Podcasts about camp shelby

In episode 27,  we take you behind the scenes of one of the Army's most critical missions—bringing top medical talent into the force. Join us as we sit down with CPT Ryan Harakel, a current Army Healthcare Recruiter, to learn what it takes to connect passionate professionals with purpose-driven careers in Army Medicine.CPT Ryan M. Harakel currently serves as the Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Officer in Charge at the Portland, Maine Medical Recruiting Station. A native of Little Falls, Minnesota, he began his Army career in 2003, completing Basic Combat Training at Fort Sill and AIT at Joint Base San Antonio, earning the MOS 68P (Radiology Specialist). In 2017, he commissioned into the Medical Service Corps as a 70B (Health Services Administration Officer).His leadership and operational assignments include Officer in Charge at Portland ME Medical Recruiting Station; HHC Commander, Mobilization & Missions Officer, and Executive Officer with the 7456 Medical Operation Readiness Unit in Des Moines, IA. As an enlisted leader, he served in multiple platoon sergeant and readiness roles across the U.S., including at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Camp Shelby, and Rochester, MN.CPT Harakel holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from Mercy College of Health Sciences. His professional military education includes the AMEDD Captains Career Course, Health Care Recruiter Course, Master Fitness Trainer Course, OC/T Academy, AMEDD Senior Leaders Course, Air Assault School, and many others, reflecting his broad experience and commitment to readiness and training.His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (6 OLC), Army Achievement Medal (7 OLC), Meritorious Unit Citation, Iraq Campaign Medal (2 campaign stars), and multiple other decorations. He has earned the Gold Recruiter Badge, Air Assault Badge, and Norwegian Military Marching Badge.With over two decades of service, CPT Harakel brings deep experience in both enlisted and officer ranks, combining operational expertise with a passion for mentoring and building the future of Army Medicine through healthcare recruiting. 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

Broadcasting from the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg for their Veteran's Day festivities: Museum Director, Tommy Lofton, Lee Roberts, Color Commentator for USM Football Broadcasts recaps Saturday's Golden Eagles loss, and Col. Mark Prine from Camp Shelby and William Carey Crusaders Head Basketball Coach, Steve Knight, talk Carey and Camp Shelby connections.

Patrick Magee, Sports Editor for The Times-Picayune and The Advocate, talks Saint's coaching situation and Tommy Lofton, Museum Director at the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby, preview's Monday's Veteran's Day events and live Eagle Hour broadcast, and SuperTalk PD Will East previews this week's biggest high school football matchups.

7:35 a.m. - Leah Long - National Federation of Independent Small Business, MS & LA Director Topic: Their recent jobs report and the GDP assessment saying that it is growing at a slower rate than they expected even as inflation is starting to fall. 8:05 a.m. – Monica Daniels - President & CEO, Special Olympics MS Topic: The upcoming MS Special Olympics Summer Games happening at Camp Shelby today! 8:35 a.m. - Dixon Williams - SuperTalk MS Sports Director Topic: Preview of weekend sports, the biggest sports news of the week, etc.

Dedicated to Southern Miss sports! Weekdays 1 - 2 p.m. on select SuperTalk Mississippi stations. This show is a production of SuperTalk Mississippi Media. Learn more at SuperTalk.FM

Dedicated to Southern Miss sports! Weekdays 1 - 2 p.m. on select SuperTalk Mississippi stations. This show is a production of SuperTalk Mississippi Media. Learn more at SuperTalk.FM

Thoughts on Eagles/Browns camp and who won day 1 (according to reports). Shelby Harris on why decided to play for the Browns. Thoughts on tetherball.

Dedicated to Southern Miss sports! Weekdays 1 - 2 p.m. on select SuperTalk Mississippi stations. This show is a production of SuperTalk Mississippi Media. Learn more at SuperTalk.FM

Crew Members from the 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment, use a Chinook helicopter to help contain a fire at Camp Shelby,MS.

Voter participation in Mississippi was the lowest in the nation during Tuesday's midterm election. We examine some factors that lead to low turnout.Then, on the anniversary of the Marine Corps founding, a fallen veteran is remembered at Camp Shelby.Plus, on this Veterans Day we talk to the new Executive Director of Mississippi's Office of Veteran Affairs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gerard is LIVE from The Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby to celebrate Veteran's Day and honor all who served in our country's Armed Forces, and he is joined by a variety of guests - from active duty service members to Gold Star family members and more!

