Podcasts about combat engineers

THE INTERVIEW Native Americans serve at a higher percentage than the general population. Still, there are misunderstandings about their culture and spiritual beliefs even among their brothers and sisters in the armed forces. In this week's episode, Army veteran Mitchelene BigMan talks about her military service as a Native American, importance of culture, creation of a Native American women veterans nonprofit and more. SCUTTLEBUTT Down the Reddit Rabbit Hole: Native Americans and the U.S. Military Tribal flags removed from Phoenix VA hospital under new federal policy Memorial Honoring Native American U.S. Veterans proposed for Minnesota Capitol grounds Special Guest: Mitchelene BigMan.

In this episode of the Braun Performance & Rehab Podcast, Dan is joined by Devin Jenkins to discuss his journey in the sport of Power Slap in addition to his training and recovery methodology for competition. Devin Jenkins is a strength and conditioning coach with over ten years of experience holding a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and a minor in Kinesiology.  His dedication to health and fitness began at an early age through basketball, playing throughout his school years.  Devin went on to play in college until deciding to join the Army, working as a Combat Engineer and serving eight years with two deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Devin decided to pursue his passion of helping others through exercise and therapy while serving and became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach, also offering Stretch Therapy for athletes ranging from youth to professional.  Over the last ten years he's successfully trained over 300 athletes ranging from Pro Basketball, NFL, MLB, D1 Athletes, IFBB/NPC, 5 Star Recruits, Muay Thai, BJJ, First Responders, and Military. After a motorcycle accident left Devin in a wheelchair for several months, his enthusiasm for helping people understand the benefits of flexibility and strength intensified. He spent most of his time studying various techniques to not only benefit his own recovery, but to help others move and feel better as well. "I've dealt with the struggles associated with injury, I'm here to help make the process safe and more efficient."Becoming a NASM Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist and Functional Movement Specialist, Devin can take his clients through a systematic process of identifying problems and implementing solutions.  Devin's overall goal is to use his talent, knowledge and experience to aid athletes in having a better performance, durability, and career longevity. For more on Devin be sure to follow @big__jinxx and check out www.jinxsa.com*SEASON 6 of the Braun Performance & Rehab Podcast is brought to you by Isophit. For more on Isophit, please check out isophit.com and @isophit -BE SURE to use coupon code BraunPR25% to save 25% on your Isophit order!**Season 6 of the Braun Performance & Rehab Podcast is also brought to you by Oro Muscles. For more on Oro, please check out www.oromuscles.com***Season 6 of the Braun Performance & Rehab Podcast is also brought to you by Firefly Recovery, the official recovery provider for Braun Performance & Rehab. For more on Firefly, please check out https://www.recoveryfirefly.com/ or email jake@recoveryfirefly.comEpisode Affiliates:MoboBoard: BRAWNBODY10 saves 10% at checkout!AliRx: DBraunRx = 20% off at checkout! https://alirx.health/MedBridge: https://www.medbridgeeducation.com/brawn-body-training or Coupon Code "BRAWN" for 40% off your annual subscription!CTM Band: https://ctm.band/collections/ctm-band coupon code "BRAWN10" = 10% off!Ice shaker affiliate link: https://www.iceshaker.com?sca_ref=1520881.zOJLysQzKeMake sure you SHARE this episode with a friend who could benefit from the information we shared!Check out everything Dan is up to by clicking here: https://linktr.ee/braun_prLiked this episode? Leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform

Sibeal Pays A Visit.Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.It is selfish to believe that your family will always love you. At some point you will be asked to earn it{Right where we left off}It was H-hour plus four. A Thai soldier fired another burst from his T A R 21. The other four soldiers around him did the same. They were using an overturned car as cover. He saw movement at a building across the street to his right. He fired off another few rounds. The figure fell to the ground. By hard-earned experience, he realized the enemy soldier had probably dived for cover, not been hit."Time to fall back. One block back," he hoped he didn't sound too shrill. "You two go first," he indicated the two townsfolk. His battalion major had drafted them minutes after the attack began. Any organized supply depot had been an open invitation for an artillery strike, so he had called for civilians to help carry the ammunition loads instead. These