badge, and the Order of the Military Medical Merit.

Yeehaw! On today's episode, Sonya and Sarah chat by the campfire with Molly Reeser, Founder and Executive Director of Camp Casey. Molly talks about the joy of combining her love for horses and passion for serving kids with cancer, and what it's like for a kid to open their front door to a horse on the porch! She also educates us on the true story of America's first Black cowboys and describes upcoming exciting projects in Detroit. Come along for the ride!

In a special ***EMERGENCY*** episode of the podcast, we sit down with Sgt. Michael Scribner and Pfc. Valentina Ortiz Saenz, who were recently named the 19th ESC NCO and Soldier of the Quarter. They are joined by their sponsor, Staff Sgt. Dante Hawkins to discuss how they prepared for this grueling event and what it's like working in financial management on Camp Casey. We're also joined by bonus guests Spc. Angelica Hernandez and CW2 Desmond Porter of 19th ESC G1. Spc. Hernandez just competed in the Eighth Army Human Resources Professional of the Quarter board. Congratulations to all of our guests, and thank you for representing 19th ESC!

Michael Dillard releases book “Accidental Success: Accidental Millionaire Retirement” Which Reveals Vision Plans and Insights to Get to the Top September 24th, 2021 - Author Michael Dillard is delighted to announce the launch of his new book, 'Accidental Success' available on Amazon. Accidental Success by Michael sketches out a Reliable Plan to Achieve Goals and Become Successful in Life. Accidental Success is a self-motivational book for someone stressed out with their life, career, or personal finances and needs the motivation to get up and get going. This book inspires, motivates, and teaches the readers how to build generational wealth step by step. The book contains the inspiring real-life story of Michael Dillard and the secret formula that he used to go from unemployed on a Friday to travelling around the world as a Foreign Service Officer (what he calls an Accidental Diplomat) on a Monday. Michael Dillard was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, and raised in Clarksville, Tennessee. Michael graduated from Northeast High School. From age 7, he was raised in a single-parent house when his parents divorced. The U.S. federal program called Upward Bound motivated him to develop a vision for his life. It provided tutoring and cultural exposure while in high school on the campus of Austin Peay State University. In addition to being an author, Michael Dillard is an Executive Coach. He completed his ICF executive coach training from the Center for Executive Coaches. One can book or schedule a coaching session with Michael at www.madillard.com. Michael has worked in countries like Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Dominican Republic, South Africa, and Zambia as a Financial Controller. Michael also served in the U.S Army for four years, where he served as a radio repairer. His duty stations included Ft. Carson, Colorado, Camp Casey, South Korea, and Ft. Stewart, Georgia. Michael received his Bachelor's Degree from Middle Tennessee State University, his MBA with a specialization in Financial Planning from Strayer University, and a Master's Degree in Accounting from Liberty University. Michael has put all the secret ingredients to success and happiness in the book, as he wants a maximum number of people to learn from his diverse experiences in life. “I enjoyed reading about Michael's life and how he made it…. proving that despite setbacks, you can achieve success. This book is an inspiration to all, and I recommend it wholeheartedly,” says Mary H, a reviewer. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's September 2nd. This day in 2005, Cindy Sheehan embarks on a tour around the country to protest the Iraq War, where her son Casey had died the prior year. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss Sheehan's protests, the “Camp Casey” encampment she established outside of George W. Bush's Texas ranch, and how public opinion around a number of issues was starting to shift in late 2005. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Our website is thisdaypod.com Follow us on social @thisdaypod Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Brittani Brown, Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Julie Shapiro, Executive Producer at Radiotopia

This week's story is about a young woman who reached her breaking point and decided she no longer had anything to live for. She reached out for help many times, but instead of receiving help, she was met with disdain and even hatred. Nicole Burnham wanted to pursue a career after she graduated from high school. She joined the National Guard and then went active duty and became a full-time soldier. Although her parents weren't happy with their daughter's decision, they supported her. Her mother said her going to the military would be the worst decision she had ever made. She was sent to Camp Casey in South Korea on April 15, 2017. Life in South Korea wouldn't be a positive experience. After an accident that left her with a severed finger, she was then sexually assaulted. In June, a group of fellow soldiers held Nicole down, assaulted her and then took photos of her. Nicole's mother told me it wasn't an actual rape, but damn close. She would also be sexually harassed non-stop by a group of the same 4 or 5 male soldiers. One asked her to have a three way sexual encounter with him and his wife. Another soldier asked her when was it going to be his turn to get a piece of that. Another incident involved a soldier shoving a wrench into her rectum with enough force that it ripped her pants.Nicole requested an immediate transfer back to the states. She was terrified and felt alienated. She told her mother she had become an outcast after telling on her abusers. Nicole said people just avoided her and didn't speak to her. She would end up having to wait 82 days before she could return back to the states. Fort this week's story, I spoke to Stacey Burnham who is the mother of Nicole Burnham, the young 21- year-old soldier who left us too early. After being sexually harassed and tormented, she felt like killing herself was the only way out of her nightmare inflicted upon her by her fellow soldiers in the United States Army. On January 26, 2018, shortly after her 21st birthday, Nicole hanged herself using her military belt in her room at Fort Carson. Today, her parents and brothers still live with the agony of knowing the Army didn't do enough to save Nicole.** Opening audio courtesy of CBS News (www.cbs.com)Please also visit my website for more information about my true crime and paranormal newspaper columns at www.themarcabe.com. You can also help support my podcast by joining my true crime coffee club for $5 per month where you can read true crime stories. To join, please visit https://www.buymeacoffee.com/catchmykiller. If you would like to contact me about this podcast, please email me at catchmykiller@gmail.com.

Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan Cindy Sheehan became a dedicated anti-war activist after losing her son Casey to America's senseless foreign policy in the Iraq War. She confronted George W. Bush in Texas, at what came to be called Camp Casey, and would later chain herself to the White House fence. She was dubbed the “International Peace Mom.” She ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2008 and served as Rosanne Barr's vice-presidential running mate for the Peace and Freedom Party. Cindy was one of the founding members of the Gold Star Families for Peace. After she refused to pay her federal income taxes for 2005, the year her son was killed, she was sued by the government in 2012 for failure to pay back taxes. “If they can give me my son back, then I'll pay my taxes,” Cindy declared. She has been referred to as “the Rosa Parks of the antiwar movement.” A true bipartisan, Cindy began to be shunned by the Left when she criticized Barack Obama's own militarism and refused to treat Donald Trump any differently. CINDY SHEEHAN: Podcast: http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cindyleesheehan TWITTER: https://twitter.com/cindysheehan?lang=en Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan DONALD JEFFRIES ONLINE: Blog: https://donaldjeffries.wordpress.com/ “I Protest” https://donaldjeffries.substack.com/ Twitter page: https://twitter.com/DonJeffries Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Donald-Jeffries/e/B004T6NFAS%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donald.jeffries

Sheila Rondeau Steinmark is the CEO/CMO of MOGXP, LLC. As a marketing operations leader and innovator, Sheila has produced complex and highly-recognized marketing initiatives from development through implementation. Having spent over 25 years in the agency arena, she has positioned her clients as global leaders by driving sales with creative and operational marketing engagements. Before starting MOGXP, Sheila worked for several marketing companies, including the in-house marketing agency of Anheuser-Busch where she ran the largest mobile marketing program in the nation. She has worked with clients such as Anheuser-Busch, VitaminWater, UPS, General Motors, Proctor & Gamble, Kellogg's, and Sony. And before all of that, Sheila served in the Army. Sheila is a retired Army First Sergeant and a combat veteran from the 1st Gulf War. Sheila served for 20 years from 1985 until her retirement in 2005, which included active duty for six years with the 101st Airborne Division, Ft. Campbell, KY, and 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Casey, Korea, and an additional 14 years in the Illinois Army National Guard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

William F. Noble Jr. (Bill) is the CEO & Founder of West Point Optical Group LLC, the largest Pearle Vision franchisee with 75 locations in Ohio (20), Michigan (15), Arizona (9), Pennsylvania (7), Kentucky (7), Indiana (6), Florida (5), Georgia (3) and Colorado (3). With over twenty years’ experience in Healthcare and Optical Retail Operations, Bill is a visionary leader with a diverse cross functional management background and a successful track record of delivering outstanding results. Bill began his career at McKinsey & Co. serving as an Associate where he worked on engagements supporting several large multi-national corporations. Leaving McKinsey in 1998 with a desire to apply his analytical and leadership skills in corporate America, Bill joined Caesars Entertainment where he served as SVP and General Manager for casino properties in Las Vegas, Missouri and Louisiana. From there, Bill started his retail career at Limited Brands and eventually worked Toys R Us, Lord & Taylor, Walmart and Caleres before ultimately landing at Luxottica Retail North America where he served as SVP of Retail Operations for the LensCrafters brand. In 2014, with a profound interest in building and owning his own business through franchising, Bill founded West Point Optical Group, LLC. His colleagues value Bill’s willingness to go to any length for the greater good of the company while maintaining a positive attitude coupled with a ‘no excuses’ commitment to results. A unique leader with a strong military background, Bill has created a competitively fun environment centered on patient focused values, teamwork and high achievement. Great success is achieved with discipline and a commitment to hard work. These have been central tenets of Bill’s academic, athletic and professional career. Bill graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1986 with a B.S. in Engineering Management where he was also a member of the Army Football team. Bill served in the U. S. Army for six years and attended a number of advanced training schools including airborne and the Rotary Wing Aviator Course, in which he qualified as a helicopter pilot. Bill served in Camp Casey, Korea flying utility helicopters and had the honor to serve at Fort Lewis, Washington where he was selected to command a helicopter support unit flying the UH-60A Blackhawk. After completing his military service, Bill attended the Harvard Business School, where he earned an MBA in Finance and General Management. Bill grew up in Albany, GA where he went to Westover High School, home of the Patriots. Bill’s current interests include fitness, sports and coaching youth sports. He has a personal commitment to his faith, his family, his fitness and his healthy lifestyle. Bill and his wife Lauralee reside in Mason, OH and have 8 children. Do you want to live an incredible life? Get started now by reading my book: "Visualizing Happiness in Every Area of Your Life" https://amzn.to/2kvAuXU What is your biggest obstacle to creating an incredible life? You can book a free 15-minute mentoring session with Dr. Kimberley Linert. Click on this booking link: https://calendly.com/drkimberley/15min Please subscribe to the podcast and take a few minutes to review on iTunes, Thank you If you have an amazing story to tell about your life and how you are sharing your gifts and talents with the world, then I would love to have you as a guest on my podcast. Contact me via email: incrediblelifepodcast@gmail.com or private message me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/incrediblelifecreator www.DrKimberleyLinert.com

Have you ever wondered how a chance encounter with a stranger could change the total direction of your life?  How life planning meets your calling and creates a new journey for you.  This episode is focused on the story of an impressionable young college student whose life would be changed by a 10-year old girl named Casey Foote who was battling cancer. In my conversation with Molly Reeser, Molly shares the details of her attending Michigan State University and working part-time teaching horseback riding lessons.  A job that would lead her to meet a young girl whose journey with cancer led Molly to start Camp Casey. Camp Casey's mission is to provide safe, fun experiences for children and families affected by childhood cancer, rare blood disorders, and other life-threatening illnesses through accessible horseback riding programs. Please enjoy my conversation with Molly Reeser. For show notes and resources discussed in this episode, visit tammacapital.com/12. For more episodes, go to tammacapital.com/podcast. Follow Paul on Facebook and LinkedIn. And feel free to email Paul at pfenner@tammacapital.com with any feedback, questions, or ideas for future guests and topics.

Molly Reeser is the founder and executive director of Camp Casey. Camp Casey is a nonprofit organization that provides cost-free horseback riding programs to children with cancer and life-threatening illnesses in Michigan. They offer four unique programs that they offer including horse house calls, cowboy campouts, outlaw outings, and their newest program Lone Star Getaways ... more »

Wes Bryant is a U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant (retired) who served eight combat deployments in the post 9/11 era as a Special Operations Forces Tactical Air Control Party (TAC-P) and Joint Tactical Air Controller (JTAC). He co-authored the book “Hunting the Caliphate: America's War on ISIS and the Dawn of the Strike Cell,” a first-person account of the war on ISIS written alongside the former commanding general of Iraq, Major General (retired) Dana Pittard. Embedded with Special Forces teams under a Navy SEAL task force, Wes was the tactical lead for a contingent of special operations JTACs to first set foot in Iraq to stop ISIS. He's been a lifelong writer, amateur philosopher, and avid student of the martial arts. Today, he pursues writing and editing, and teaches Chinese Kung Fu and Tai Chi in his community in North Carolina, where he lives with his wife and their two daughters. (Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn: @WesJBryant). Notes 2:05 Difference between TAC-P and JTACs. 13:50 Moving between PJ, JTAC, and TACP work finding what was right. 14:25 Pararescue Indoctrination Course. 15:55 Combat Divers Qualification Course. 20:00 Learning about TACPs when at Medina Annex. 22:40 Fought to get back to the CDQC to pass. 28:15 First foray into combat calling in an airstrike in combat. 32:13 First fight in Iraq with 1st CAV in 2004 after Fallujah calling in F-15s with 500 and 2Klbs bombs. 39:40 Being the odd man out from the Air Force dropped into new Army units. 45:20 Description of one of the most formative experiences as a controller in his first control in Afghanistan while getting shot at with 173rd. 58:13 The "most chaos on the battlefield" was early in the fight against ISIS in Iraq in 2014. 1:03:33 Part of the reason for writing the book was to show how deliberate each engagement was. 1:08:38 A tour to Korea in 2007 and finding a way to handle his PTSD. Went kicking and screaming to Camp Casey and was one of the best moves of his career. 1:19:42 Wes describes an experience at a shopping mall in Bahrain that changed his perspective on "the enemy." 1:31:20 Carrying the dog tags of his friend John Brown, a PJ who died in the shootdown of Extortion 17 in August 2011. 1:32:50 Appreciation for Army Special Forces (ODA) teams. 1:33:55 Favorite aircraft: A-10s for fixed wing and Apaches (AH-64s) for helos. 1:34:40 Would you do it all again? "Absolutely...would have done it all again."