Dedicated to Southern Miss sports! Weekdays 1 - 2 p.m. on select SuperTalk Mississippi stations. This show is a production of SuperTalk Mississippi Media. Learn more at SuperTalk.FM

Monica Daniels(President/CEO - Special Olympics MS) stops by the studio to discuss their upcoming Fall Games happening at Camp Shelby this weekend, and Col. Steven Maxwell(Director - MS Bureau of Narcotics) joins the conversation to discuss the uptick in the amount of Fentanyl being seen in the Magnolia State and some legislation that would hopefully help stem the tide of overdose deaths.

MidDays with Gerard Gibert is LIVE from Camp Shelby, and he is joined by guests like Col. Rick Weaver(Camp Shelby Post Commander), Maj. Gen. Janson D. Boyles(MS National Guard Adjutant General), Paula Caruth(Gold Star Mother of Fallen Marine Casey Casanova) and more!

Dedicated to Southern Miss sports! Weekdays 1 - 2 p.m. on select SuperTalk Mississippi stations. This show is a production of SuperTalk Mississippi Media. Learn more at SuperTalk.FM

We've often had people who interpret the law or create the law on the show. Today we've got someone who teaches Mississippians how to enforce the law, Dean Bearden, Director of Training at North Mississippi Law Enforcement Training Center. https://www.nmletc.com/ https://www.facebook.com/nmletc.tupelo/?ref=page_internalhttps://twitter.com/nmletcSome of the educational opportunities in our state:Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers' Training Academy is in Pearl with the Department of Public Service https://www.dps.ms.gov/MLEOTAMS Delta Community college has an academy in Moorhead MS https://www.msdelta.edu/leta/The University of Southern Miss has a_ Law Enforcement Training Academy at Camp Shelby, MS https://www.usm.edu/law-enforcement-training-academy/continuing-education-training-schedule.phpMeridian Public Safety Academy is through Meridian Community College. https://meridiancc.edu/workforce/grants-and-development/law-enforcement/index.htmlCalls:K9assessments for policepolitical viewsdrug usagetraining See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Col. Allen McDaniel(Executive Director - National Guard Association of MS), Charlie Germeinhardt(65th Division Reunion Coord), Jim Hanson(65th Division Association Historian), Holly Brand(Miss Mississippi), Mark Prine(Retired Colonel), Tommy Lofton(Director - MS Armed Forces Museum), Col. Rick Weaver(Post Commander Camp Shelby), Col. Chris Thomas(Commander 154th Regiment Regional Training Institute), Jeremy Hirsch(Owner/Founder - Spartan Mosquito) and MORE LIVE from the Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby!

Dedicated to Southern Miss sports! Weekdays 1 - 2 p.m. on select SuperTalk Mississippi stations. This show is a production of SuperTalk Mississippi Media. Learn more at SuperTalk.FM

Months after an overwhelming vote, the new Mississippi state flag is finalized by Governor Reeves and raised above the state capitol.Then, vaccination roll-out in Mississippi is lagging behind - especially in long term care settings. Health officials and representatives from major pharmacies explain the delays during a hearing with lawmakers.Plus, the state's Emergency Management Director shares his battle with and recovery from COVID-19.Segment 1:It's official - Mississippi has a new state banner. Government leaders gathered yesterday to witness Governor Tate Reeves sign final certification of the November vote that made the new design featuring a white magnolia official.Last summer, as protests over racial injustice amplified the call for change, lawmakers took the first steps toward change by retiring the 1894 flag emblazoned with the confederate battle emblem. Speaker of the House Phillip Gunn, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, Gov. Tate Reeves, Former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove and Rep. Zakiya Summers comment.Segment 2:The coronavirus vaccine rollout in the Magnolia State is lagging. Mississippi currently trails neighboring states for vaccinations in long term care settings, and lawmakers are searching for ways to speed up this process to protect vulnerable Mississippians. During a hearing with legislators yesterday, Dr. Thomas Dobbs explained some of the reasons for delays with the initial allocations of the vaccine.Segment 3:As the man on the right flank of Governor Tate Reeves during dozens of press conferences throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Colonel Greg Michel was immersed the state's mitigation efforts. The Director of the state's Emergency Management Agency, Michel coordinated the delivery of PPE to hospitals facilities and county health leaders, and managed preparations for emergency overflow hospitals in places like Camp Shelby. But during the pandemic's largest surge, not even Michel was spared from the virus. Now, he shares his personal COVID-19 story. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Gopher Tortoise Head Start Program has released over 400 endangered gopher tortoises into the wild. Becky Stowe, Director of Forest for the Nature Conservancy joins the show today to talk about this program and more specifically the work happening at Camp Shelby. Recently 94 gopher tortoises were released into the wild of the Longleaf pine system at Camp Shelby. Also Dr. Majure talks about pet safety during severe weather as yet another hurricane enters the gulf and Libby helps a listener identity an insect that has a particular set of skills. Show Links:Gopher Tortoises in Mississippi See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After 15 years as a historian at The National WWII Museum, Seth Paridon has accepted a position as Deputy Director of the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby.