two had been attached to his platoon. Now they were with him.They nodded, hefted up the crate of 5.56mm and sprinted toward the rear while his men gave them cover fire. They made it. He named off two of his other men. It was their turn to go. After their sprint to safety, it was time for him and the last two to go. They ran past some terribly close flanking fire, but all made it.This Thai soldier wasn't the squad leader, or even the squad's second in command. He was a lowly Phon Thahan (Private, not 1st Class). Those two men were already dead. No, he was a common soldier who found other men listening to his orders so, by default, he was in command. His initial squad of ten had shrunk down to three. The fourth man had been part of the regimental staff, a driver, sent into the firefight to replace losses. He still could point and shoot, which was all that mattered at the moment.At the next block he found the two civilians. His men dumped their empty clips on them, then positioned themselves for the next enemy rush. The leader of this ad hoc force took the driver over to the far corner of the building they sheltered behind. Too often, going inside buildings was a death trap. The enemy would corner you then call in their artillery."Guard this corner," he told the driver. "I'll be checking up on you." The frightened soldier nodded, then took up his post. Now he had a few seconds to consider his position. He was running out of town to retreat through. Behind him lay open fields. Just then he saw the tale-tell site of a Dragon Anti-Tank missile firing from the next raised roadway to his rear-right.He couldn't see if it hit anything. There was no huge explosion. Still, it indicated that other elements of his battalion were in the fight. From what little briefing he had been given when the attack started, the major had placed his heavy machine guns and recoilless rifles on each flank to stop the enemy's mobile forces from getting around his command and surrounding them.Little did the soldier understand he was involved in a textbook defense by foot-bound infantry versus armored opponents. His two townsmen were busy shoving bullets into the thirty round magazines. His men had already engaged the enemy to the front. Gone were the cries of 'got him'. No one gave a damn anymore. They were too exhausted to care. Now they counted the comrades they had left, not the possible number of enemy out there.Six minutes later he heard the sound of death coming his way."Everyone down," he screamed a second before an artillery round flattened their shelter. For a few moments all he could do was gaze up at the heavens. His body hurt, his ears were ringing and the belief that he could stop now, he had given it his best shot and his part in this battle were over.He pulled himself and examined what he had left. He wasn't hurt if you didn't count the blood coming out his ears. He couldn't say the same for his companions. One of the townsmen had the top of his head torn off, his soulless eyes gazing up to the forever. One of his men had a smoking chunk of meat where his spine should have been. A second one was nursing a bad leg wound.The third soldier? He was already up and firing. The second townsmen was a bit dazed, yet looked like he could carry on. The soldier crouch-ran to check on the driver. He was laying on his belly. For a second he mourned for that fellow then the man got off a burst, then scooted back. He had been 'playing possum' in order to draw some enemy out. He was alive and fighting."We have got to get out of here," he told the man. "Get to the elevated road across the field then provide cover fire for the rest of us." The driver acknowledged the command, fired off one more burst then bolted for the field. The Thai made his way back to his other survivors. He gave them the same order, the civilian first.The wounded man? He couldn't make it with that leg wound and if any of the others carried him they would most likely die too."Cover us as long as you can," he ordered. The wounded shoulder crawled to the corner to relieve the only standing soldier."Go," he ordered that man. Off he sprinted. The leader placed two spare clips next to the wounded man, wished him luck, then it was his turn to sprint to safety. Close to the end, a few bullets hurried him along. He found the others had made it unwounded as well. The townsman was already shoving more bullets into the empty magazines.To his right was the remnants of the squad with the recoilless rifle and a light machine gun. To his left was a group of six Thahan Phran, paramilitary border guards. He rejoined the firing line. The enemy had overrun the buildings closest to them and were faced with the same quandary he had just overcome, the open field. When a man tapped his shoulder he nearly jumped out of his skin.It was his company commander."You've been doing well. I'm placing you in command of this section. We have a Carl Gustav (another