CW3 (Ret) Wayne Taylor originally from New Bedford, MA enlisted in the United States Army after high school as an infantry mortarman. After eight years as an infantryman, he transitioned to a Counterintelligence Special Agent where he served an additional three years and moved from the Noncommissioned Officer Corps (E-7) to the Warrant Officer Corps. Wayne served as an Area Intelligence Officer and Counterintelligence Officer until he retired from the military after 20-years of service. His 20-year active duty service included: Ft. Ord, CA; Ft. Myers, VA; Camp Casey, South Korea; Schofield Barracks, HI; Ft. Bragg, NC; Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, PR; Joint Terrorism Task Force Detroit, MI; Ft. Huachuca, AZ; and MacDill AFB, FL. Wayne has military operations on five continents with two combat tours to Afghanistan. Upon retirement, Wayne transitioned to the corporate sector working with a defense contracting company. Upon realizing that a meaningful purpose of service was missing Wayne began working as a volunteer with the Hillsborough County Veterans Treatment Court. Finding purpose in assisting others, he transitioned to his current role as the Assistant Director of Military and Veterans Success Center at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg. Wayne continues to encourage military and veteran students through his example of continuing education as he pursues his EdD. in Program Development with an emphasis in education innovation focused around veteran advocacy. In this episode, Sgt. BeReal and Wayne will talk about what to expect and do after transitioning out of the Military. They also discussed the thing that’s missing in their daily lives as civilians even though they are financially stable, it wasn’t all that, there’s really something missing. Another thing that they talked was about starting all over again, just like being a private when you first enter the military and with hard work and perseverance, climb your way to the top when in the real world as civilians, they made it clear that it is okay to start fresh at the bottom and work your way up just like in the Military.They also pointed out some organizations like the Veterans Treatment Court, Donate Money For Me To Hire Homeless People, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Suits for Soldiers. These groups can help you with your transition and through them, you can also offer your help to those that are having hard times with their transition.Let’s listen to Sgt. BeReal and Army Veteran Wayne Taylor as they give us golden advice and insights about transitioning out of the Military. As the Assistant Director and Coordinator of the Military and Veterans Success Center, Wayne can also help by assisting our service members and their families who decide to attend the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Key Points:Daily activities during their Military days are missedSomething is missing even though they are good financiallyComparing work as an Army and as a civilianStruggle with what to wear as a civilian going to workHow veteran organizations can help you with your transitionHelping the Military, veterans, their family members get  school scholarships  Groups and Organizations:Veterans Treatment CourtDonate Money For Me To Hire Homeless PeopleVeterans of Foreign WarsSuits for SoldiersMilitary and Veterans Success Center, University of South Florida St. Petersburg Connect With Wayne Taylor:LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/wntaylor/USFSF MVSC Welcome Link:https://www.usfsp.edu/military-and-veterans-success-center/2020/04/06/wayne-taylor-welcome/ Connect With Sgt. 1st Class (SFC) John Valentine:Website:https://veteransbereal.com/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/veteransbereal/Apple Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/veterans-be-real/id1507792755 Please don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave us a 5 star written review on iTunes.

The “I can't believe we're still talking about the damn virus” episode where we discuss: The jump in COVID cases in the military and growing recoveries; The “Fired-up Chief” is on the mend; Vets are dying; New military travel exemptions and no-movement hardships; New York didn't need Comfort after all; Japan goes American-made, but the Indians go Russian; A Navy without aircraft carriers?; Military cuts MEDIVAC in West Africa and a Public health emergency in Djibouti; Thunderbirds and Blue Angels salute the nation; Apply to the Space Force; An Airman and Marine takes the US back to space; Space Force wants all things “space”; Where's the new Space Force logo?; Teddy Roosevelt gets a new hospital; The tests are in and now the Teddy is the perfect research lab; Spreading out bombers in the Pacific; Razing the Russians; Researching pilot cancers, but what about the mechs?; Building a digital B1; Russia razzes the Navy; No ROE change for Iranian Gunboats; Nine Inch Nails joins the Army; Too many beds, but that's okay; VA record sharing (cough*cough); Kicked-off base at Camp Casey; Good luck reforming USAJOBS. Show notes at https://thedigressionpodcast.com/22 Sound Off! With a comment or a question at https://thedigressionpodcast.com/soundoff Support the show at https://patreon.com/thedigressionpodcast

Cindy Sheehan is an anti-war activist and anti-imperialist rabble-rouser. She became politically active after her son, Casey, a soldier, was killed in Iraq in April 2005. Shortly thereafter she formed Gold Star Families for Peace, made up of other families who opposed US militarism. She became nationally-known in August of 2005 after establishing a protest camp near President George W. Bush's ranch in Texas. Hundreds of people participated in the protest, which was called “Camp Casey” after Sheehan's son. At this time, the media nicknamed her “Peace Mom.” Sheehan has run for office three times, including against Congressman Nancy Pelosi. She rejects the US American political duopoly and is a member of the Peace and Freedom Party. In 2018, she formed the Women's March On the Pentagon, which has been organizing an annual protest against war and imperialism at the Pentagon in Washington DC. She has been arrested multiple times. Sheehan has authored eight books including “Dear President Bush,” “The Obama Files: Chronicles of an Award-Winning War Criminal” and “Myth America:10 Greatest Myths of the Robber Class and the Case for Revolution!” She also publishes a blog and produces a podcast at Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox, with new content every week. In our conversation, recorded on March 3rd, 2020, we talked about antiwar activism, US imperialism, the futility of electoral politics, the environmental crimes of the US military, how propaganda supports war, how political organizing is affected by technology and social media, and other topics. It was a real honor to speak with her. Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox: https://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/ March On the Pentagon: https://marchonpentagon.com/