Mississippi Edition for Thursday, October 3, 2019:Soldiers injured in training at Camp Shelby. Then, learn about a new project to help U.S. Attorneys and local law enforcement get a handle on violent crime. And the VA wants Mississippi veterans to know they have a place to turn instead of taking their own lives. And in this week's Book Club, a blind Mississippian tells us about her three guide dogs over the years in "Go With Your Dog."____________________________________01:11 - Segment 1:We start this morning at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg. At least 22 soldiers training there have been injured during a night parachuting exercise. U.S. Army spokesman John Pennell tells WDAM at least 15 people hurt at Camp Shelby were treated by medics and another seven were hospitalized. Staff Sgt. John Healy says none of the injuries are considered to be life-threatening. Camp Shelby Cmdr. Col. Bobby Ginn says the troopers belong to the 4th Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division stationed in Alaska. Nearly 90 paratroopers were on the plane for the Wednesday night exercise. Altogether, 650 soldiers were involved in the exercise. About 3,000 troops from the Alaska base are at a month-long training at Camp Shelby called "Operation Arctic Anvil."02:02 - In other news:U.S. Attorneys from Mississippi are in Memphis for a multi-state summit on violent crime. Mike Hurst, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, says they're working on how to better coordinate crime fighting by fostering more collaboration among law enforcement agencies. Hurst talks with MPB's Desare Frazier. Chief Ray Reynolds is with the Magnolia Police Department. That's in South Mississippi near McComb. Chief Reynolds tells our Desare Frazier training opportunities with bigger agencies can be helpful for resource-strapped departments like his.____________________________________07:15 - Segment 2: The VA Medical Center in Jackson is trying to reduce the number of veteran suicides in the state. Nationally, more than 6,000 veterans die by suicide every year. A new suicide awareness campaign called "Be There" has been launched. It's purpose is to encourage community leaders, Veterans' families and friends to help prevent suicide by supporting those going through a difficult time. We're joined by Dr. David Walker, medical director at the Sonny Montgomery VA Medical Center. Later, we'll hear from Brandon Dobson, the Suicide Prevention Coordinator at the Sonny Montgomery VA.____________________________________16:04 - Segment 3: In today's Book Club, we meet a woman who is blind and has relied on guide dogs to help her make her way through the world. Anna, Mac and Fergie worked hard and played hard over the years. In her book, “Go With Your Dog,” Karen Brown takes readers on a journey with her beloved canines.Karen will be at Lemuria Books in Jackson, next Tuesday, October 8th at 5:00. _________________________About MPB News and Mississippi Edition:Mississippi Edition website: mpbonline.org/MississippiEditionMPB News website: mpbonline.org/newsSocial MediaMPB News Facebook: mpbonline.org/MPBonlineNewsMPB News Twitter: twitter.com/MPBNews__________________Photo Credit: Photo by israel palacio on Unsplash See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Podcast: Raider-Cop Nation Date:June 5, 2019 Episode#90 Subject:The Grim Reaper, Wiseguy Series Host: Alpha Mike Mafia Quote: “I want to kill this degenerate bastard brother of yours. But I am not selfish, I do not want to deprive you of that honor.”  William Balsamo Introduction: Alpha Mike, welcomes the audience to another episode, this time to, Gregory "The Grim Reaper" Scarpa Main Topic: How, "The Grim Reaper" went up the ranks of the mob and worked with the FBI for 30 years. When all was said and done, "the Grim Reaper" took out over 100 bodies, the KKK and an FBI agent. Background: Scarpa was born to first-generation immigrants, Salvatore and Mary, from the town of Lorenzaga of Motta di Livenzanear Venice, Italy. He was raised in the working-class neighborhood of Bensonhurstin Brooklyn. As a child living in the Great Depression, Scarpa helped his father deliver coalthroughout New York City. His older brother, Salvatore Scarpa, may have introduced Gregory to the Colombo crime familywhich he reportedly joined in the 1950s. In the 1950s, Scarpa married Connie Forrest; she and Scarpa had one daughter and three sons, including Gregory Scarpa Jr., who would follow his father into the Colombo family, eventually becoming a capo. Scarpa was inducted in the Profaci family in the 50's.  