version of a recoilless rifle) in the trees over there," the Captain pointed to the right. Hold this position as long as you can. Help is on the way."Before this fight, the soldier had dreaded this officer. He had been so pompous, so spit-and-polished and arrogant. Now he saw different qualities in the man. He was cool under fire, had his mind on the bigger picture of the fight and the discipline he had instilled in his men was paying dividends the private soldier hadn't appreciated at that time."You are Sip Tho (corporal) now," the officer told him. With that declaration, the common foot soldier had inherited 13 more men, the squad of seven to his right and the six Thahan Phran to his left. Combined with his two that made something more like a combat command. The Captain made his way back up the line. The Thai didn't have long to appreciate his promotion. Smoke shells began detonating between his position and the town, obscuring the place."Remember," he shouted. "Short, controlled bursts and only shoot at something that you know is out there!" With that, he had established his command of the situation. Several explosions detonated in the wooded position. Half a minute later, a tank appeared and pumped another H E into the position. In doing so, it exposed its side to Thai's section.The two men manning his Dragon launcher looked his way. It was a shot at a 45 degree angle and any heavy weapons fire would bring about all kinds of hate."Fire," he ordered. The man aiming the device took a few seconds then let loose. The rocket didn't penetrate the side, but it did knock a track out."Now we are going to get it," the Thai mumbled.A few heartbeats later, a larger TOW missile slammed into it from a position to his command's rear. This time the tank blew up. Of equal importance to the soldier's mind, there were men behind him and that could only mean, the second regiment had finally arrived. He was sure he wouldn't be falling back any further, giving the invaders one more inch of sacred Thai soil. It also meant his men would most likely live to see the end of the day. That mattered too.  It was H-hour plus six. Two hour earlier, elements of the Vietnamese People's Army's 314th Mechanized regiment and 206th Tank Regiment with the Mobile battalion of the Laotian 1st Division and the Khanate's Laos Force Command slammed into Khon Kaen. By that time, the small city had already seen its share of hell. Khanate forces had stormed the regional airport with an aerial assault at 4:10 AM that morning.There were no dedicated combat troops in Khon Kaen. It was the HQ for both the Royal Thai 3rd Division and its component 1st regiment. That had resulted in a see-saw battle until the relief force arrived from the north. After that, resistance had collapsed. Over three hundred men surrendered. A hundred miles to the north forces in the town of Udon Thani, battalions of the 1st and 2nd regiments of the 3rd Division were still in combat with Laotian and Vietnamese forces. The final outcome of that battle had yet to be decided.What did matter was that the entire command structure of northeast of Thailand had been neutered. There were five more battalions out there that had no idea what to do next. They suffered from sporadic air attacks, but nothing serious was coming their way.What none of them were aware of was that a Far North Force out of the Laotian highlands had broken a battalion of the Royal Thai's 6th Infantry Division, taken Roi Et and severed the communications between the two formations. At Roi Et, the Khanate armored spearhead had left elements of the 2nd Regiment of Lao's 4th Division to hold the airport and was blazing a trail westward along Highway 23, to the south/rear of those five battalions.South of Roi Et, two other Thai battalions were grudgingly giving ground to a regiment of Vietnam's 305th Division plus the 270th Combat Engineers and 16th Artillery Brigade. What mattered was that those forces were drawing off the efforts of the 6th Divisions to counteract the invasion.The 6th Division had its own litany of woes. It was the subject of a dozen pinpricks. The division's commander had lost contact with the other two divisions under the 2nd Army's command. He had enemy forces to his north around Amnat Charoen, he'd lost contact with this 1st regiment HQ at Roi Et.His second regiment, at Ubon Ratchathani, was heavily engaged with the Alliance's North Force. His 3rd regiment, spread out along the southern approaches to his life line, Highway 24, had discovered small teams of Special Forces at every bridge and crossing, making every attempt at creating a unified front costly and ultimately futile.The 2nd Army's HQ and supply hub were at Nakhon Ratchasima. They were under attack, the airport had fallen and the sole mechanized regiment (minus one battalion) was having a terrible time retaking it. They were presently incapable of coming to his defense, since their third battalion had already been called to the capital to put down unrest/enemy forces.He finally made his decision. The remnants of the 1st regiment were to retire westward over the back roads towards the division headquarters at the Si Sa Ket Railway Station. The second regiment was to hold in place until sunset. Using all of the division's remaining assets, he was going to secure Highway 24 so that his command could retire using that path before they were cut off and defeated one regiment at the time.  