Dan Kanivas is a true Renaissance man. As an Army Airborne Ranger, he spent time as an artillery officer near the DMZ on the Korean peninsula and later worked closely with Iraqi officers during the Iraq War, where he trained a 130-soldier Iraqi Army unit while serving as a strategic advisor to senior Iraqi Army officers. He has since shifted his sights toward both public investing and angel investing with Triple Summit Advisors, all while prepping to summit Mount Rainier. Show Notes Triple Summit Advisors WeWork's Veterans in Residence Program, Powered by Bunker Labs Follow Dan on LinkedIn Theme music by: Ruel Morales Episode remastered by: Pascual Marquez Audio Transcript Brian Schoenborn 0:01 Hello, Hello, everyone. Our guest today is a true Renaissance man. As an Army Airborne Ranger, he spent time as an artillery officer near the DMZ on the Korean peninsula. And he shifted his sights toward both public investing and angel investing while prepping to summit Mount Rainier. Give it up to my friend, Dan Kanivas. Brian Schoenborn 0:25 My name is Brian Schoenborn. I'm an explorer of people, places and culture. In my travels, spanning over 20 countries across four continents, I've had the pleasure of engaging in authentic conversations with amazingly interesting people. These are their stories, on-location and unfiltered. Presented by 8B Media, this is Half the City. Brian Schoenborn 0:52 So what's up, Dan, thanks for coming out. Appreciate it. Dan Kanivas 0:55 Yeah, thanks for having me on the show, Brian. It's great to be here. Brian Schoenborn 0:57 Awesome. You know I've always had a respect for Airborne, Rangers, right? Stuff like that, you know, you're watching the movies, the 101st Airborne, you know, dropping down from the skies on like D-day or whatever else. You know, Hollywood's done a really good job, kind of, I don't wanna say romanticizing, but like maybe, you know, telling your story anyways. Right? Dan Kanivas 1:24 Right. Brian Schoenborn 1:26 And when you told me the other day that you've done both Airborne School and Ranger School, I was like, wow, this guy is legit. And you never would guess because he is one of the most calm, cool and collected dudes. I think that I know anyways. Dan Kanivas 1:40 I appreciate that. Brian Schoenborn 1:43 So, um, so why don't you tell me a little bit about like, you know how you made that decision to join the Army. How you made the decision to move towards Airborne School, Ranger School. I'd love to hear about you know the challenges of each. Dan Kanivas 2:02 Yeah. Alright, so let's start. That's a, that's a multi part question. So let's, let's start with the decision join the military. So I grew up in Scarsdale, New York, which really nice suburban community in the suburbs of New York. I was very lucky, as were other members of the community, to have the resources, whether it's great school, safe neighborhood, very great public services, etc. Caring community where children were put first, and students were put first. And so as a result, we had every opportunity available to us. And I was very grateful for that. And I felt like a system and a country that could produce something like that was worth defending. I wanted to give back and show my gratitude for it. Dan Kanivas 2:45 There are a lot of ways to get back, whether it's public service, volunteering, whatever it might be. In my case, I'd always had some interest in military history and I was athletic enough. I said, Okay, I wanted to give back by serving. I felt like that was my way where I could show my gratitude and then continue with the rest of my life. Luckily for me, that's basically how it worked out. And I did four and a half years of service and active duty as a field artillery officer in the US Army. Brian Schoenborn 3:15 So for those listening, you know, For the uninitiated artillery is what? The big guns? Dan Kanivas 3:21 The big guns, that's right. Brian Schoenborn 3:22 Like the cannons, Dan Kanivas 3:23 and the rockets, etc. And so I had the privilege of serving there with some fantastic soldiers, fantastic leaders. And I had overall a great time in the military and there'd be very few things I trade it for. For me, my path towards Ranger and Airborne School started with my initial training as an artillery officer. So at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, we got the option while we're doing our officer basic course for artillery. We got the option of trying out for Ranger School. Dan Kanivas 3:59 And what that entails is showing up in the morning to do a lot of PT physical training, a lot of exercise with the instructors that we had. So I was a lieutenant of time and there was a captain who was an instructor who, at the artillery school who also happened to be Ranger qualified so he had gone to Ranger School. This is back in 2005. Dan Kanivas 4:24 The instructor and instructors, there were multiple of them by the end of it, would lead us through training just to get us familiarized with some basic things that would be required of the, required of us at Ranger School, but mainly it was a lot of physical training. And so the first day of the training, maybe half the class showed up and on purpose just like they do in other military schools, the instructors, to use the military terminology, smoked the hell out of you. Right. Brian Schoenborn 4:54 They're trying to separate the men from the boys. Dan Kanivas 4:56 They purposely make it difficult in the first day because they want to see who wants to come back the next day. So, yeah, so the I had a pretty big class at the officer basics course. And I want to say we had class with 120 or 130. Somewhere around those lines. So maybe 60 people showed up the first day. Brian Schoenborn 5:14 And it was all officers? Dan Kanivas 5:15 It was all officers, all lieutenants. Yeah. And then the next day, 30 people showed up. And so the, the group of people who are training for Ranger School was cut back quickly. And we did this for the whole entire five or six months that we were there. And I think in the end, we ended up sending somewhere between 12 to 15 people who made it through that pre-Ranger prep program. Brian Schoenborn 5:39 So you're talking like 10% ish, of the original, like 120 that showed up for the for that signed up for it. Dan Kanivas 5:47 Yeah, maybe 60 people showed up the first day, so maybe 20% of them, or so made it and made it through them and 25% and then I think we ended up graduating from Ranger School, those 12 or so people who went, I think we end up graduating maybe six, seven or eight, something like that. I know at least one guy I was friends with, couldn't make it through at that time or have to drop out but then he subsequently went back and so good for him. I think he's still in the reserves actually. Dan Kanivas 6:17 But anyways, yeah, that was the process of, of getting there of starting it. And in my case, it was never a gigantic goal of mine. Some people were gunning for it and they had to do it. Brian Schoenborn 6:30 Yeah sure. Dan Kanivas 6:31 You know, the kind of the two leaders in our class who I'm still friends with today, who are, you know, corralling us all, encouraging us all to, to do this pre-Ranger prep. They they were gunning for they they knew that this is what they wanted to do. In my case, I just put one foot in from the other. And a lot of it's just about not giving up, right? At Ranger School, they they call someone who quits not, they don't say it, it's you quit because you couldn't, you know, handle the technical aspects of it or something like that, or because your muscles were too weak or something. They say you quit because you are an LOM: lack of motivation. Brian Schoenborn 7:09 There you go. Dan Kanivas 7:09 Right? And so you put one foot in front of the other, you're not guaranteed to succeed and graduate. Definitely not. But it is the main part, in my opinion of being able to graduate from Ranger School is putting one foot in front of the other. Brian Schoenborn 7:23 Yeah, you know, I kind of relate it to my own experience, right? Like I was a marine. And, and there's statistics somewhere, like, I heard this before I joined maybe it changed in the last 20 years. But before I joined, I remember seeing or hearing a statistic, talking about, like, one in five recruits that enter boot camp don't make it. Brian Schoenborn 7:47 right. Brian Schoenborn 7:49 And for the Marines, you know, it's one of those things where, you know, you'll be able to do the physical stuff. Dan Kanivas 7:56 Right. Brian Schoenborn 7:56 As long as you can pass the minimum physical fitness tests. Which is like three pull ups, you know, 60 crunches in a second, like a five k in like less than 20 minutes or something. It's not like extreme. As long as you can pass those minimum PFT requirements, you know, it's really more mental than anything. Dan Kanivas 8:15 Sure. Yeah, absolutely. I think a lot of a lot of military training military schools are very mental, very psychological. And that's intentional. that's intentional. You do leave Ranger School, and this is not a new sentiment that I'm expressing other people express this too, you do leave Ranger School, if you pass it feeling like you're fairly impervious to things that life can throw at you. Brian Schoenborn 8:41 Oh know, for sure. It's the same with the Marines. Dan Kanivas 8:45 Put it lightly right Brian Schoenborn 8:46 You get through there and you're just like, “I could do anything. I'm Superman!” Dan Kanivas 8:50 Exactly. Exactly. And so that that is the whole intent. That's the whole intent, right, of any Military School. And so… Brian Schoenborn 9:02 Last thing you want is somebody going into, you know, going into fire potentially with any sort of self-doubt. Dan Kanivas 9:09 Right, right. Brian Schoenborn 9:10 Hesitation will kill you. Dan Kanivas 9:11 Right. That's completely the idea and the military, US military is fantastic at training people to be able to do those sorts of things. To act against your basic instinct of self-preservation and do things that are essential for the survival of the team, the accomplishment of the mission. Brian Schoenborn 9:30 Absolutely. Dan Kanivas 9:31 So anyways, that was me at Ranger School, which took me a little while to get through. I didn't get through it right away. I didn't I wasn't a true blue just pass every phase the first time ago. took me a little while but I got through. Brian Schoenborn 9:45 And that's perseverance and resilience. Dan Kanivas 9:46 There you go there. Yeah, that's right. Brian Schoenborn 9:49 There's a lot of bunch of character. Dan Kanivas 9:50 There you go. That is one way to look at it. Dan Kanivas 9:53 And then for airborne school, a lot of people go to Ranger School already Airborne qualified meaning they've successfully passed Airborne School, but in my case I didn't. I got sent to Ranger School first. Brian Schoenborn 10:05 Okay. Dan Kanivas 10:06 Basically once you pass Ranger School, you're already at Fort Benning when you when you finish up which is the home of the infantry and also the home and Airborne School, and they're going to give you — the the people who are responsible for processing you — give you orders Airborne School after that, because oftentimes those two things go together. The Airborne Ranger, you know, the missions go together. And, they generally had extra slots to give right there at Fort Benning, and so I just got a slot for the next one. Dan Kanivas 10:37 And so, typically every school certainly is an intense school, you're jumping out of airplanes, right? And safety is paramount and taking care of, of your buddies your teammates is paramount and certainly the instructors there are not, not kind about any any infractions, right? Brian Schoenborn 10:55 I'm sure. Dan Kanivas 10:56 But given the experience, I just previously gone through Ranger School, Airborne School was relatively easy. And so I I use it as mainly a three-week vacation. Brian Schoenborn 11:08 So you got your Ranger School and you're just like, “Yeah, I'm good. I'll just breeze right through here, chill on the beach.” Dan Kanivas 11:13 Yeah, I wouldn't have felt that way that I'm not just been through that experience, but because I had it felt that way to me. It's all about relative intensity. Brian Schoenborn 11:22 You're seeing these guys struggling and you're like, psh! Dan Kanivas 11:25 Yeah, I wouldn't go that far. We're still, I still out there in the you know, the in the Georgia heat and in June, but yeah, Brian Schoenborn 11:33 I mean, all due respect to everybody. Dan Kanivas 11:34 Yes, of course. Brian Schoenborn 11:36 Of course, you know, it's all relative, like you said. Dan Kanivas 11:38 That's right. It's all relative. It just happened to be that I was coming out of… Brian Schoenborn 11:42 of a different situations. Dan Kanivas 11:43 Yeah, right. Exactly. So and yeah, and that was the that was my training in the military. It took a year for me to get through six months of my Artillery School and then Ranger School and Airborne School and there's some kind of downtime in between all these things. So yeah, I spent a year and training. And then they sent me off my first actual duty station, which was Korea where, again, the privilege of serving for two years. Brian Schoenborn 12:09 So we're so so this was near the DMZ, right? Dan Kanivas 12:12 Yes. So at the time, the I'm not sure where where everyone's stationed now. But at the time I was stationed north of Seoul, but not quite the DMZ. At two different bases, Camp Red Cloud and Camp Casey, who my dog's name after, by the way. At those two duty stations, I served with the second Infantry Division the whole time, but specifically the artillery unit that I was with at Camp Casey was 138 field artillery, which has rocket launchers. MLRS, multiple launch rocket system, rocket launchers as its primary weapon system. Brian Schoenborn 12:54 So were, I'm just trying to get an understanding of like, where about you? I mean, you said you're near the DMZ, But like, can you maybe show me on a map? Dan Kanivas 13:02 So yeah, sure. So… Brian Schoenborn 13:03 So audience listening at home, you could just just kind of visualize it. Dan Kanivas 13:06 So if you pull up Google Maps and zoom in on Seoul, which is towards the northwest of South Korea. Brian Schoenborn 13:13 Yeah, I'm looking at it as it's I mean, I've been to Seoul yet. So it's it's literally like, what 20 miles or something? Dan Kanivas 13:19 Yeah, from from the border. Brian Schoenborn 13:20 From the border, from the North Korea border? Dan Kanivas 13:22 And Seoul is well within artillery range of the North Korean artillery. That's near the border. And as a result, that means all the American troops and ROK, Republic of Korea troops, who are north of Seoul, also within archery range of the North Korean guns, and so… Brian Schoenborn 13:40 …and that's what, the 49th parallel? Dan Kanivas 13:43 I think so i think so. Brian Schoenborn 13:44 49 or 47th, something like that. Dan Kanivas 13:45 I think so. Yeah. And so you see this Wejunboo here? Brian Schoenborn 13:48 Yep. Dan Kanivas 13:49 That was,that is where Camp Red Cloud is located. And so I was stationed there for a little bit and then further north in Tongduchun there is where Camp Casey's located where I was stationed for my second year. Brian Schoenborn 13:59 Huh, yeah, so that's literally I mean, that was like, probably no more than like 20 miles. Dan Kanivas 14:05 Yeah, it's it's pretty short. It's it's not a lot of distance. And while you're stationed in Korea, you also had the opportunity to do the JSA tour, if you saw these…the JSA stands for Joint Security Area. If you saw the news footage about Donald Trump crossing into North Korea. That's exactly where you where you do it. And so you can as a US service member, go and visit there and take a tour and you know, the US service members and Korean service members who are there, both maintaining the area and protecting the area will take you on a tour of the area. Brian Schoenborn 14:41 So do they allow you to cross the border? Dan Kanivas 14:43 Technically, I've crossed into North Korea technically, yeah. Brian Schoenborn 14:46 Wow. Dan Kanivas 14:46 What they do is there's these buildings, which again, you can see in the footage with Donald Trump. They're these buildings where the negotiations between the two sides have historically happened. These buildings are bisected by the border, by the actual border. Brian Schoenborn 15:00 So like, is there, like, a demarcation line or something like that? Dan Kanivas 15:04 There is. If you look at any pictures of it, you can see there's a line. And so what the on the tour, what they'll do is they'll take you on the tour, and they'll go, one of the Korean guards will go and check the building and go lock the far side door that's in North Korean territory. And then you go inside the building, and when you're inside the building, you can see all around the building and technically cross into North Korea. Brian Schoenborn 15:27 You know, it's interesting, because I've heard so many stories of like, you know, North Koreans trying to defect and crossing the border and right, you know, getting shot or something like that. Dan Kanivas 15:37 Right. Brian Schoenborn 15:37 So like, you know, so everything that I've heard throughout the years is like, the DMZ, like that line border is like the most dangerous border in the world, because there's never officially the war has never officially ended. Dan Kanivas 15:49 Right. It's still under an armistice. And so it is they're there. It's a heavily guarded border. You wouldn't cross there at the JSA because there's a lot of attention at that location, but I imagine there are other points along the border where there the defenses are softer. It's less monitored at any given time. Also, defectors go through China as well as Russia. Because both of those countries border North Korea. Brian Schoenborn 16:18 Well, I've heard there's actually a whole like, almost like an underground railroad to us like an American historical reference. Dan Kanivas 16:24 Yes. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 16:24 But there's you know, there's like this whole network of people that like help get people through. The northern border. Through China. And and yeah, maybe down to like Southeast Asia or something like that. Back to the south. Dan Kanivas 16:35 Exactly. Yeah, exactly. That's that's exactly how that underground railroad works. Brian Schoenborn 16:41 Yeah, in essence, right? Pretty much the same thing? Dan Kanivas 16:43 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 16:45 I wonder like, so so you cross over the border. Dan Kanivas 16:48 Right. Brian Schoenborn 16:51 And…how do I say this? So what was the experience like? You said heavily heavily guarded is it also like, you know, let me put it this way. When I was living in China, all right? I was in Beijing. I've got a lot of friends that have visited North Korea. Americans, English, other expats. Americans can only fly in. Dan Kanivas 17:19 Okay. Brian Schoenborn 17:19 For example. Dan Kanivas 17:19 Okay, they can't drive into the Chinese border? Brian Schoenborn 17:22 They can't take the train through the Chinese border. Dan Kanivas 17:23 Right. Brian Schoenborn 17:24 I forget the name of the city, Dongdan or something. Dan Kanivas 17:27 Okay. Brian Schoenborn 17:28 But if you're if you're English, you can take the train. Dan Kanivas 17:31 Okay. Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 17:32 If you're American, you have to fly in. And from what I understand, like it's the most eye opening like, surreal experiences they've ever had. Dan Kanivas 17:42 Yeah, that's what everyone says. Yeah. Right. Brian Schoenborn 17:44 You know, like, it's one of those things where you can only go the tour group. Dan Kanivas 17:48 Yep. Brian Schoenborn 17:49 And you do absolutely everything. Dan Kanivas 17:53 Yes. Brian Schoenborn 17:54 That they tell you to. Dan Kanivas 17:54 Yes. Brian Schoenborn 17:55 You don't do anything else. Dan Kanivas 17:56 Right. Brian Schoenborn 17:57 I've got some friends at ran the Pyongyang marathon. Dan Kanivas 18:00 Wow. Brian Schoenborn 18:00 Right? Which they've done every year for the last, I don't know, five years at least, something like that. Dan Kanivas 18:05 Okay. Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 18:06 But it's one of those things where the North Koreans run first. Dan Kanivas 18:10 Okay. Brian Schoenborn 18:10 So that way they Dan Kanivas 18:11 So they win…Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 18:15 North Koreans get the head start. Um, but I've got friends that have done that and I've got a, I've actually got a friend, I think he's still in Beijing, but he owns and operates this tour group in North Korea. In fact, he actually he was the tour group operator that was heading this group in which Otto Warmbier was arrested… Dan Kanivas 18:46 Right, for potentially doing…he was accused of… Brian Schoenborn 18:49 Apparently apparently what happened is he tried to steal a poster or something. Like, apprently a propaganda poster or something. Dan Kanivas 18:55 Right, right. Right. Brian Schoenborn 18:56 We don't need to get into all that, like it's just kind of a, I know some people that have significant experience in North Korea, that's the point that I'm making. So when I hear that it's like a surreal experience, you know, I'm just kind of curious if you've had anything similar like that in your experience crossing the border, even though it may have been limited since you're in this building. Dan Kanivas 19:17 No, no, I did not have any experiences like that every. I think most people who have that JSA Joint Security Area experience is going to be very similar to mine. Brian Schoenborn 19:26 Yeah. Dan Kanivas 19:27 It's very scripted. Designed to be that way. Brian Schoenborn 19:33 Yeah. Dan Kanivas 19:34 It's still a singular experience a unique experience, because there's not too many other places in the world where… Brian Schoenborn 19:44 I don't know if there's any place in the world that's like that. Dan Kanivas 19:45 Exactly, right. There may be not there may not be right. But it's not anything like actually going to Pyongyang and running a marathon there. That's, I can't imagine what that's like. Brian Schoenborn 19:55 Well, maybe even something like that, like from what I hear from what I've heard, um like, as soon as you land or arrive in North Korea, the police or the guards, whatever. They'll take your phone and they'll go through all your photos. Dan Kanivas 20:08 Yeah, I'm sure. Brian Schoenborn 20:09 And makes sure that there's nothing that's like wouldn't be in line with the North Korea's values. Dan Kanivas 20:14 Yeah, I'm sure. Brian Schoenborn 20:15 And I guess they check your footagae, you cameras, and all that stuff as you're leaving. Dan Kanivas 20:18 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 20:19 Make sure you're not you know, it makes you like there's there's apparently there's only one way you can take pictures of the dear leaders. Dan Kanivas 20:24 Okay. Brian Schoenborn 20:25 Right? Things like that, so so if you're like, even veering off from that a little bit, you're screwed. Dan Kanivas 20:30 Yeah, yeah. I, this is not a level of risk that I would be comfortable taking, but more power to the people who want that sort of adventure in their lives. Brian Schoenborn 20:40 You know what's funny is, a couple of my friends were like, yo, let's do the Pyongyang marathon. And I'm like, Oh, that sounds sweet. Let's do it. Like, I'll fall in line and do absolutely everything that you know, not color out of the lines. Dan Kanivas 20:52 Sure. Brian Schoenborn 20:53 Right? And I put a message on Facebook. I was like, I think I'm gonna go to North Korea and my mom and my older sister were freaking out, dude. Dan Kanivas 21:02 Yeah, sure. Brian Schoenborn 21:03 They're like, Oh my god, Brian, you've done some like, you know, you've done some crazy things in your life, but please don't do this. Dan Kanivas 21:09 Right. Right. Brian Schoenborn 21:11 So I buckled in our didn't go. Dan Kanivas 21:13 Yeah, yeah. Brian Schoenborn 21:15 So what do you think you're kind of bringing back to this this DMZ thing? You mentioned? You know, Donald Trump stepped over? Dan Kanivas 21:22 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 21:24 What do you kind of make of all of that sort of curiosity? Dan Kanivas 21:28 I don't have much an opinion on it. I'm not a Trump supporter. Brian Schoenborn 21:33 Yeah. Dan Kanivas 21:34 And so… Brian Schoenborn 21:35 I'm not trying to be too political, but it is a historical moment. Dan Kanivas 21:39 Yeah. I don't know. How much intention was behind it. I don't know generally what his strategy or lack thereof is with North Korea. Brian Schoenborn 21:49 Yeah. Dan Kanivas 21:50 All I know is I'm not a Trump supporter in any way, shape, or form. Brian Schoenborn 21:54 Yeah, no, I mean, same here. You know, I feel like he's he ramped up this crisis unnecessarily, in my opinion. Dan Kanivas 22:04 Sure. Brian Schoenborn 22:06 And now he's going to try to find a way to put it back the way it was before. And, like, claim the victory. Dan Kanivas 22:11 Sure. Brian Schoenborn 22:13 Like he's done with so many other just like, Jesus, dude. Sorry, anyways, we can we can move on from that. What other stuff did you do as an artie officer? Like where like, were you, were you other places as well, or..? So you mentioned you're there for like two years? Dan Kanivas 22:29 Yes. Brian Schoenborn 22:29 How long were you in the service overall? Dan Kanivas 22:30 So four and a half years in active duty. So I mentioned one year and training two years in Korea, where most of the time not the whole time I was actually doing an artillery job. I was also a general's aide for a little bit. And then after that, I got orders to go to Iraq on a military transition team and what those what those teams are, MIT teams for short. Acronyms for everything in military, of course. On the MIT team, we were responsible for training Iraqi security forces, be they Army, be the police, so that we could eventually pull out. Brian Schoenborn 23:06 Right. Dan Kanivas 23:06 And they can be self sufficient. And so this was back in 2008. I got I got the orders 2007, but I deployed in 2008, after some training at Fort Riley, Kansas. And while…you have a question? Brian Schoenborn 23:20 Yeah, well, I'm just thinking like 2008 we're were we with the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts? Was that during like the counterinsurgency plan, or…? Dan Kanivas 23:30 Yes, it was, it was during the surge, and so the unit I relieved, the MIT team that I relieved, was just coming down off the surge. They'd been there for the surge, and I was relieving them. And so luckily, I think history will show this to be true. It certainly felt that way to me over there, the surge worked, it worked. The additional deployment of troops and also more importantly the deployment of a strategy to solve the root problem of, or help solve the root problem, or trap the root problem of what was going on in Iraq at the time, which is that there are a lot of unemployed, underemployed, especially males, young and otherwise. Brian Schoenborn 24:20 Desperation. Dan Kanivas 24:21 Right, who couldn't feed their families because previously they had a source of patronage that the US took away. The US restored a lot of that patronage, hired the Sons of Iraq and things like that, to pay them essentially to not attack not just us, but also their fellow countrymen and provide some light security duties. And that in conjunction with additional US troop deployment, actually did the trick. And so when I got to Iraq in 2008, I spent the year in 2008-2009, doing training for two different Iraqi Army units. One didn't really need us anymore, the mission was essentially considered more or less accomplished, they were trained. And so we spent about six months down before I was sent up further up north east to a brand new unit in Kirku. Dan Kanivas 25:09 And this is where I most of my experience I remember, most of my experience there, it's more vivid there, where we're trying to help stand up a brand new unit. And try to help them do simple things like get concertina wire to string around their perimeter. Brian Schoenborn 25:25 And what is concertina wire? Dan Kanivas 25:27 So is barbed wire, the military version of barbed wire. Brian Schoenborn 25:31 It's like the spiral? Dan Kanivas 25:32 Yeah, the spiral with with the barbs on it. And it's much more intense than…well, it's what you see above prison, a chainlink fence in prison. Brian Schoenborn 25:42 That's right. Dan Kanivas 25:43 So more intense than you'd see perhaps in a pasture. So getting concertina wire around the perimeter, getting their soldiers to get the proper uniforms, getting their soldiers to learn how to put on the proper uniform, so it's like that. Brian Schoenborn 25:54 Essentially setting them up for success. So they can be self-sustaining. Dan Kanivas 25:58 Right, so basic things like that. I'll say a few things about this, the Iraqi officers that we worked with, who almost by definition, to the last man had served under Saddam. Almost by definition, not everybody, but almost all of them, because in order to be that senior, had the experience, they had to have served under Saddam. They were very professional in general. Some of them, you know, had less experience and they were more political appointees, had less, were perhaps less professional that way. Dan Kanivas 26:27 Most of them were very professional. They generally knew what they were doing under their own system. But like all bureaucracies they never could get all the supplies they needed. They could never get all the ammo they needed, the training they needed. The manpower, the money. Brian Schoenborn 26:41 Basically various extremely important choke points, bottlenecks. Dan Kanivas 26:45 Exactly. So we made due with what what we had. Luckily, again, at the time, the surge, I was a beneficiary of the surge having worked out pretty well. So my time in Iraq, generally, was pretty peaceful. Generally. Brian Schoenborn 27:00 Let me ask you, kind of in general, about the Iraqi people. Dan Kanivas 27:04 Yes. Brian Schoenborn 27:04 Right? So like, I didn't go. I was medically discharged or, you know, whatever you can listen to RELENTLESS and hear that whole story. But I was discharged one week before my unit went to Iraq. Post 911. My unit was the first to go to Iraq, we fought they fought in Fallujah. Dan Kanivas 27:23 Yeah, right. Brian Schoenborn 27:24 It was fucking crazy. Dan Kanivas 27:26 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 27:26 But I never got my I never got the opportunity to I was never there. Dan Kanivas 27:32 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 27:32 Right? Let's put it that way. So I'm just wondering, you know, like you hear on the news all the time about like, the terrorists and like, you knows, which ties in with like anti-muslim sentiment and stuff like that. I'm just curious, like, you know, you spent like, a year and a half over there or something like that? Dan Kanivas 27:49 A year. Yeah. Dan Kanivas 27:50 A year? Okay. Brian Schoenborn 27:50 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 27:51 So you spent a year over there, um, any work with some of these generals and high ranking officers. I imagine you probably interacted with some of the people, like, the everyday civilians as well, a little bit or no? Dan Kanivas 28:03 Not as much, sometimes we did, but not not too too much. My job wasn't that I wasn't on patrols trying to learn about what was going on at the village chief's house or something like that. Brian Schoenborn 28:17 Well, I guess I mean, I'm not necessarily saying that I'm kind of thinking more like, you know, what was your general impression of like the culture and like the people like at their core, even you know, even if they were some of Saddam Hussein's henchmen or whatever you want to call them, right hands. I'm just kind of curious, like, what the, the, the the, the overall feeling? Dan Kanivas 28:39 I suspect that it would be the overall feeling that you would have in a lot of other countries that are foreign to you. Brian Schoenborn 28:49 Sure. Dan Kanivas 28:50 So people will keep to themselves that they don't have any particular business to be dealing with you. I mean, I was rolling around in heavily-armored via with machine guns. Brian Schoenborn 29:01 So you stood out a little bit. Dan Kanivas 29:02 Yeah, right. So, but that's dead. I can't remember single instance where I did interact with people and folks were angry at me or there's a mob yelling at me or something like that, that that never happened. I remember one time we broke down in the middle of a small village, small town that was along the roads that the road that we often traveled through, and we broke down. So we had to perform recovery operations to get our vehicle moving again, we essentially towed one of the back to the base. No one gathered around us and started anything, they just left us alone. Dan Kanivas 29:42 And I think generally that is the attitude that most people would take, because there's not a lot of advantage, I think. to be gained by interacting with heavily-armed people unless you're trying to harm them or otherwise have a mission related to that. People just want to be left in peace, they want to take care of their families. Right? And they want the same things for their families that that we would want for ours. Brian Schoenborn 30:08 You know, it's curious that you mentioned that, you know, with your experience during more time, right? You know, like, I'm always curious about this stuff, because in my travels, you know, like I've been to I traveled through Vietnam, for example. Dan Kanivas 30:23 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 30:23 Three weeks backpacking Vietnam. Dan Kanivas 30:25 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 30:26 I lived in China for over three and a half years. Dan Kanivas 30:28 Right. Brian Schoenborn 30:29 Right? And one of the things that surprised me most about Vietnam was how friendly, how genuine the people were, and and how much they love Americans. Dan Kanivas 30:41 Right. Brian Schoenborn 30:42 Or just people in general. You know? They're a very warm welcome, people. Dan Kanivas 30:46 Right. Brian Schoenborn 30:46 And then like in China, I remember when I first came back home like six months after staying in China. I ran across this lady that I grew up with in church or whatever. And she goes, “Brian, what are you doing?” And I go, “Oh yeah, I'm living in China or whatever.” She goes, “China? China? Brian, what are you doing there? I'm so scared. China's communist, like, are you okay?” Dan Kanivas 31:08 Right. Brian Schoenborn 31:09 And I go, “I fucking love it there. You know like the government's, yes CCP, all that stuff, right, authoritarian, whatever you want to call it. Dan Kanivas 31:17 Right. Brian Schoenborn 31:18 But most people don't really pay attention to it. Dan Kanivas 31:20 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 31:23 Most people in general are very welcoming, you know, they want to share their culture with you. Dan Kanivas 31:30 Yes. Brian Schoenborn 31:30 Right? They wanna share their food. Dan Kanivas 31:32 Yes. Brian Schoenborn 31:32 They want to drink with you. Dan Kanivas 31:33 Yes. Brian Schoenborn 31:34 China's a heavily smoking country. Dan Kanivas 31:35 Oh yeah. Brian Schoenborn 31:36 They want to they want you to try their regional cigarettes. That's why smoke again. It's ridiculous but you know, like this very warm, welcoming people. Dan Kanivas 31:45 Right. Brian Schoenborn 31:46 And essentially what it what it sounds like you're telling me is like you know, place in Iraq, even with all the propaganda that we receive, right? People, pretty much anywhere you go, whether it's an enemy or whether it's a country that we've fought before, or whether it's a people that were fighting at that moment? Dan Kanivas 32:06 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 32:07 You know, people are essentially people. They all want the same stuff. Dan Kanivas 32:10 Yes. Brian Schoenborn 32:10 Right? They have to they want to be able to provide for their family. Dan Kanivas 32:13 Right. Brian Schoenborn 32:14 Right? They want to live in a safe environment. Dan Kanivas 32:17 Yes. Brian Schoenborn 32:19 And they want to, you know, and they want to have a small little group of family and friends, like people can be successful, right, like people want to have some sort of value, right? Dan Kanivas 32:28 Yes, absolutely. 100% I think it's human nature. Brian Schoenborn 32:32 Yeah. Dan Kanivas 32:33 Cultures affect the expression of that. But ultimately, that's human nature, and it's going to be universal. I didn't have the good fortune of interacting as much with the average Iraqi while I was over there, because my mission just didn't take me there. But the Iraqis I did interact with, whether they were military, or they were soldiers that I was serving with, advising, or otherwise helping, or our interpreters who were with us. I generally had a good experience with them. And I have, you know, nothing. I have nothing negative to say about that interaction. Brian Schoenborn 33:16 And I think that's really, um, I think that's poignant. Because when you're fighting in different you know, when you're when you're at war with another side easy for all that stuff to get lost. Dan Kanivas 33:28 Sure, yeah. Brian Schoenborn 33:28 Because what whichever side you're on, you know, they're they're propagating to turn this turn this group of people into an enemy or whatever. Dan Kanivas 33:35 Right. Brian Schoenborn 33:35 And dehumanise them. Dan Kanivas 33:36 Sure, sure. Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 33:37 You know, and, you know, you may you may have disagreements on like fundamental beliefs. Dan Kanivas 33:42 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 33:43 But at the core, we're all the fucking same. Dan Kanivas 33:45 Yeah, and part of my mission was to do the exact opposite, that not dehumanize but understand that we were fighting the same fight on the same side, of most people anyways. And that we had shared interests and shared values they gave us, the military gave us, a fair amount of cultural training before we went. I, I can, not today, but at the time, I tried to conduct as much of my conversations with my counterparts, my Iraqi counterparts in Arabic as possible. I always had an interpreter with me, obviously, I don't speak Arabic. But I tried to pick up phrases here and there. Brian Schoenborn 34:27 Yeah, sure. Dan Kanivas 34:28 That would be helpful. Brian Schoenborn 34:30 And that goes a long way too, right? Dan Kanivas 34:31 Oh, yeah, it goes a long way. It goes a long way. A long way. Brian Schoenborn 34:34 When I was in China, like, I took one lesson. But everything else I picked up. You know, the emergency Chinese, survival Chinese, that sort of thing. But even if I could just say “hello” in Chinese, there like, “Oh, my God, you know, you get us.” Dan Kanivas 34:48 Yeah. Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 34:50 It goes a long way, man. Um, yeah, I think that's I think that's pretty interesting. I think that's pretty interesting. But I do want to move on to some other stuff. Dan Kanivas 34:58 Okay, yes, absolutely. Let's do it. Brian Schoenborn 35:00 We could talk about that and get as deep as we want them off that as long as humanly possible. But I think the biggest point for me on that is, you know, it's pretty interesting shit, and you know, something that you've realized is that people are people are people. Dan Kanivas 35:17 Yep. 100%. Brian Schoenborn 35:19 And I think that needs to be made more known. Dan Kanivas 35:21 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 35:24 When you've got people like our current president threatening to wipe Afghanistan off the face of the map. Dan Kanivas 35:29 I did not catch him say that. But if he did say that, that's very wrong. Brian Schoenborn 35:33 So he was meeting with the leader of Pakistan. I think his name is Mohammad Sharaf or something. Dan Kanivas 35:38 Okay. Brian Schoenborn 35:39 I forget his name, exactly. They were in the White House or Oval Office with the camera opportunity. Like he's been doing where he's got this leader, but he's really just talking about his own stupid agenda. Dan Kanivas 35:50 Of course. Brian Schoenborn 35:50 Right? And he, someone asked him about Afghanistan, and he goes, “Look, I have all sorts of options with Afghanistan. If I want to, I can wipe Afghanistan off the face of the map.” He's like, “I don't want to kill 10 million people. But if I had to, I could do it.” Dan Kanivas 36:09 Awful just, awful. Brian Schoenborn 36:10 And so Afghanistan comes back and they're like, “Fuck you, dude, how could you possibly say that?” Dan Kanivas 36:15 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 36:15 And everybody else do like, seriously. You know, it's called soft power. Dan Kanivas 36:20 Incredibly bad. Incredibly bad. Brian Schoenborn 36:22 Obviously we can do that, but you don't talk about it. Dan Kanivas 36:25 Incredibly bad but that's but it's unfortunately par for the course here. Brian Schoenborn 36:31 I know. It's not fair. Why? Dan Kanivas 36:37 You know, the scary thing too is that there's a lot of writing, articles, etc, from news sources that are typically considered liberal that are saying that Trump will probably win reelection, which is just scary to think about. Brian Schoenborn 36:56 Well, I think right now. Again, without getting too political or topical, but I think right now, the democratic field is so big. Dan Kanivas 37:07 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 37:08 That it's hard for that base. To really consolidate around one person. Dan Kanivas 37:15 Right. I agree. I agree with you. Brian Schoenborn 37:19 So I think as various candidates drop off, you know, that will consolidate itself a little bit more. And, you know, hopefully, hopefully that madman is dethroned. Dan Kanivas 37:34 Oh, I I thoroughly hope so. Brian Schoenborn 37:36 You know? Cuz I think he's setting us back a long way. Dan Kanivas 37:41 Yes. Brian Schoenborn 37:43 But, you know, we'll have to wait to see you know, like, last last cycle, or last presidential cycle. You know, everyone thought that Hillary was gonna kill it. Dan Kanivas 37:51 Yeah, right. I remember where it was that night on election night. 2016. And I remember exactly what it was. was like and what it felt like in the depths of depression that we all went through then. So yeah. Brian Schoenborn 38:05 Yeah. I remember I was sitting in Beijing watching this thing going, “I'm not coming for the next four years, maybe eight.” Dan Kanivas 38:15 Yeah, I contrast that with how I felt, I was in Iraq in November in 2008, and I remember being in the dining facility at the time. We got news that Obama had won. And wow, the feeling of excitement then, was great. Brian Schoenborn 38:34 Yeah. You know, what's weird is like, I actually I was a registered Republican for like, 10 years. I was always like, fiscally conservative, socially liberal kind of guy. Not that any of this matters, but I voted for Romney and McCain. Dan Kanivas 38:51 Sure. Brian Schoenborn 38:51 Right, so I didn't vote for Obama either time, but I've since dropped my affiliation. But I also believe that Barack Obama is probably the best president we've had in our generation. Dan Kanivas 39:06 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 39:07 I think hands down. Dan Kanivas 39:08 I agree with that. Brian Schoenborn 39:09 Yeah, I mean, you know, there's there's positives and negatives that you can say about anybody, but that's kind of how I feel. Dan Kanivas 39:15 Yep. Brian Schoenborn 39:15 Um, so I want to move out, move on, like move out of military stuff a little bit. Because I know you're up to some really cool stuff. Dan Kanivas 39:21 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 39:22 I mean, you've managed to maintain your, your physical endurance activities, that kind of stuff. Dan Kanivas 39:30 Trying to, trying to, yeah. Brian Schoenborn 39:32 I know, you mentioned something about Mount Rainier. Can you tell me like what you're planning to do? And like how this whole thing came about? Dan Kanivas 39:39 Yeah, sure. So last year, one of my friends texts me and says, “Hey, Dan, do you want to climb Mount Rainier?” And I said, “Okay, I'm interested. What What does that entail?” He's like, “Well, we can go with guides and they'll take us through it. It's a four-day program. It would be next August, but you have to decide now. And you have to decide, like right now basically today.” And I said, “Okay, let me go ask my wife.” And so I said, she said, sure, that sounds good. And I said, “Okay, all right, I'm in.” Dan Kanivas 40:18 I had no idea what it entailed. I had zero idea would entail. So my friend who, who, who asked me to do this was my friend from the Army who was in Korea. He just recently got out of the Army. So he's in much better shape than I have than I am. Than I am. I've been out for almost 10 years now. But we've been training. We've been training for trying to summit Mount Rainier next month. So actually, tomorrow, we are headed out to Mount St. Helens, again for the second time this season, to do our last big training hike before Rainier, when we attempt that, and so that is something I'm definitely looking forward to. Come, you know, one way or the other is going to it's all going to culminate here in a few weeks. Dan Kanivas 41:06 I'm looking forward to that. Of course, I hope I'm successful. Of course, I hope the weather cooperates and I have the endurance and the fitness and the ability to, to make the summit and all that stuff. But ultimately, I'm looking for just the general experience. Brian Schoenborn 41:22 Nice. Well, so let me let me clarify for our listeners right now. So we're currently in the city of Seattle. Dan Kanivas 41:30 Yes. Brian Schoenborn 41:30 Right. So Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier. Those are the two of the those are the biggest peaks, right? Dan Kanivas 41:37 Rainier is the tallest one here in the state of Washington. St. Helens. I don't know where it ranks, but it's up there. Brian Schoenborn 41:43 It's up there, right? Dan Kanivas 41:43 It's up there. Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 41:44 So like how, and they're not far, they're like an hour, two, or three something like that. Dan Kanivas 41:48 You can drive north-south througn the state of Washington, you know, comfortably within hours, not two hours, but they're all within driving distance of Seattle, yes. Brian Schoenborn 42:01 Okay yeah um so so they're close by but they're like huge. Dan Kanivas 42:05 Yes. Brian Schoenborn 42:05 You can see them on the horizon and see at least Rainier. Do you have an idea like how like how tall these are like their peaks or whatever? Dan Kanivas 42:16 Yeah I don't know St. Helens off the top of my head. Brian Schoenborn 42:19 Is it like a 10er, 10,000 foot-ish? Dan Kanivas 42:21 I want to say it's like eight or nine something like that, but Rainier is over 14,000. Brian Schoenborn 42:26 Yeah. Dan Kanivas 42:26 Yeah, so it's it's definitely tall. It's some serious altitude. When you do it, I've been told that, I haven't done it yet that you do feel the effects of altitude sickness. Yeah, so it's, it's definitely going to be a challenge. Brian Schoenborn 42:44 So Mt. St. Helens is a pretty good prepper. Dan Kanivas 42:46 Yeah, I think it's it's definitely on the training plan for a lot of folks and Mount St. Helens. Because it is popular for people to hike and climb, you have to get permits during the season in order to be able to hike it. So, I'm going with some other friends of, same group of people who I'm training for Mount Rainier plus, we're adding on a few more to do Mount St. Helens again in two days. Brian Schoenborn 43:10 Oh cool. Two days? Dan Kanivas 43:12 Yeah so Saturday is what we do is we will take off tomorrow afternoon from Seattle head down their, bed down for a little bit, and then start alpine start two am, something like that, so that we can start start headed up to the top of St. Helens while still while it's still dark out. Still cool out. And then if we're lucky, depending on conditions we might get to glacade down St. Helens. Brian Schoenborn 43:38 What is that? Dan Kanivas 43:38 So yes, this is the funnest part of and the payoff for climbing. So you get to the top and there's snow. And what people have done rather than walk back down is you ride the snow back down. Brian Schoenborn 43:54 Dude that sounds so awesome! Dan Kanivas 43:56 Yeah. So so that that I'm excited for Hopefully that will happen. That's what we did last time, but we also went May when I suspect there was a lot more snow. This time, there should still be plenty of snow to glacade down, but I don't actually know. Brian Schoenborn 44:11 How are you? How are you sliding down on this? Like snowboards, toboggans, just like the little $5 plastic sleds, like the saucer slows? What do you, uh, what's going on there? Dan Kanivas 44:20 All of the above. Some people bring their snowboards, some people bring their skis. You can just do it in hardshell pants. You can even take, and this is what I did last time, you take a trash bag and just ride down on a trash bag. Brian Schoenborn 44:32 Dude, that's sweet. Dan Kanivas 44:33 It works. And it's sure as hell beats walking down. Brian Schoenborn 44:39 I bet. Dan Kanivas 44:40 You don't want to walk anymore after you reach the top. So yeah, glacading down is is pretty fantastic. Brian Schoenborn 44:46 But that reminds me of, I'm doing these Nicaragua stories right now. That reminds me this time I summitted a, it was a short volcano. Dan Kanivas 44:55 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 44:56 Right. But it waas an active volcano. Dan Kanivas 44:58 Yes. Brian Schoenborn 44:58 One of the world's youngest volcanoes. Dan Kanivas 45:00 Okay, yeah. So it's millions and millions of year old, but it's one of the world's youngest. Brian Schoenborn 45:05 No, no, it's only like 150. Dan Kanivas 45:06 Oh really? Brian Schoenborn 45:07 Yeah. Dan Kanivas 45:07 Oh wow. Brian Schoenborn 45:08 Okay, it actually sprung up out of the cornfield in like the 1800s. Dan Kanivas 45:11 Oh, it's a 150 years old? Not a 150,000? 150 years old? Brian Schoenborn 45:18 Yeah, and apparently it blows up, it blows like every 15 years or something like that. Dan Kanivas 45:21 Oh okay. Brian Schoenborn 45:22 And when I was there it was around 15 years I don't know if it's it didn't blow up when I was there but it was definitely active. Dan Kanivas 45:28 Sure, sure, sure, yes. You see gasses and… Brian Schoenborn 45:30 At the summite could see a little, in the crater. And you could see gasses coming up out of the ground. Dan Kanivas 45:35 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 45:36 So we went to the top of it. Brian Schoenborn 45:38 Yeah. And we had a fast way down too. Yeah, we we with with the tour group. They gave us this backpack. And you can choose between a snowboard-looking thing. And like a mini toboggan-looking Dan Kanivas 45:51 Yeah, nice. Brian Schoenborn 45:52 And we volcano surfed. Dan Kanivas 45:55 Yeah, that's fantastic. Yeah. I like the outdoors a lot. I generally don't say no when people want to do outdoorsy things but I almost never wake up and say to myself, “I really need to get outdoors today.” Brian Schoenborn 46:10 Yeah. Dan Kanivas 46:11 I for better for worse live in my head a lot. I love to read. I love strategy games, things like that. Right? So I don't feel compelled to go and get outdoors. However, I'm almost never, I almost never regret it. Because there's so much fun to be had outdoors, including volcano surfing. That's awesome. Brian Schoenborn 46:32 You know, like, like, well glacading or volcano surfing. I mean, what else can you do that is there's only so many volcanoes. It's not like they're everywhere. I mean, they're they're all over the world. Yeah, but they're only in very specific locations. Dan Kanivas 46:46 Yeah, they're very, they're very cool experiences. A lot of people I've talked to about, you know, our pending Mt. Rainier adventure here are very curious about it because they do realize that, okay, yeah, there's not a lot of other ways to kind of express this sort of desire to experience nature and experience your own backyard, your own environments in a very in a unique and very singular sort of way. And so you just got to go out there and do it right and you have which is fantastic. Brian Schoenborn 47:25 I'll never forget that. That sounds fucking awesome. I'm super looking forward to hearing about all of it. Dan Kanivas 47:31 Yeah, fingers crossed it all goes well, so yeah. Brian Schoenborn 47:33 I got a pretty good feeling about it. You mentioned something about strategy stuff? You do strategy games? That kind of caught my attention. Dan Kanivas 47:44 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Brian Schoenborn 47:44 Can you dive into that? What do you what kind of games you into like? Like for me, me and my brothers and my dad. We have a tradition every time we go home for the holidays, we play Risk. And we get super into it. Dan Kanivas 47:56 Yeah, sure. Brian Schoenborn 47:57 Like we used to like pretty much be out for blood for each other. Dan Kanivas 48:00 Oh, sure. Yeah, sure. Brian Schoenborn 48:01 Um, I think there might have been some fistfights. At one point where my mom was like she took it away, and she banned us from playing Risk for like 5 years. But I'm just curious, like, what can I hear the strategy stuff? What are the strategy games and other, you know, tell me like what kind of stuff to do. Dan Kanivas 48:17 So, growing up, definitely my favorite type of video game, for example, was role playing games. So RPGs, Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, that sort of thing. And if I had more time now I still play them because there's no shortage. There's no shortage of fantastic stories that are told through these through these media, right? Through those mediums, right. And they get you so invested and they know how to get you invested. These game designers know how to get invested. In college I played a lot of poker for various reasons: socially, also to try to attempt to win money mainly to lose it, but that things like that was a large part of my college experience. Dan Kanivas 49:04 And also as a kid, 12 years old, 11 years old that that sort of timeframe. It was around 94, 95, 96. So Magic the Gathering has just come out. Brian Schoenborn 49:16 Magic the Gathering? Dan Kanivas 49:17 Yes. Brian Schoenborn 49:18 You know, I've heard of that game. I think I'm a little bit older than you. I was, you know, I was active duty in the Marines in 2000, 2002. So I'm fucking old. Dan Kanivas 49:26 I was born in 1983. Brian Schoenborn 49:27 Oh I'm two years, about two years then. I remember, I think it was early in high school, you said seventh or eighth grade? Dan Kanivas 49:36 Yes. Brian Schoenborn 49:36 So that would put me in high school. Right? So I remember hearing about magic together. But I was kind of at that point where it was, I don't know, I just, I wasn't. I wasn't there at that point. Dan Kanivas 49:46 Yeah. Oh, yeah. Brian Schoenborn 49:46 You know, yeah, it was a different spot. Dan Kanivas 49:48 Oh, yeah. Brian Schoenborn 49:48 But my younger brother. He was born in 83. Dan Kanivas 49:50 Oh, yeah. Brian Schoenborn 49:52 Huge into Magic the Gathering. Shout out to Dave. Dan Kanivas 50:00 Being born at a certain time or being a certain age, in that timeframe, made all the difference. If I was actually a if I were actually a year older or two years older, it may have worked out that, you know, I may missed it just like you. Or I could have gotten in on even a little sooner. And had I done that then some of those cards from those era, from that era, which I missed by just about a year are invaluable now. Brian Schoenborn 50:31 Really? Dan Kanivas 50:32 They're quite, they're quite expensive. Yeah. Because it becomes collector's, collector's items. Brian Schoenborn 50:36 They're what, like baseball cards or something? Dan Kanivas 50:37 Yeah, that that idea that they're not being made anymore. So anyways, so I played for a little bit back in those days, as a middle schooler, and, you know, as the nerdy kid who was looking for something that was popular to do the time, well, mainly with other boys. This was, you know, spoke to me strategy games and the the fantasy portion of it, you know, dragons and, and demons and angels and stuff like that. That's pretty cool. Like, that was that kept us interested, but life moved in other directions. I got involved in sports, became more active socially, especially with the fairer sex. Brian Schoenborn 50:39 Sure, of course. Dan Kanivas 50:40 And so, you know, Magic disappeared from my life. Brian Schoenborn 51:22 And that's where I was at but just out of curiosity, do you recall like playing the game? Like, can you can you, cause, I don't know anything about it. Like, can you kind of give me like a high level, like the highest level overview like how it works? Dan Kanivas 51:40 Yes, sure. So it's a card game, that you take a set of cards and you build decks with them. And the idea is that you and your opponent is typically played one on one. Typically. You and our opponent are both powerful wizards, and you cast spells to try to defeat each other. The game was actually created by a grad student, I believe UPenn, a mathematics grad student at UPenn who had a lifelong fascination and love for games. And though, his name is Richard Garfield, though he's brilliant, this is going to be his legacy on Earth. Brian Schoenborn 52:24 Yeah. Dan Kanivas 52:24 So not mathematics or anything else. Most likely it's going to be this game, which is going to be very, very popular. Brian Schoenborn 52:30 It's pretty impressive legacy. Dan Kanivas 52:31 Yeah, absolutely. And he's still active in making games and things like that. But anyways, so that's the basic gist. You can use these cards, cast spells to try and defeat each other. And you know the game, though I left the game a long time ago, it grew and grew and grew and grew. And in 2018, last year, one of my friends who I worked with right out of business school, turned out that he has some cards. I talked to him about He's like, “Hey, Dan, did you know there's an online platform for this now that it's pretty nifty?” Brian Schoenborn 53:05 No way. Dan Kanivas 53:06 Yeah. And, you know… Brian Schoenborn 53:09 So like 15 years. Dan Kanivas 53:10 Yeah. 20 years. Brian Schoenborn 53:11 20 years? Dan Kanivas 53:12 Yeah 20 years. Had I not had that conversation? I don't think I would have rediscovered it but now it's 100% my guilty pleasure to play Magic the Gathering Arena Online. And it takes away a lot of the issues of having to play with paper cards, not that I don't like to play with them, I do. But it's one of these things where you don't have to do it in a room full of other people. You can do it from your bed, or from your desk, or on a train, right? Just on your laptop. Dan Kanivas 53:44 And what I thought I liked before about the game, the you know, the again, the fantastical aspects of it, right, the the dragons and stuff, actually turned out not to be the exciting part of the game for me. What I thought the game is how deep strategically it goes. It combines the the deep strategy of a game like Risk or Chess or Settlers of Catan, things like that, right? Where each choice you make really matters. It combines that with randomness. Again, that's, that's involved in Risk or Poker, right, where the top card of your deck that you don't know what it is, will change the outcome of the game. Dan Kanivas 54:32 And so the combination of those two things, the skill and the luck, the roll of the dice in Risk keeps people coming back for more, because it makes every game you play different. Which is really really cool. And it goes very, very deep. So I'm, I am a newly, newly reintegrated player. Brian Schoenborn 54:55 That's interesting you know, I've heard I've heard some people have been kind of resurging with like Dungeons and Dragons and stuff like that too. I dabbled with it, but I was never really like that into again that was my brother's sort of thing. Dan Kanivas 55:06 Yeah. Brian Schoenborn 55:08 But I've heard that a lot of people like kind of our age, have been getting back into these things. So it must be, must be interesting to play against these people with that new perspective and that level of knowledge and experience that you've gained. The thought process and all that. Got to be pretty cool, bet you can get some, like, if you were to play if you had some buddies that like are in the area, and they have like a deck of cards it would probably be pretty cool to have like a dude night a dude Magic the Gathering — a person, a friend night I guess — I don't want to be gender bias or whatever. Dan Kanivas 55:42 For for better, for worse, and this is actually a big topic of discussion within the community. Not just Magic, but gaming generally. Right? And gaming is gigantic, it's exploded. And my wife works for a gaming company, like it's everywhere. Brian Schoenborn 55:55 Oh cool. Yeah. Dan Kanivas 55:56 And so yeah, gaming is, unfortunately, very biased towards males. And as a result, oftentimes, there are people in the community slash the companies and the, you know, the policies that inadvertently get set up, I don't think it's intentional, at least from a company standpoint, are exclusive unfortunately, right? And they're not not always integrative and not always inclusive. Brian Schoenborn 56:27 Right. Dan Kanivas 56:27 And so there's actually to Magic's credit, they really do try to be inclusive, you see it in the artwork, you see it in their messaging, you see it in how they treat people who are not inclusive. Which is great. Brian Schoenborn 56:44 I think that's fantastic, you know, because like I tripped up and said, “Oh, dude, you know, it's a dude thing”, but it's finally not, and it shouldn't be you know? It's games you're having fun, it's strategy. Like, you're using you're using your mind, you have little bit of a social environment. Like that's not. Dan Kanivas 56:59 Yeah, I don't I don't picked up at all, I think this is a real issue. And it's something that the community has to figure out. If you if you go have a boardgame night with friends, which like you said, it's kind of you're seeing a resurgence of people around our age doing this. I think there's several reasons for it. One, it's if people have families, it's a pretty low-key way to get together and… Brian Schoenborn 57:22 You're not going crazy. Dan Kanivas 57:23 Exactly. Brian Schoenborn 57:24 You're not getting super wasted playing Magic the Gathering, maybe a casual beer. Dan Kanivas 57:27 We're not going to Coachella because we have kids. Right? Brian Schoenborn 57:29 Exactly. Dan Kanivas 57:30 Exactly. Right. So you know that that's a great way to get together and like I just played actually last weekend. Settlers of Catan with I have friends around here. While we're out in Walla Walla, you know, on a wine country trip. It was great. It was one of the highlights of the trip. It's always fun playing with them. And so, you know, it's a very enjoyable, easy to get into, and social thing to do. I think this is