In late 1963, the Mafia Commission forced Magliocco out of office and installed Joseph Colomboas family boss.At this point, the Profaci crime family became the Colombo crime family. Scarpa was a stylish dresser who routinely carried $5,000 in pocket moneyfor purchases and bribes. He had use of an apartment on Manhattan's Sutton Placeand owned homes in Brooklyn and Staten Island, as well as Las Vegas, Nevada, and Singer Island, Florida. His power, guile and brutality earned him the nickname "the Grim Reaper" and helped him escape prosecution for many years. Schiro later said that Scarpa would sometimes leave the numbers "666", the biblical Number of the Beast, on his victims' pagers. A career criminal, Scarpa eventually became a caporegimein the Colombo family, as well as the proprietor of the Wimpy Boys Social Club. Scarpa was involved in illegal gambling, loansharking, extortion, hijacking, counterfeitcredit cards, assault, stock and bond thefts, narcotics and murder. Many of the highest-ranking members of the Colombo family today were members of Scarpa's crew. In March 1962, Scarpa was arrested for armed robbery. To avoid prosecution, Scarpa agreed to work as an undercover informant for the FBI, beginning a 30-year relationship with the agency. In the summer of 1964, according to Schiro and other sources, FBI field agents in Mississippirecruited Scarpa to help them find missing civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner. The FBI was convinced the three men had been murdered, but could not find their bodies. The agents thought that Scarpa, using illegal interrogation techniques not available to agents, might succeed at gaining this information from suspects. Once Scarpa arrived in Mississippi, local agents allegedly provided him with a gun and money to pay for information. Scarpa and an agent allegedly pistol-whippedand kidnapped Lawrence Byrd, a TV salesman and secret Klansman, from his store in Laureland took him to Camp Shelby, a local Army base. At Shelby, Scarpa severely beat Byrd and stuck a gun barrel down his throat. Byrd finally revealed to Scarpa the location of the three men's bodies. The FBI has never officially confirmed the Scarpa story. In addition, the story contradicts evidence from investigative journalist Jerry Mitchelland Illinoishigh school teacher Barry Bradford, who claimed that Mississippi highway patrolmanMaynard King provided the grave locations to FBI agent Joseph Sullivanafter obtaining the information from an anonymous third party (wonder how that might be). In January 1966, Scarpa allegedly helped the FBI a second time in Mississippi on the murder case of Vernon Dahmer, killed in a fire set by the Klan. After this second trip, Scarpa and the FBI had a sharp disagreement about his reward for these services. The FBI then dropped Scarpa as a confidential informant.  Scarpa's status as an informer was only revealed in 1995, during a racketeering and murder trial of seven members of the Orena faction. At that time, former Colombo family consigliereCarmine Sessa, now a government witness, told prosecutors about DeVecchio's corrupt dealings with Scarpa. Eventually, prosecutors were forced to reveal that DeVecchio might have revealed confidential information, including information about former Colombo members who had turned informer, too Scarpa. Ultimately, 19 Orena supporters had murder charges thrown out or murder convictions reversed after their attorneys contended DeVecchio's collaboration with Scarpa tainted the evidence against them. The attorneys argued that DeVecchio gave Scarpa information he used to kill members of the Orena faction, thus making any killings committed by their clients acts of self-defense. On March 30, 2006, DeVecchio, who was forced to retire from the FBI in 1996, was indictedon charges of complicity with Scarpa and other Colombo mobsters in four murders during the 1980s and 1990s.The government case rested on the testimony of Linda Schiro, who was soon discredited as a witness after Tom Robbins of The Village Voicerevealed that she had granted an interview to Robbins and Jerry Capecia decade earlier and denied the agent had ever been involved.On November 1, 2007, the judge dismissed all charges against DeVecchio at the request of prosecutors. Scarpa's other son, Greg Scarpa Jr., was sentenced to 40 years in prison for racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder and other charges. Scarpa Jr. has been linked to 24 murders. He was active in the Colombo crime family throughout the 1970s to 1990s. He ran a large and profitable marijuana ring for the Colombo family in Brooklyn and Staten Island, and controlled the market in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, even extorting money from other drug dealers in the area. Judge Edward Kormancommuted his sentence by 10 years in January 2016 after he provided information to the FBI in regard to the whereabouts of explosives, which were found hidden at the home of Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols; however, his original sentence was reinstated in mid 2017. (Family business of working with the FBI, stronger than ever).  Reference: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act Gregory Scarpa Colombo family soldier Gregory Scarpa Jr may be in line for an early prison release Joe Profaci Vernon Dahmer (Civil Rights Case)  Lindley DeVecchio former FBI agent Did the Mafia Help FBI Solve Mississippi Burning Case? Who is Lin DeVecchio ? @RaiderCopNation @alphamike2017 #RaiderCopNation #AmericasFew @o9TacticalG www.o9tg.com @TestEvery1521 Test Everything 5 minutes on the Power of God  Facebook  Twitter iTunes  Spotify   Stitcher  Google Play  PodBean  YouTube TuneIn Join the Raider-Cop NATION Pistol Pete the Gunsmith  Kilo Sierra’s companies: Sepulveda inc #EmpanadaLadiesOfGeorgia #JailsLASD #CACorrections #MDCR #NYPD #LAPD #LASD #MDPD #MPD #NYSP #NJSP #LVPD #Security #HCSO #PBSO #BSO #OCSO #PCSO #SFPD #DPD #HPD #SAPD #LCSO #FMPD #CCSO #NYC #NYCDOC #NJDOC #TestEverything1521 @RaiderCopNation #RaiderCopNation