It was H-hour plus seven. For one of the drivers in a Khanate Heavy Mountain Supply Zuun, there wasn't much to love about this mission. He was a truck driver with a weapon, not a true foot soldier. He was content with his role in logistics, which was why his current mission scared the crap out of him. He wasn't in an armored vehicle and was accompanied by only one Fast Zuun ~ by its very nature a lightly armored unit. Now he was driving deep into enemy territory with a truckload of Karin freedom fighters, who also were lightly equipped.He had already reached the first goal, the town of San Buri, 270 kilometers behind enemy lines and only 60 kilometers from downtown Bangkok. There was a fear that his own air force would mistake then for an enemy supply column and shoot them up. Then there was the fear that some rear echelon troops would find the convoy suspicious and fill his unarmed vehicle with holes. His luck held, the enemy were looking to the north and east, not at a group of trucks heading south.Soldiers from the rebel faction of the Thai Royal Army were stationed in each vehicle to cover any conversation with the local constabulary that might come up. The cover story was that the unit was driving with a purpose ~ the capital was under attack and they were reinforcements using back roads to avoid airstrikes ~ the phone network was a mess and the fact that the plan was so audacious, the normal police officers didn't feel the need to slow the military trucks down.The last phase was pure madness. They rolled down Road 304 at 80 kph. Every time they approached a checkpoint, the unit's commander called in a hopefully faux airstrike, on both them and the Thai soldiers. That made it plausible for the convoy to race forward as the troops around them were too busy diving for cover to stop them. If anything, the defenders thought those truck drivers were the bravest men they'd ever seen.At the end of the journey, they rolled across the Road 304 Bridge over the Chao Praya River, then dispersed. Each truck disgorged 16 Karin fighters, for a total of 560. To that was added the 100 members of the Fast Zuun and 35 drivers, three Tigr's and 59 combat troops. Miracles of miracles, they found the capital to be in total chaos.  It was H-hour plus 6 and a half. The Turkish Khanate commander of 100 looked south in the direction of In Buri. He was already in the 'spread chaos' phase of his operation. The central part of In Buri was the junction of Highways 11 and 32. Somewhere to the far north, friendly units were fighting their way to him. Forces retreating south, or reinforcements from Bangkok would have to pass through his position. He commandeered some passing civilian vehicles and created barricades on all three sides of the T-cloverleaf.Before long, the ground elements of an Airmobile Zuun had joined him. That allowed him to deploy several two-man observer teams over the surrounding countryside. He left two AFV's on the bridge and camouflaged the others in the best ambush points he could think of. Then, he waited.  It was H-hour plus eight. For Julia Atwood, this was the culmination of twenty-five years working in Asia, covering a host of military conflicts and both natural and man-made humanitarian disasters. She'd gotten a tip two days earlier that Bangkok Thailand was going to be the place to be. Since she wasn't a known anti-government reporter, her entry into the country had been easy enough.She had spent the previous day picking a city guide, luckily finding one she knew well, and looking around for sources of information about 'trouble'. What she found was a quiet city on the edge of an explosion. The police, paramilitary forces and the military had everything battened down tight. At the same time, the population was extremely anxious over the upcoming loyalist offensive against the rebel northwest.The military had clamped down on all information coming out of the prospective war zones while exhorting on all forms of mass media the sacred traditions of Thai national identity and the need for law and order. That made the hairs on the back of Julia's neck tingle. It spoke of an upcoming shit storm. Still, Day One had been a bust. Few people wanted to talk about what was going on; all known opposition leaders were in prison or in exile.She had awakened early in the morning to the sound of heavy weapons fire. She had been in enough war zones to know the difference between grenades exploding, or