: Medical Cannabis and how it is helping our Veteran community. TROY BIO: Troy Bowyer was Born and raised in Missouri. His father and uncles all served in the military. Troy’s Cousins, brother and mother served as well. Troy joined the Army in 2005 where he Completed OSUT at Fort Knox. Troy trained and became a 63A, which is an M1A1 Abrams Tank Systems Maintainer, however, the tank mechanics worked on EVERYTHING. Tank Mechanics are a bit different because not just anyone could work on a turbine engine. During Troy’s time in the military, all the other careers knew the Tank Mechanics were the best. Troy also served as an M88 operator, A heavy equipment recovery vehicle. The beast of all beasts.Troy’s First duty station was Camp Casey, Korea. E Co 2/9 Infantry. Second To None! While serving there, Troy suffered an injury where he Herniated his L-4, L-5 disk completing the Manchu Mile. That is a 28 mile ruck march with a 60 pack. It is conducted every year in remembrance of an 85-mile forced march undertaken by soldiers from the 9th Infantry Regiment during the Chinese "Boxer Rebellion" in 1900. This Ruck March represented something powerful and it was a pretty extreme challenge for Troy to be a part of. Troy left S. Korea in June of 2007. He then Took that 30 days of PCS leave and went to Ft. Riley, Kansas. Troy Deployed on back to back tours in Iraq with the Big Red One where he was part of a unit being stood up. At that time, we were the Old Ironsides. Troy made it through some miserable times with some good people from that unit where he pushed through a lot of physical pain to do those deployments.Troy is now a 10 year Medically Retired SGT, part-time gunsmith with three crazy boys, a lovely wife, a rescued dog, and an evil cat, Lilith. She protects the house because the dog is too busy sleeping. Fortunately, the folks Troy work with and for, now, they are good people and understand his situation. Troy’s workload and man hours are completely up to him. Troy also tries to volunteer to help my fellow Veterans when he can. Throughout the last 10 years Troy has had four back surgeries to include a double spinal cord stimulator. Troy has had One surgery a year over the last 7-8 years, which come at a substantial price to his mind and body. Troy tries to maintain a positive outlook because he knows “it could always be worse”.