Captain Bobbie Ragsdale is an armor officer in the US Army and served in the 10th Mountain Division, deploying to Baghdad, Iraq as a Scout Platoon Leader. At the deployment’s completion in 2009, he returned to Ft. Polk where he served as a Troop Executive Officer and Assistant Operations Officer before deploying again to Wardak, Afghanistan in 2010. While in Afghanistan, he served simultaneously as TF Slugger’s Information Operations Officer, Civil-Military Operations Officer, and lead non-lethal planner. He led Regional Command (East)’s Afghan Peace and Reintegration Program in Wardak Province. CPT Ragsdale was then assigned to the Joint Readiness Training Center as a Platoon Observer Coach Trainer and Troop Commander. He completed his Master in Public Administration degree at Harvard’s Kennedy School in May, 2016. He is currently assigned to Camp Shelby, Mississippi as a company senior observer, coach, trainer with First Army.

After the Empire of Japan attacked the US Naval Base in Hawaii and declared war on the United States, Americans of Japanese descent were forcibly relocated to internment camps, out of fear they would be loyal to the emperor.  But, by the time Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, many Japanese-American men were already serving in the US military.  In this episode, Herbert Sasaki recalls coming to Camp Shelby in South Mississippi to join the 442nd, a newly formed infantry unit of Japanese-American volunteers. Growing up in Los Angeles, Sasaki was used to driving the most modern highways in the nation. His memories of Hattiesburg include, waiting in long lines and getting stuck in the mud, a lot. The 442nd was a rapid deployment force tasked with creating breaks in the German lines. Sasaki explains how early success by the regiment convinced General Eisenhower to use them as much as possible. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team is considered the most decorated unit in US history. He looks back with pride at the sacrifices made by these loyal Americans during WWII. PHOTO: lib.berkeley.edu

Captain Bobbie Ragsdale is an armor officer in the US Army and served in the 10th Mountain Division, deploying to Baghdad, Iraq as a Scout Platoon Leader. At the deployment’s completion in 2009, he returned to Ft. Polk where he served as a Troop Executive Officer and Assistant Operations Officer before deploying again to Wardak, Afghanistan in 2010. While in Afghanistan, he served simultaneously as TF Slugger’s Information Operations Officer, Civil-Military Operations Officer, and lead non-lethal planner. He led Regional Command (East)’s Afghan Peace and Reintegration Program in Wardak Province. CPT Ragsdale was then assigned to the Joint Readiness Training Center as a Platoon Observer Coach Trainer and Troop Commander. He completed his Master in Public Administration degree at Harvard’s Kennedy School in May, 2016. He is currently assigned to Camp Shelby, Mississippi as a company senior observer, coach, trainer with First Army.