pistol, assault rifle, machine gun, and tank fire. She was hearing tank fire, which made no sense. The Thai army didn't need to use their tank's big guns to fire at anything the opposition could bring to bear.She slipped out the back of her hotel to avoid any possible police minder, gathered up her guide and went hunting for the story. Twice she barely avoided roving army patrols. What immediately occurred to her was these soldiers didn't seem to know what was going on. They were jumpy (not good) and nervous (great for a story).Her trained ears and years of instinct led her to one of the eyes of the storm. Julia's jaw nearly dropped open. There were Central Asian men riding around in Russian equipment surrounded by throngs of hundreds, possibly thousands, of Thai 'Red Shirt' protestors marching on a police barricade. Several leaders of the movement had bullhorns and were communicating with the police. It was a tense situation.Julia forced her way to the BMP-3M, then shouted up at the commander standing in the copula. She tried Uzbek. The man looked her way."No. I'm Kazak. My Uzbek isn't very good," he replied. Julia's Kazak wasn't the best in the world, but she endeavored to make it work."What are you doing here?""I could ask you the same thing," the man smiled. "We are part of the Alliance effort to bring about democratic change in this country." Julia knew he was spouting the party line."What are you really doing here?" she pressed."I have no idea," he chortled. "I don't speak this language, don't know who these people are and only found out where Thailand was two days ago.""Are there a lot of you here?""Not really.""How did you get here?""We landed at the airport. We are a portion of an airmobile Zuun."Just then one of the protestors tried to get the unit leader's attention. He kept repeating something."He wants you to advance on the police line and look menacing," she translated."Okay," the Khanate officer shrugged. "That I can do."He spoke rapid fire Kazak, which Julia couldn't quite follow. Her ride lurched forward, the crowd parted and she could see the blood drain out of the police commander's face. Without looking her way, the Kazak spoke to Julia."Tell them they have thirty seconds to put down their arms or I'm going to shred the lot of them."Julia thought about it for a second. She was recording this exchange on her camcorder. She knew this was straying dangerously close to becoming a participant, not a reporter. She translated to the Thai young man. He sprinted toward the police and relayed the message. She had no idea what a 100mm fragmentation shell would do, had an idea how bloody a 30mm auto-cannon could get and had great familiarity with the effectiveness of 12.7 & 7.62mm machine guns.The lead protestor had a rapid discussion with the lead policeman, bowing and begging for this situation to be resolved peacefully. The countdown reached eight when the officer indicated his acquiescence. The mob didn't surge forward victoriously. Julia slapped the turret to get the Kazak's attention."You don't need to fire.""I understand that," the man acknowledged. It wasn't over though. Another protestor, a woman, waved for the Kazak's attention. Since she wasn't alone in doing so, the man hadn't noticed her. What she was saying did get Julia's attention."She is saying that tanks are on the way!" she shouted at the man in the copula."Which direction?" he inquired. Julia confirmed the information relayed by the girl, who double checked with the person on the other end of her phone, worked out the terrain in her head, then drew a quick map on her palm."They are coming up the road one block up. They are heading north toward us.""Clear out the crowd," he responded evenly. He once more ordered his unit to action. One of the Tigr's raced forward and disgorged its men close to the next corner then the vehicle withdrew."What do you plan to do?" she asked."Do what I came here to do, kill the enemy.""But they have tanks.""Fortunately I have things that kill tanks," he grinned."Do you mind if I stick around?""It is your life," he shrugged. The BMP moved forward to the point where, with its barrel turned sideways, the vehicle was just short of exposing itself. He was busy talking to someone else.Seconds later, one of the Khanate soldiers at the corner launched a grenade up the street, then two others opened fire with their assault rifles. They ducked back around the corner right as a larger caliber machine gun chewed up the wall as well as the street in front of her. Two other soldiers fired off flares into the sky."You might want to get down," the Kazak advised her. Julia nodded, jumped off and ran to the corner to join the other troopers. She edged around the corner, leading with her camcorder. Sure enough, up the street was an honest-to-God tank, with others behind it. One of the foot-bound Kazaks was busy shouting at the others. Once more, a soldier fired a grenade at the tank, to no