: Medical Cannabis and how it is helping our Veteran community. TROY BIO: Troy Bowyer was Born and raised in Missouri. His father and uncles all served in the military. Troy’s Cousins, brother and mother served as well. Troy joined the Army in 2005 where he Completed OSUT at Fort Knox. Troy trained and became a 63A, which is an M1A1 Abrams Tank Systems Maintainer, however, the tank mechanics worked on EVERYTHING. Tank Mechanics are a bit different because not just anyone could work on a turbine engine. During Troy’s time in the military, all the other careers knew the Tank Mechanics were the best. Troy also served as an M88 operator, A heavy equipment recovery vehicle. The beast of all beasts. Troy’s First duty station was Camp Casey, Korea. E Co 2/9 Infantry. Second To None! While serving there, Troy suffered an injury where he Herniated his L-4, L-5 disk completing the Manchu Mile. That is a 28 mile ruck march with a 60 pack. It is conducted every year in remembrance of an 85-mile forced march undertaken by soldiers from the 9th Infantry Regiment during the Chinese "Boxer Rebellion" in 1900. This Ruck March represented something powerful and it was a pretty extreme challenge for Troy to be a part of. Troy left S. Korea in June of 2007. He then Took that 30 days of PCS leave and went to Ft. Riley, Kansas. Troy Deployed on back to back tours in Iraq with the Big Red One where he was part of a unit being stood up. At that time, we were the Old Ironsides. Troy made it through some miserable times with some good people from that unit where he pushed through a lot of physical pain to do those deployments. Troy is now a 10 year Medically Retired SGT, part-time gunsmith with three crazy boys, a lovely wife, a rescued dog, and an evil cat, Lilith. She protects the house because the dog is too busy sleeping. Fortunately, the folks Troy work with and for, now, they are good people and understand his situation. Troy’s workload and man hours are completely up to him. Troy also tries to volunteer to help my fellow Veterans when he can. Throughout the last 10 years Troy has had four back surgeries to include a double spinal cord stimulator. Troy has had One surgery a year over the last 7-8 years, which come at a substantial price to his mind and body. Troy tries to maintain a positive outlook because he knows “it could always be worse”.