Governor Phil Bryant speaks out to honor the lives of the servicemen who died in a military aircraft crash. New Mississippi Criminal Court Rules take effect this month. From World War I to operations in Iraq, Camp Shelby is celebrating 100 years of preparing troops for service. And, hear about a program that empowers women to construct better lives for themselves and their fa

Becky Stowe, of Lucedale, is the South Mississippi Director of Forest Programs for the Nature Conservancy. In this episode, she explains how they work to restore biodiversity to their longleaf pine preserves, the important role fire plays in controlling the underbrush in a longleaf forest and how foliage lies dormant, waiting for the opportunity a fire creates. Maintaining a longleaf forest through prescribed burnings, improves habitats for birds and wildlife. Stowe reveals how animals avoid being harmed when the underbrush is burned away. She also discusses how the Nature Conservancy works with Camp Shelby to protect its wildlife and natural resources and why they call gopher tortoises the chicken McNuggets of the forest.  

An aircrew from Company A, 1st Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment, is in Gulfport, Mississippi performing maintenance on AH-64 Apache Helicopters to support the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team by participating in missions at Camp Shelby, Mississippi for an Exportable Combat Training Capability exercise. Produced by Pfc. Dharron Collins. Additional Video by Sgt. Tim Morgan and Spc. Jovi Prevot. Interviews with Sgt. Casey D. Hopkins and Staff Sgt. Clayton L. Yielding. Also available in high definition.

Retired Lt. General Russell Honoré lead the recovery operation in his home state of Louisiana and Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina. He discusses his decision to make Camp Shelby his base of operations. Honoré points with pride to the recovery that’s been made in the years following the storm. He has decided to go on a personal crusade to help establish a culture of preparedness in the U.S.

During WWII, Japanese-Americans were forced to live in “relocation” camps by the government.  Despite this harsh treatment, many of them served with distinction in the armed forces. Herbert Sasaki recalls coming to Camp Shelby to join an all Japanese-American combat unit. Sasaki explains the purpose of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and reflects on the heavy cost the 442nd paid in becoming on of the Army’s most decorated combat units.

Growing up during World War II, Lynn Cartlidge of Hattiesburg found plenty of ways to earn money as a boy. He talks about his paper route, which ended up taking him to Camp Shelby.