visible effect. This time he apparently got the response the Kazaks wanted.The tank's big gun fired. One of the troopers, mindful of Julia, grabbed her as they propelled themselves to the ground. The world exploded. Julia was doing a quick check of her well-being when she heard the BMP race forward, barrel turned perpendicular down the street and then it fired. Julia barely caught it all on her camera. The IFV had fired an anti-tank missile out of its main gun. The oncoming tank was a Ukrainian made T-84 Oplot.It exploded; the turret flying away in a curtain of flame. This time it was the blast that blew Julia to the ground. A Kazak soldier hefted her up and pulled her to safety. He was truly pissed when she dodged back into the danger zone to retrieve her camcorder. She sighed happily when she found it undamaged. The BMP rolled back behind cover."Get down," the Kazak ground pounder growled. "It is about to get a whole lot worse.""How?" she looked at him."Well, now that we have stopped the column from moving," he grinned like a maniac. That wasn't much of an answer. Then she noted all the Kazaks clutching at the concrete sidewalks. She did likewise. Seconds later, she heard the jets. 'Oh God', she gulped. She'd seen more than her fair share of airstrikes. She had never been this close to one.Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the Thai crowd moving closer."Get down," she screamed in Thai. "Get Down!"Others repeated her warning and the crowed went down to their knees. Then came the thunder. Julia could barely make out the whoosh of missiles before the detonating rockets and missiles shook her world.A stubby-winged jet raced past her vision. The pilot had gotten so damn close to the building tops she could make out every feature of his aircraft. This level of caution where civilians were concerned was surprisingly unlike the Khanate. She tried to stand, but the soldier next to her had wrapped an arm around her."They come in twos," he cautioned her.Sure enough another series of explosions rocked her surroundings. No sooner had she gotten to her feet, the Kazak commander shouted,"They are coming around for another pass, then we go!"A series of passes followed with the jets using auto-cannons on whomever was left out there.Julia pushed away from her guardian and rushed up to the BMP officer."Wait," she called to him. Stunningly, he waited, looking at her. "Let the crowd save the survivors. This is their struggle too.""If the soldiers fire on them there will be little I can do," he responded."Give them a chance."Against all her expectations, he did. The crowd moved to discover the carnage visited on their oppressors, and fellow countrymen.  It was H-hour plus eight. The Thai tank commander was close to the end of his rope. He'd been fighting since sunrise. Defend, attack, withdraw to a defensive position then wait for the order to counterattack. His platoon had dwindled down to his sole surviving tank. His company no longer acted as a separate entity. Now his battalion, barely a company in strength, operated as a fire brigade, shoring up his beleaguered battle group.The last attack, backed by air power, had shattered his unit. He fell back, literally backing into a second story building to avoid the ever-present Alliance attack helicopters. From his vantage point he could see a column of armored vehicles rolling down Highway 11. He was debating which one he would fire on first when he noticed a jeep coming his way. Onboard were three Thai soldiers, rebels.The jeep rolled right up to his hiding spot. The man in the back dismounted and he walked right up to the tank."Can we talk?" the man inquired. The tank commander kept him covered with this machine gun."What do you have to say, traitor?" he barked."I come to request,""We will not surrender," he growled."We are not asking you to surrender," the man corrected him. "We are asking you to let the war pass you by.""Why should I?""If you fight, you will be destroyed. The Thai army will need to rebuild when this is over and we must be strong. If you throw your life away, we will all be weaker."The tank commander had to think that over. If he began firing on that armored column he would be striking a mighty blow for his country. He would also be sentencing him and his men to death."There will be no surrender?""No sir," the man insisted.The rebel soldier made some sense. The Thai military would have to rebuild when this catastrophe was over. He and his men had done their part."We will stay here for a while," the tank commander informed the rebel."Very well," the soldier bowed. He remounted his jeep and drove away."We are going to stay here a while," he addressed his crewmen. "Get a bite to eat and a drink of water."His men hesitated for a moment."Now, while we have the chance."The men hopped to. They had their orders. They would worry about the morality of their actions later.  