Troy Bowyer was Born and raised in Missouri. His father and uncles all served in the military. Troy's Cousins, brother and mother served as well. Troy joined the Army in 2005 where he Completed OSUT at Fort Knox. Troy trained and became a 63A, which is an M1A1 Abrams Tank Systems Maintainer, however, the tank mechanics worked on EVERYTHING. Tank Mechanics are a bit different because not just anyone could work on a turbine engine. During Troy's time in the military, all the other careers knew the Tank Mechanics were the best. Troy also served as an M88 operator, A heavy equipment recovery vehicle. The beast of all beasts. Troy's First duty station was Camp Casey, Korea. E Co 2/9 Infantry. Second To None! While serving there, Troy suffered an injury where he Herniated his L-4, L-5 disk completing the Manchu Mile. That is a 28 mile ruck march with a 60 pack. It is conducted every year in remembrance of an 85-mile forced march undertaken by soldiers from the 9th Infantry Regiment during the Chinese "Boxer Rebellion" in 1900. This Ruck March represented something powerful and it was a pretty extreme challenge for Troy to be a part of. Troy left S. Korea in June of 2007. He then Took that 30 days of PCS leave and went to Ft. Riley, Kansas. Troy Deployed on back to back tours in Iraq with the Big Red One where he was part of a unit being stood up. At that time, we were the Old Ironsides. Troy made it through some miserable times with some good people from that unit where he pushed through a lot of physical pain to do those deployments. Troy is now a 10 year Medically Retired SGT, part-time gunsmith with three crazy boys, a lovely wife, a rescued dog, and an evil cat, Lilith. She protects the house because the dog is too busy sleeping. Fortunately, the folks Troy work with and for, now, they are good people and understand his situation. Troy's workload and man hours are completely up to him. Troy also tries to volunteer to help my fellow Veterans when he can. Throughout the last 10 years Troy has had four back surgeries to include a double spinal cord stimulator. Troy has had One surgery a year over the last 7-8 years, which come at a substantial price to his mind and body. Troy tries to maintain a positive outlook because he knows “it could always be worse”.

Troy Bowyer was Born and raised in Missouri. His father and uncles all served in the military. Troy’s Cousins, brother and mother served as well. Troy joined the Army in 2005 where he Completed OSUT at Fort Knox. Troy trained and became a 63A, which is an M1A1 Abrams Tank Systems Maintainer, however, the tank mechanics worked on EVERYTHING. Tank Mechanics are a bit different because not just anyone could work on a turbine engine. During Troy’s time in the military, all the other careers knew the Tank Mechanics were the best. Troy also served as an M88 operator, A heavy equipment recovery vehicle. The beast of all beasts. Troy’s First duty station was Camp Casey, Korea. E Co 2/9 Infantry. Second To None! While serving there, Troy suffered an injury where he Herniated his L-4, L-5 disk completing the Manchu Mile. That is a 28 mile ruck march with a 60 pack. It is conducted every year in remembrance of an 85-mile forced march undertaken by soldiers from the 9th Infantry Regiment during the Chinese "Boxer Rebellion" in 1900. This Ruck March represented something powerful and it was a pretty extreme challenge for Troy to be a part of. Troy left S. Korea in June of 2007. He then Took that 30 days of PCS leave and went to Ft. Riley, Kansas. Troy Deployed on back to back tours in Iraq with the Big Red One where he was part of a unit being stood up. At that time, we were the Old Ironsides. Troy made it through some miserable times with some good people from that unit where he pushed through a lot of physical pain to do those deployments. Troy is now a 10 year Medically Retired SGT, part-time gunsmith with three crazy boys, a lovely wife, a rescued dog, and an evil cat, Lilith. She protects the house because the dog is too busy sleeping. Fortunately, the folks Troy work with and for, now, they are good people and understand his situation. Troy’s workload and man hours are completely up to him. Troy also tries to volunteer to help my fellow Veterans when he can. Throughout the last 10 years Troy has had four back surgeries to include a double spinal cord stimulator. Troy has had One surgery a year over the last 7-8 years, which come at a substantial price to his mind and body. Troy tries to maintain a positive outlook because he knows “it could always be worse”.

Troy Bowyer was Born and raised in Missouri. His father and uncles all served in the military. Troy’s Cousins, brother and mother served as well. Troy joined the Army in 2005 where he Completed OSUT at Fort Knox. Troy trained and became a 63A, which is an M1A1 Abrams Tank Systems Maintainer, however, the tank mechanics worked on EVERYTHING. Tank Mechanics are a bit different because not just anyone could work on a turbine engine. During Troy’s time in the military, all the other careers knew the Tank Mechanics were the best. Troy also served as an M88 operator, A heavy equipment recovery vehicle. The beast of all beasts.Troy’s First duty station was Camp Casey, Korea. E Co 2/9 Infantry. Second To None! While serving there, Troy suffered an injury where he Herniated his L-4, L-5 disk completing the Manchu Mile. That is a 28 mile ruck march with a 60 pack. It is conducted every year in remembrance of an 85-mile forced march undertaken by soldiers from the 9th Infantry Regiment during the Chinese "Boxer Rebellion" in 1900. This Ruck March represented something powerful and it was a pretty extreme challenge for Troy to be a part of. Troy left S. Korea in June of 2007. He then Took that 30 days of PCS leave and went to Ft. Riley, Kansas. Troy Deployed on back to back tours in Iraq with the Big Red One where he was part of a unit being stood up. At that time, we were the Old Ironsides. Troy made it through some miserable times with some good people from that unit where he pushed through a lot of physical pain to do those deployments.Troy is now a 10 year Medically Retired SGT, part-time gunsmith with three crazy boys, a lovely wife, a rescued dog, and an evil cat, Lilith. She protects the house because the dog is too busy sleeping. Fortunately, the folks Troy work with and for, now, they are good people and understand his situation. Troy’s workload and man hours are completely up to him. Troy also tries to volunteer to help my fellow Veterans when he can. Throughout the last 10 years Troy has had four back surgeries to include a double spinal cord stimulator. Troy has had One surgery a year over the last 7-8 years, which come at a substantial price to his mind and body. Troy tries to maintain a positive outlook because he knows “it could always be worse”.