Steve Sarvi filed the papers today to run for Congressman John Kline's seat in the 2nd Congressional District. Sarvi is seeking the DFL endorsement. If he runs again, Kline , a Republican, will be seeking his 4th house term.For new listeners and readers I'm repeating an interview I did in May with Steve Sarvi while he was still in Iraq.Listen to the podcast here. Runs 10:27Just as it takes courage to jump out of a plane or serve in Iraq, it takes courage to leap into politics. Steve Sarvi has done both and has been mentioned as a possible DFL candidate to face Congressman John Kline (R- MN02) in 2008. Steve has been in the Army for nearly 20 years and is on track to be part of the longest deployed Minnesota National Guard unit in Iraq. He's been there since March of 2006 and is hoping to return home in late July or early August. He's also the former Mayor of Watertown, MN.Inside Minnesota Politics has an exclusive audio interview with Steve you can listen to here. Since he's on active duty in Iraq, he really can't talk much about running for office, but we did get to talk about how he's helping local governments get started in Iraq and how the City of Victoria, Minnesota (his employer) has been very supportive of him and his family while he's been in Iraq.On his website, Steve describes his political leanings. "Simply put, I am a Democrat. That my ideas and values spread from center to left of center, speaks to the strength of the Party. I appreciate the willingness of Democrats to embrace the things that bind us together, rather than focus on that which sets us apart".Here are some text excerpts from the interview. The entire interview is in the podcast audio.Why are you in the military? Why do you take this type of dangerous work to do?Steve Sarvi: I've been in the military since I was 17, other than a break in service when I got off of active duty. I felt like I needed to give something to my country at a young age and found I was good at it. I guess I've really never had that question asked of me... why do you do it? I guess someone needs to do it. I'm good at it. I'm good at working with my soldiers and I get a lot of satisfaction for the work that I do. It certainly is not an easy thing to do, obviously, to volunteer for something like this. To say good bye to my family, my friends, to work... and have to come over to an environment like this. But I don't think I could have looked my soldiers in the eye and watched them go off and stayed behind. That's just not the kind of person I am.What are you doing in Iraq?Steve Sarvi: I'm what's called a Civil Military Affairs Officer. And what we're doing is helping the local Iraqis with reconstruction projects. My main focus is in rural villages ...they're in some very bad shape as you can imagine. Infrastructure wise they're in need of just about everything. So what we do is we go into these areas and we do an assessment. We meet the people. Find out what their needs are. And then we work through with the local leaders either the Sheik or the village Mayor. And we work through with them the process of doing projects for them. But what we really want them to do is learn how to do it themselves. So it's a real mentorship process to get the locals to figure out ways to identify projects that are needed and then go to their own government and get approval.What the military does then is come in with funding for smaller level projects. So we're able to provide the funding while they end up doing all the heavy lifting and getting approvals through their government.It sounds like you're helping people learn how to run a local government.Steve Sarvi: Yes, to a certain extent. It's different than the work I was doing in Kosovo, where I was actually working and helping to mentor a small village government. Here the local governments are almost non-existent. So we're not really doing much as far as that goes with setting up a government and talking through process and procedures. It's much more "we need a school in this village" so how do we engage the minister of education. How do we insure that we're going to have teachers come here. How do we get the approvals through them.And then as we provide the funding we like to use the local workers because unemployment is so very high. We like to hire locals to actually build the facilities that go into their own villages.As you can imagine it's a very complex environment. There's inter-tribal conflicts. There's conflicts between individuals. You've got construction workers. You've got contractors who are all basically tottering on the edge and they need jobs and it's a life or death matter to them. So there's a lot of emotion. There's a lot of pent up demand. This is four plus years since the invasion. They thought their lives were going to improve immediately. So there's a lot of expectations we have to knock down as well.It's a growing process. They get infrastructure needs identified and some taken care of. And on our side we gain security by becoming friends to them, in some sense. And they look out for us. It's working out well in the areas we operate in.How has your work in local government helped you out with the work you do now in the Army?Steve Sarvi: It seems like I gravitate towards these positions. Same with in Kosovo. I'm an infantry soldier. And as a platoon Sergeant, my job is to train my soldiers for combat. And I did that at Camp Shelby when we were going through training and for the first three months that we were here. But we quickly learned that we needed to do civil-military projects even in the remote areas. My battalion reached out to me because of my background in the city government. I've been a city administrator for the City of Lanesburo, City Administrator in Watertown and currently in Victoria. And plus six years as the Mayor of the City of Watertown. So a lot of the issues, as far as infrastructure goes, a lot of those things apply. Learning how to engage people, talk to them, figure out what their needs are, work around issues... interpersonnel issues. A lot of those skills I think directly reflect on how we do it.Plus of course we got to bid projects. The bidding process, as you can imagine it's a far different environment than what you have to deal with in the United States. But I understand the basics of it from the work that I do in the US and I've learned an awful lot being over here about the way that they work.You gravitate towards these positions no matter where you are in life. And for some reason whether it was in Kosovo or here, I just end up doing these types of projects. Maybe it's my strong suit. And I get to see a different side of the war than most people get to see.What kind of support have you received from home to get through these months, these years that add up when you're overseas?Steve Sarvi: I'll tell you, without a family, without friends, I can't imagine getting through this. So my wife, my kids have been just wonderful about it. It's difficult of course, but they understand what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. And they've been fully supportive. My family has been completely supportive. Work (City of Victoria) has been just marvelous. The City of Victoria has time and again been called to be true patriots. What they've been doing is maintaining my current salary and I just give them my guard pay. So I'm not losing any money by being over here. And that's a huge financial burden for many soldiers that come on active duty from the guard. The end up taking quite a large pay cut. But the City of Victoria in my case, and many employers in Minnesota are doing the same thing, and it's very encouraging for us. Without that support system, you take your eye off of what you're doing over here. You're worried about what's going on at home. You have to stay focus obviously when you're here.We wish you the safest travel from Iraq back to the United States.Steve Sarvi: Thank you. And I hope everyone pauses for a moment on Memorial Day and thinks of the soldiers that we've lost not only in this war, but in other wars.Photos courtesy of SteveSarvi.com