Active shootings can happen anywhere, even in law firms. What can attorneys and their staff do to prepare and protect each other in these kinds of scenarios? Mark sits down with active-shooter response expert, retired U.S. army sniper, and Montana-licensed attorney Alain Burrese to discuss law firm safety tactics and active shooter protocol. Transcript:   MARK B:                  Good morning podcast listeners. What a beautiful day here in Montana, and welcome to the latest episode of ALPS In Brief, the podcast that comes to you from the historic Florence building in beautiful downtown Missoula, Montana. I'm Mark Bassingthwaighte, the Risk Manager here with ALPS, and today I am most excited to have as a guest Alain Burrese. Alain is quite a guy; we've had — I should say, I have had — the privilege and pleasure to work with him a number of years ago. In fact, Alain, if you recall, we had an experience in Las Vegas (for work), but we had a lot of fun doing some consulting down there. The topic that Alain and I are going to discuss today is really, in my mind, a very, very important topic. Also one that I wish we didn't have to talk about, but in this day and age we do, and it's looking at active shooting situations. Before we get into this, let me tell you a little bit about Alain. Alain is a former U.S. Army sniper and sniper instructor at the 2nd Infantry Division scout sniper school at Camp Casey, South Korea, a former U.S. Army paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, fifth degree black belt, [inaudible 00:01:29] instructor, author and producer of numerous books and DVDs on self defense, to include, Survive a Shooting: Lifesaving Tactics and Strategies to Survive Active Shooters and Other Terrorist Attacks. And I could just go on and on. He's a certified active shooter instructor, has trained more than 4,000 people, and on top of all that, if that's not enough, he's a licensed attorney here in the state of Montana. So Alain, it is such a pleasure to have you join us. ALAIN:                  It's a pleasure to be here with you, Mark, and I have fond memories of our trip to Vegas too and we're down there helping a bunch of law firms be safe in a different kind of environment when we are down there. MARK:                  Yes, that's absolutely true. Risk management and best practice, those kinds of things, a little less emotionally tense. Alain, I really wanted to talk with you because as you and I, and I'm sure everybody in our listening audience is well aware of, there have been in recent times quite a number of mass shooting situations that have made the news, not only nationwide but some of these certainly worldwide. What people don't hear as much is the shootings that are smaller scale, perhaps. It's not commonplace, thankfully, but in this day and age there are occasionally shootings that occur in even small law firms. Disgruntled ... client or an adverse party, you know, can come in at times. You'll see these occasionally in a divorce situation, and it can be anything. So I do think it's, it's worth talking about active shooting scenarios. These small situations, again, they don't make the national news, but we certainly, we've had an occasional situation like this pop up in our own book. You read some of these in the journals, in terms of, [inaudible 00:03:32] Journal and some of our industry publications. But Alain, where I wanna start, are there really things that attorneys can do, or staff, to survive these kinds of shootings? If I'm sitting in reception or an associate of law firm or something, can I realistically do anything? ALAIN:                  Mark, there are a lot of things we can do. It's interesting that you talk about law firms and the active shooters. We have the big active shooter events, and most definitions of active shooter is somebody that's just trying to kill random innocent people with no other crime. But we have a lot more shooting incidents where that could be a gang affiliated, where people shooting each other for gang related drug related issues. But we also do have a lot of shootings and attacks, sometimes it could be with a knife or something else, that are more directed, and law firms could be a very good target for that. Like you said you have disgruntled clients, something went south, and especially domestic issues, and something didn't go the way they wanted it to and the attorney is to blame. So they're going to come in specifically to attack that person or maybe that person's staff or maybe the entire office cause they blame everybody there. [crosstalk 00:05:02] There are things we can do to increase the law firm safety and to decrease the amount of damage a potential person like that could inflict on people. MARK:                  Well Alain, let's start perhaps with prevention, are there steps that we can take in anticipation that something like this might happen? ALAIN:                  One is recognizing signs. Awareness, and I teach awareness in all of my programs, is number one. And being aware of that potential former client, current client employee, that maybe is something wrong with that employee. Maybe just a former employee because they were fired, recognizing some signs that something's not going on right with that person. And those signs could be a depression, the significant event the life, which a lot of things involved in law offices are very significant to people's lives. It could be a fascination with weapons or explosives. So if you're seeing something that's just not normal with a person ... we're here in Montana, a guy goes and buys a new hunting rifle, big deal. Everybody has firearms up here in Montana. But if there's this weird fascination that's just not normal, and we sort of know what baseline normal is for our environments, maybe that person needs to be watched a little close. Ideally, we can get people help before something bad happens. Remember the national news a couple of years ago with his father that found the daughter's diary and then ended up turning her in and thankfully they were able to get that young lady some help before she did what she was writing about in the diary, which was going to kill a lot of people. MARK:                  Yeah, that's a great point. I mean I'm here, I love it, Alain. And since I'm already learning all kinds of stuff. I never even stopped to think about- awareness obviously, very, very important, but you're identifying potential shooters, people that are going to- can go make some very, very wrong decisions, that I wasn't even thinking about in this context. That is really good stuff. So awareness becomes, it sounds like, a key thing to keep in mind from a preventative standpoint. Are there any other kinds of things or is that pretty much the- ALAIN:                  How you have your facility laid out. One way in, having controlled access to places helps prevent these things. So if there's only one way in, and it's monitored somehow, that's a little bit better than people can come and go in a lot of different places. Having a communication system set up. Somebody comes in the front door that's bad, is wrong, can that be communicated to people throughout the office? Having ways to lock down, so people can lock down their offices and stay safe in rooms. Being prepared with- some people are gonna keep firearms in their office, that that is an option. If you do that, I hope that you have the proper training in both safety and use of the weapon that you have.                                 I teach fire extinguishers as improvised weapons, because they're in almost every building, any public building we're going to find fire extinguishers. Reflex Protect is a great nonlethal option that people are starting to use. And then knowing where your exits are for you to be able to escape. Cause your basic things that you can do is you can escape, you can barricade and lock that person from getting to you, or you can defend yourself by physically attacking back and stopping that shooter. Those are your three options if a situation actually happens. So being prepared to do any of those and all of those is what you want in your plan. MARK:                  Yeah. It's been interesting, with the consulting work over the years, I have gone into law firms that sometimes have key card access or a doorbell, and they have to, you know, see on camera before they push a little button that lets you in. So there are firms that have taken these kinds of steps already. Let's talk about these three options that you've identified. Whether it's, somebody that has pulled out a knife, somebody that has come in with a gun and is threatening. If you will, when the bullets are flying, can we take a little further this discussion about what, what do we do as individuals to try to survive this? You talk for instance about escape versus attacking and trying to defend. I would assume that, I guess I'd say, how do you evaluate in these kinds of settings what your best option is? ALAIN:                  Sure. In the programs I teach, I put those in a triangle, with each, "Escape, deny, and defend," the points of the triangle, versus the linear "Run, hide, fight," which is the national program. Because it's not all linear. You can't say, well first I will escape. If I can't escape, I will deny. If I can't deny, then I will defend myself. You don't always have those options. Say we're in a big meeting room. If I'm in the very back of the room beside a door and someone comes in the opposite end of the room through that door, I could probably escape out this back door. If I'm the person sitting closest to that front door where the person comes in, I don't have that option anymore. So you're going to immediately go to defending yourself and try to take that guy out. So that's why it's sort of a triangle. You have to do one of the three, but which one you do will be determined by where you're at in location to the threat, what the threat has, your environment. All of those factors are going to come into play of which is going to be the best. MARK:                  Okay, sometimes- ALAIN:                  Of course-                          Go ahead. MARK:                  Well I see. Can we talk about each of these individually? You talk about, okay, so my first and best choice if using the conference room situation, I can try to escape because that's the easiest, fastest thing to do, and safest, at least for me as I'm hearing. Does escape always mean find the closest exit, for lack of a better word, and just run, just go for it? Is that- ALAIN:                  Often, that is. Getting out of the kill zone. Now it could be running away. It could be going out a window and running. It could be dropping down and crawling behind something until you get a place to run. But getting out of the kill zone, and as far away as possible. If you can do that, great. But sometimes that's not an option. You might be a caretaker of somebody or be with somebody that can't escape with you. So again, it is a great option if available. MARK:                  This whole conference room example, and thank you for bringing it up, it just brings so many kinds of ethical dilemmas in my mind, which is, what we're all about here. I'm always writing and trying to talk in a lecture on ethics. Is there, what are your thoughts ALAIN, about, I am the guy getting closest to the door, but I'm a senior partner, and I have staff and colleagues and things that are more in between. Is always the best answer for me to try to escape, or is there, do I try to help as many others escape, too? You see what I'm trying to get at and- ALAIN:                  That that is going to vary from individual to individual. I know that if I was on a job working security, my reaction would probably be different than if I was at the mall and a situation happened and I was with my wife and daughter, and would be different if I was alone. There are some people that are natural, to use David Grossman's term, sheep dogs, the protectors. They're going to try to help other people and stop threats. Not everyone has that inside them, so I'm not going to fault anybody because they escaped and didn't help others. It's inside certain people. I think some of us, though, are going to help more and that's just the nature of us. I would like everyone to help everyone else, but we know that that's not always going to be the case. If you're the closest person to the threat, whether it's a knife, a shooter, whatever, probably the option is, you're going to be the one that has to fight. If not, you're probably going to die. Sad as it is, I can't give you strategies to keep everyone alive. In these situations, people will get hurt and people will die, but we can reduce the number of people that are killed. MARK:                  Let's talk about that then. I think I'm pretty confident in saying it's the other two angles, or corners of your triangle here. Escape may or may not be an option, one or two get out. This other corner is "deny". So even if I, I think school shootings are a great example, perhaps where a teacher could deny access in some fashion, which is where I think we're going here, to try to protect the 30 students in her room or his room. Can we explore, what does "deny" mean, and how, particularly in the context of a small business like a law office, what are your thoughts about, how do we do that? ALAIN:                  It can be as simple as locking a door and keeping that person out through a good solid locked door. It can be barricading. It can be getting behind some type of cover, cover being something that will stop bullets where concealment might hide you, but it doesn't stop bullets. Something that will deny that person ability to hurt you. Now, with a knife wielding subject, picking up a chair and holding that chair between you and that person so he can't get close enough to cut you, is a way to deny him access from hurting you. So different weapons, different threats, there are different ways to deny that threat from hurting you. MARK:                  Great. Again, I'm always learning something from you, ALAIN. I never even would have thought, hey, let's just pick up a chair. What a great example. Okay, I like that. When I think about bad actors, I always have in my mind that these people are experienced and understand how to use a weapon, and that that may or may not be true. But I look at somebody like myself and I'll say, honestly, I've had one opportunity in my life where I've gone to a shooting range and had somebody give me a little experience in how to fire a hand gun. So I've done that for probably 45 minutes in my whole life. Trust me, I am not trained, obviously, to handle weapons. So it seems to me that I would be, for lack of a better description, out of my league. I don't know how to respond. Does that mean that I really should never try to attack? Does it mean I'm completely screwed for lack of- what can I do? I'm untrained and I'm against somebody that may or may not have real skillsets with the weapons they have brought to the table here. So is there something an average person like myself could do, if I'm forced into no other option? ALAIN:                  There a couple things. One of the things, empty handed- I don't teach anybody to go straight on against a shooter or a knife welder and take the gun or take the knife away from the person. That's not realistic. However, from the sides or behind, you can, and lot of times what I teach is if you have a group, the first guy grabs the arm and the weapon and just forces it to the ground while the couple people behind tackle the guy, and you just sort of swarm and jump on top of him and pound on him until you have the gun or the knife or whatever away from him. That has been successful. People have done that and stopped people. But we also, one of the reasons that's why I joined Reflex Protect, is that gives a nonlethal response, because you can spray the guy in the face from ten, fifteen, twenty feet away, and that stuff gets in the eyes, it starts burning, it's going to stop the threat. If you can spray a Windex bottle, you know, or whatever wasp spray kind of thing, you can spray Reflex Protect. It's so easy and it gives you a nonlethal option as well for untrained people. MARK:                  Okay. I also liked your earlier comment of just the, the fire extinguisher. Never would have thought of that either. ALAIN:                  Fire extinguishers are good. And all of these, I like to teach, where you're going to ambush the bad guy at a doorway or at a corner, coming from the side, coming from the rear, rather than a head on, straight on to a person that's armed. MARK:                  Okay. This situation plays out in whatever way it plays out, and I'm going to assume that we have somebody if not more, that's wounded and or has been killed. What happens next? The attack is over, the attacker has run, the attacker has been mobbed and is on the ground. We've got the guy. What's next? ALAIN:                  Couple things. One, it's important that everyone has some basic first aid training, and there's new programs called Stop the Bleed. It's a national program. We have instructors here in Missoula. Actually, I'm going to be a certified instructor here pretty soon with Stop the Bleed, just increase my knowledge, and then having some supplies on hand,. Having a medical kit that also has tourniquets, pressure bandages, that could stop severe bleeding. That's a good thing to have in your car and have individually, too. Not just for shooters or people with knives, car accidents, anything that's massive hemorrhaging, you can save a life if you can stop that bleeding. Having tourniquets, pressure bandages, things available, and people that know how to use them, can save lives. MARK:                  Is that the most important thing that you can do then, to save somebody who's been shot or injured? Is that what you're getting to? ALAIN:                  Usually, yes. If it's a chest, you're gonna need a chest seal. If it punctured a lung, that sucking chest wound. So that would be good to have in your kit as well. But from bullets, if it's in the limbs, it's probably, you're going to die of hemorrhaging if you don't stop the bleeding. In the chest, if it's a sucking chest wound, you're going to need that. Elsewhere in the torso, stuffing the wound, wrapping it, controlling the bleeding until the professionals get there. Because if they're not dead already, if they're alive, it's the loss of blood that's most likely to kill them. So stopping bleeding, treating for shock until the professionals take over, gives you the best options of saving lives. MARK:                  Obviously the professionals are going to show up, in terms of emergency personnel and the police. Is there anything that we need to know in terms of, what do we do or not do with- I'm particularly thinking about police, in terms of interacting with them. Any thoughts about that? ALAIN:                  Make sure- it's going to be chaotic for you. It's going to be chaotic for them. So make sure you are not mistaken for a threat. If you do have a firearm, it should be put away or put down and not in your hands. Whether that's your own, or one you took away from the bad guy. You want to be able to show open hands when the law enforcement shows up, so they don't mistake you. I'll say this about Reflex Protect, too, because it looks, and it fires, it has a head on it that's like a firearm, sort of a trigger mechanism, I want to put that down, too, because law officers, they don't know what's in your hands unless they're empty, and that's what they want to see. Listen to them, do what you're told. They may treat everyone as a bad guy until they know for sure ... don't get offended, that's part of their job. Just listen to them. Do what you're told until the situation's over. MARK:                  Okay. I should have brought this up a little bit earlier, talking about Reflex Protect here, and just for our listeners, out of Montana anyway. We're in bear country here and do a lot of hiking and you may be aware of what we call bear spray, and people over the years carry these cans of bear spray out in the wilderness, and it's sort of a wide field pepper spray and it can be very, very effective. But what you're talking about Alain, if I understand it correctly, is we've kind of taken this technology or this approach up a step and this is a stream that you can target specific areas. The center of the face, as an example, and it's a gel like product, but what we're talking about is a nonlethal chemical device here that just tries to stop a person from attacking you. Am I describing it accurately? ALAIN:                  Exactly. It shoots out in the stream like wasp spray, and the benefit, it's not pepper spray, which contaminates the entire room and every- if you've ever been in a room where they shoot pepper spray or even outside with bear spray, everybody in the area is gagging and coughing. This uses a CS based gel. It's the Presidia Gel, with the active ingredient of CS. It only affects the bad guy, and nobody else in the room will be affected or contaminated, which makes it safe to be used inside of a hospital, inside of a school, inside of a church, inside of a law office, anywhere inside. It's not going to have that affect that pepper spray has. MARK:                  Right. And just as an aside, a number of years ago when our kids were lot smaller, one of my boys found a can of pepper spray, and we had friends over for dinner and their kids and they're all playing around, and he just later on looked like "Daddy. It just, the voice in my head said push the trigger and see what happens." And he emptied a can of pepper spray in our family room. So I have firsthand experience with that, and it does impact everybody. And cleaning that up, ooh, what a mess. Well, listen, Alain, it really has been a pleasure. Just, some great stuff that you've shared and I hope that we have some listeners here that really take it to heart. It seems to me there are things we can do, and I love just even being aware of what's going on, and having the courage to try to find appropriate help if necessary. But before we go, I do want to give you a chance to share any closing thoughts. The floor is yours. ALAIN:                  Certainly. The most important thing is I want people to be aware and be safe. I wrote in my book that it's the most important book I wish you didn't need to read. And I wish I didn't have to talk about this, but we saw just a little over a week ago, twelve people killed. Again, another shooting where 12 innocent people killed. So it is important to not be paranoid, but to have a plan to practice safe habits so you can enjoy life safely. Both at work, at home, and wherever else you are. If you want more information, my book has been called one of the best on the topic, it's over 350 pages of solid information to help you, and that's at surviveashooting.com or amazon.com. And if you want a nonlethal way to defend yourself in your office or your home, reflexprotect.com, and you can learn a lot more about that product. MARK:                  Perfect. Thank you very much. Well folks, for those of you listening, I hope you found something of value today. Boy, I sure did. Just great stuff. Again, I appreciate your listening, and if you have any thoughts, ideas, interests, in terms of topics or other folks you'd like to hear from, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. You may email me at mbass@alpsnet.com. So that's it. Alain, thank you again. Folks, have a good day. Bye Bye.

Industry Standard 240: RIP - Best of Barry Crimmins presented by Hello Fresh (for $30 off your first week of HelloFresh, visit go to hellofresh.com and enter the promo code KATZ30)Former Air America radio writer and correspondent (2003-2006), social justice activist, internationally renowned political satirist and author of the acclaimed seven stories press book 'Never Shake Hands with a War Criminal' helped bring the Boston comedy scene into the modern age when he founded two of Boston's most fabled clubs: The Ding Ho and Stitches. Such acts as Steven Wright, Paula Poundstone, Bobcat Goldthwait, Kevin Meaney, Jimmy Tingle and many, many others cut their comedic teeth in the rooms Crimmins started at shows he produced. As the years went on, he became an activist of sorts, travelling to Nicaragua to perform political satire about the U.S. government and the Contras. The brilliant, multi-talented Barry Crimmins is also an actor, known for The Young Comedians All-Star Reunion (1986) When Stand Up Stood Out (2003), and Call Me Lucky (2015) which documents in detail his traumatic early childhood experiences of being raped my a next door neighbor in the basement of his own home. Crimmin's satirical writing and comedy routines have focused through the years on the need for political and social change. Crimmins received the "Peace Leadership Award" in 1991 from Boston Mobilization for Survival. The award was presented by Noam Chomsky. Additionally, he was honored by Community Works with the "Artist for Social Change Award" for his years of activism. In 1994, Howard Zinn presented Barry Crimmins along with Maya Angelou "The Courage of Conscience Award" from Wellesley College and the Life Experience School at the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Massachusetts. Barry's friend Howard Zinn did the presenting that day. His work as an activist, journalist and performer has taken him everywhere from the American campaign trail to war zones in Central America to Camp Casey on the perimeter of the George W. Bush compound in Craw-Ford, Texas. On June 4, 2016, Barry shot an hour special in Lawrence, Kansas for Louis C.K.'s Pig Newton Productions. Barry is a true American comedy legend who never rests on his laurels, instead building each performance on a lifetime of remarkable experiences and a comic mind that has made him into the one-of-a-kind comic you really need to see.

Soldiers at Camp Casey build strong bonds, and Airmen from Misawa keep their "Falcons" healthy.

A U.S. Army Pacific soldier is named the top of their service, and service members at Camp Casey prove the importance of mental health.

Former Air America radio writer and correspondent (2003-2006), social justice activist, internationally renowned political satirist and author of the acclaimed seven stories press book 'Never Shake Hands with a War Criminal' helped bring the Boston comedy scene into the modern age when he founded two of Boston's most fabled clubs: The Ding Ho and Stitches. Such acts as Steven Wright, Paula Poundstone, Bobcat Goldthwait, Kevin Meaney, Jimmy Tingle and many, many others cut their comedic teeth in the rooms Crimmins started at shows he produced. As the years went on, he became an activist of sorts, travelling to Nicaragua to perform political satire about the U.S. government and the Contras. The brilliant, multi-talented Barry Crimmins is also an actor, known for The Young Comedians All-Star Reunion (1986) When Stand Up Stood Out (2003), and Call Me Lucky (2015) which documents in detail his traumatic early childhood experiences of being raped my a next door neighbor in the basement of his own home. Crimmin's satirical writing and comedy routines have focused through the years on the need for political and social change. Crimmins received the "Peace Leadership Award" in 1991 from Boston Mobilization for Survival. The award was presented by Noam Chomsky. Additionally, he was honored by Community Works with the "Artist for Social Change Award" for his years of activism. In 1994, Howard Zinn presented Barry Crimmins along with Maya Angelou "The Courage of Conscience Award" from Wellesley College and the Life Experience School at the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Massachusetts. Barry's friend Howard Zinn did the presenting that day. His work as an activist, journalist and performer has taken him everywhere from the American campaign trail to war zones in Central America to Camp Casey on the perimeter of the George W. Bush compound in Craw-Ford, Texas. On June 4, 2016, Barry shot an hour special in Lawrence, Kansas for Louis C.K.'s Pig Newton Productions. Barry is a true American comedy legend who never rests on his laurels, instead building each performance on a lifetime of remarkable experiences and a comic mind that has made him into the one-of-a-kind comic you really need to see.

The USO celebrates their 75th anniversary with a good cause at Guam, and 8th Army Soldiers at Camp Casey compete in the Best Warrior Competition.

Soldiers at Camp Casey participate in Warrior Friendship Week, and Sailors at Fleet Activities Sasebo test their typhoon readiness during Exercise Reliant Gale.

Refurbished housing opens up at US Naval Base Guam and Marines do what they do best in Camp Casey, South Korea.

The torch is passed at Camp Casey, South Korea​; and a battle for the scariest at Misawa Air Base​.

This edition features a story about the Korean Ambassador to the United States touring Camp Casey.

Cindy Sheehan, aged 56, is an internationally renowned peace and social justice activist. Sheehan's oldest son Casey was killed in Iraq on April 04, 2004 and many came to know about her and her work when she set up a peace camp near the faux-ranch of then president George W. Bush in Crawford, TX in the summer of 2005.Since then, Cindy Sheehan, has traveled the world working with fellow activists demanding peace and working with others to help create a world that is peaceful and more economically secure and equal.Cindy Sheehan is a native Californian who was raised in a California where education was excellent and other social safety nets were not as small and filled with holes so big, millions of Californians fall through while the rich and corporations keep exploiting more of this state's wealth and resources.Sheehan majored in California History at UCLA and envisions a state that leads the world in peace, economic stability and equality, environmental sustainability and delivering high-quality public education from pre-K through university. She knows it can be done because it has been done before.Cindy Sheehan has published seven books, been arrested for peace about 21 times, is currently a resident of Vacaville, CA and the mother of three surviving children and four grandchildren who are her love and her inspiration.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/1198501/advertisement

More than forty-one soldiers from the 210th Field Artillery Brigade, compete in the Thunder Fitness Challenge on Camp Casey, Korea.

Soldiers from the 210th Fires Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division competed in the first ever Thunder Fitness Challenge Oct. 30, 2013 on Camp Casey.

This edition features a story about the 9th Annual Friendship Festival, near Camp Casey.

This edition features a story about an NCO Induction Ceremony at Camp Casey.

Over 20 Soldiers conduct Combat Water Survival Training at Camp Casey.

This edition features a story about the Assistant Director of the Office of Service Members Affairs Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Mrs. Holly Petraeus, visiting Soldiers at Camp Casey.

USFK service members stationed at Camp Casey were given a unique opportunity to participate in the Presidential Inaguration Ball.

2nd Infantry Division Deputy Commanding General of Maneuvers, Brigadier General J.B. Burton recognized the 2ID Career Counselor of the Year, Staff Sergeant Tavares Wilson, from 210th Fires Brigade, at this year's career counselors recognition ceremony on Camp Casey. He presented awards and certificates of achievement to the other deserving counselors in Area I.

210th Fires Brigade held a day long Thunder Run leadership training event on Camp Casey. The training welcomed new leaders to the brigade with a test of physical strength and mental toughness. The purpose was to train and unify brigade leaders in physical training, chemical defense, weapons skills, and to foster esprit de corps.

Camp Casey's non-profit thrift shop "Casey's Closet" celebrates re-opening at a new location.

Hundreds of Area I community members attended the live broadcast of Super Bowl XLVI at Camps Casey, Hovey and Red Cloud.

Soldiers and family members stationed in Area I brought in the holiday season at the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Camp Casey. Children from Child Youth and School Services sang Christmas carols and volunteers from Casey Hovey BOSS provided families with pictures of their kids sitting on Santa's lap while the 2ID Band played holiday music throughout the event.

The Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders were at the Camp Casey USO as part of their 73rd USO tour.

Casey Elementary students performed in a Christmas Concert during a Winter Extravaganza at the Camp Casey CAC. There was an exciting performance from the Casey Choir, and the kids displayed their acting skills during a dramatic rendition of Candles in December. The shows finally was a grand recital from the concert band along with a final performance from pianist Dana Newland.

This edition features a story about the Camp Casey Warriors Club tree decoration contest.

This edition features a story on the Director of IMCOM Pacific Region, Deborah Zedalis, who visited Camp Casey and Red Cloud for the first time.

This edition features a story on the Camp Casey Community Activities Center which hosted a holiday craft bazaar.

This edition features a story on the Haunted Barracks haunted house at Camp Casey, Korea.

This edition features a story about how the FMWR staff and sponsors dedicated a day at Camp Casey to demonstrate programs at their 1st ever FMWR Expo.

This edition features a story about how Camp Casey officials celebrated the grand re-opening of the Hovey Ed Center.

This edition features a story about how 2nd Infantry Division joined forces with crews from U.S. Garrison Casey and Red Cloud to clean up Area One installations hit by a monsoon.

This edition features a story about how the Camp Casey Auto Skills Center opened its doors.

This edition features a stories about a Change of Responsibility ceremony produced by Katusa Cpl. Joon Sang Yoon and how Area One medics receive life saving training at Camp Casey produced by Army Sgt. Chris Garber. Hosted by Army Sgt. Andrew Brandstead.

This edition features a story about 2nd Infantry Division Soldiers cleaning up the community around Camp Casey after the worst flood in 10 years, and service members volunteering to help the Korean Animal Protection Society. Hosted by Army Sgt. Andrew Brandstead.

This edition features stories about how the Area One residence experienced flooding on Camp Casey and about the 8th Army Sgt. Maj. Rodney Harris. Produced by Sgt. Chuck Burden and Hosted by Spc. Andrew Brandstead.

This edition features a story about the Camp Casey 3rd Annual Baby Shower.

This edition features a story on two service members stationed at Camp Casey winning the team category of the Area-1 Hooah Fitness Challenge, and Soldiers from the 84th Ordnance Company and 6th Ordnance Headquarters Detachment conducting annual Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) training on Camp Carroll.

This edition features stories about the F-1 Korean Gran Prix D100 event and the Camp Casey Sesame Street live show. Hosted by Spc. Andrew Brandstead.

This edition features a story on the 2011 Army in Korea Ten-Miler championship at Camp Casey.

This edition features a story on twenty-four high school students and three teachers taking a virtual trip to the U.S. during their annual trip to Camp Casey.

This edition features stories about Medics at Camp Casey earn the Expert Field Medical Badge. Produced by Sgt. Timothy Edington and the Little Sluggers T-ball team at Osan. Produced by Sgt. Dylan Bolander. Hosted by Spc. Andrew Brandstad.

Package about Area-1 Soldiers making good use of Camp Casey's skate park during the first annual BMX Skateboard Challenge.

This edition features a story on how 6th Battalion 37th Field Artillery conducted an annual Rocket Stakes training event at Camp Casey.

This edition features a story on how the 6th Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment hosted a luncheon at the Camp Casey Warriors Club.

This edition features a story on Camp Casey's Turkey Bowl Flag Football game.

This edition features a story about the 6th Battalion, 37th Field Artillery, celebrated their units Organization Day at Camp Casey USO.

Soldiers keep in shape on Camp Casey; Kunsan Air Base airmen participate in Red Flag Alaska exercise.

This edition features stories on air defense artillery Soldiers participating in the Diablo Inferno combat training program at Camp Casey, Korea and a military working dog and handler working at Kunsan Air Base, Korea. Hosted by Army Sgt. Rob Osan.

This edition features stories on American Gladiators visiting Camp Casey, Korea to compete against Soldiers and a new community activity center at Camp Carroll, Korea. Hosted by Sgt. Rob Osan.

Package of the 2009 Soldiers show and how it did more than just entertain Soldiers at Camp Casey, Korea.

This edition features a story on service members react after the dining facility at Chinhae Naval Base is combined with a restaurant for a new type of facility and students earning college credit through summer camp volunteering with Camp Adventure at Camp Casey, Korea. Hosted by Army Sgt. Katherine Tolento. Audio only.

This edition features a story on the life-long benefits of being immunized and students earning college credit through summer camp volunteering with Camp Adventure at Camp Casey, Korea. Hosted by Spc. Danielle Sumner. Audio only.

This edition features a story on the U.S. Marine fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Pacific teaching self-defense to the Chinhae Naval Base Auxiliary Security Force Sailors and an annual bowling lock-in for single service members at Camp Casey, Korea. Hosted by Army Sgt. Katherine Tolento. Audio only.

Cindy Sheehan joins us to talk about her latest activism. We also get into the latest Police State news, Alternative energy news and take phone calls from the listeners. We then finish up with a brand new Animal Farm Power Segment!

Sue Supriano talked to Anne Wright at the Oregon Country Fair, where she was a speaker in July 2008. Ann Wright spent 13 years of active duty in the US Army, and 16 years in the Army Reserves attaining the rank of Colonel in the Army. In 1987, Wright went to work for the Foreign Service within the U.S. State Department and served as US Deputy Ambassador and other positions in Sierra Leone, Micronesia, Mongolia, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Grenada and Nicaragua. She resigned from working for the State Department the day before the invasion of Iraq to which she objected saying that, without the authorization of the UN Security Council the US had no legal right to attack. She objected to the curtailment of civil liberties within the United States as well. While Wright was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in the early 1980s, one of her duties was to draw up contingency plans for invading several countries, one of which was Iraq. She would later express dismay over what she considered the dismissal of such carefully laid plans in the actual invasion of Iraq in 2003. Wright's eventual resignation was not the first time she had spoken out against U.S. policy. She said that she spoke out against United Nations bombing tactics waged in Somalia and she many times "held her nose" about US policies, continuing her State Department work despite her own disagreements with the policy.Since her retirement from the State Department, Wright has become a prominent figure in the movement opposed to the occupation of Iraq. She has attended many conferences and given numerous lectures on her political views and her experiences before and after her resignation. Wright is on the move 365 days a year-- traveling the US and criticizing the policies of the Bush Administration and their implementation, including and especially the war in Iraq and a pending Iran war. She works with several front line peace organizations including Code Pink, Iraq Vets against the War, Military Families Speak Out, and Women for Peace. She worked with anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan on several occasions, including helping organize the Camp Casey demonstration outside George W. Bush's Crawford, Texas, ranch in August 2005, and by accompanying the southern leg of the Bring Them Home Now bus tour. She also volunteered at Camp Casey 3, the Veterans For Peace shelter for Hurricane Katrina victims in Covington, Louisiana, during the bus tour. Wright has willingly been arrested while taking part in anti-war demonstrations, the first such arrest occurring in front of the White House on September 26, 2005. It has been followed by other arrests too numerous to mention here. She has said in interviews that she does not remove the arrest bracelets attached to her wrists upon the processing of her arrest, but rather collects them.Recorded July 2008.

In this jam packed episode, Mary interviews many notables in the gaming industry - including Jay Tummelson. She also gives a lot of news - including a Valley Games exclusive announcement, and Sam and Tom discuss the upcoming Fantasy Flight games. Moritz talks about Yspahan, and Eric takes a trip to the extremely exclusive Dice Tower convention. Sam and Tom talk about recent gaming at Camp Casey - and their differing views of Liberte. Finally, we round the show out with our biggest disappointments in games, from Jason, Greg, and Tom.