It was H-hour plus nine. The men in the Royal Thai Army's high command were finally getting ahold of the big picture. The good news was the Third Army's offensive was grinding to a halt along a line stretching along Highway 1 from Tham Pet Tham Tong Forest in the east to Chai Nat on the Chao Praya River in the west. It was accepted as fact that the 3rd Cavalry and 11th Infantry divisions could hold the line.West of the Chao Praya was a chaotic mess of small garrisons involved in raids and counter-raids. It was deemed unlikely the Alliance forces could push forward any further in that direction either. It also meant that they couldn't pull units from that region to reinforce any of their other trouble points and they had a few.That was most of the good news.Another piece of good news was the1st Army's 2nd Infantry Division had stopped the invasion force they were facing only a few kilometers over the frontier in the area of Watthana Nakhon District. As soon as they had gathered the majority of the division together, they would be mounting a counter-offensive with the intention of overwhelming that force and destroying it.After that, it only got worse.In the area of the 2nd Army, the 3rd Infantry Division and the 2nd Cavalry Division had virtually ceased to exist as cohesive forces. Two battalions of the 3rd Division were retreating south into the 6th Division's area. The 2nd Cavalry division had been reduced pre-battle to one mechanized regiment. That regiment was gone and with it, the supply routes for the 2nd Royal Thai Army.Inside that zone, the 6th Infantry Division still existed, but it was in a world of trouble. They had lost control of Highway 24, their primary supply/evacuation route, and were relentlessly being driven out of Ubon Ratchathani. Even with the slowly arriving battalions of the 3rd Division, the 6th could barely muster two combat-effective regiments and those were running short of fuel and ammunition. The 6th had become a static force, too large to be overwhelmed, too immobile to press the enemy out, or save themselves from a slow strangulation. Had they their assigned tank battalion, but they didn't.The 1st Army's 9th Division was in the worst shape. They had gathered into one elliptical shaped perimeter centered on Chanthaburi and were down to four battalions and two tanks. Technically, they had another battalion, except the 1st Army command had ordered that into Bangkok to aid in suppressing the rebel movement. The 9th Division was surrounded, under attack from the land, sea (the Indian Navy had joined the fight) and air. Their commanding general expected to be wiped out before sunset.And Bangkok?It was turning into a typhoon scale disaster. They had finally determined that there were eight small Khanate platoons roaming the city, seemingly at will. The 1st Division had finally located and destroyed one of those, along with a dozen protestors who chose to fight by their side. The others were still at large and causing trouble.That wasn't the worst of it though. The plan had been to pacify outlying neighborhoods and work their way in to the worst areas. That had started out effectively, then suddenly they had lost the northwestern and southeastern sectors. In the northwest, there were Karin fighters killing, or capturing police and paramilitary strongpoints.In the southeast, it was much worse. Unknown armored troops from the 9th Division's rear area had come seeping in along the riverfront. They seemed to be everywhere at once, surprising roadblocks and checkpoints then ambushing the forces sent to restore order. They were a cancer pushing into a city already short on reserves.There were public displays of defiance going out over the international news, surgical air strikes and a growing sense among the rank and file 'Guardians of the Public Order' that they were on the losing side. There were reports of police turning their backs on the unrest, directing traffic and arresting petty criminals instead.The Royal Thai Army in Bangkok still had over 50,000 men under its command. They were sure they were facing less than a thousand hardcore militants, yet they were losing control of the streets. Part of that was caused by the military being tied down to certain strategic areas they had to hold. They had to protect over a dozen buildings and, as they had painfully learned, a platoon wouldn't do.The Government House had been temporarily overrun and Parliament had been shelled. Channel 3 had been hijacked and the forces sent to take it back had been subject to intense helicopter attacks and driven back. They'd killed two such craft, but that only seemed to make the Alliance troops angrier. This was what a death by a thousand cuts felt like. This was worse than bad, because it looked bad on media going out all over the world.  It was H-hour plus twelve. The commander of the MARCOS had finally taken the time to eat. He was in the Maleenont Towers section of Khlong Toei, Bangkok. It had been his masterstroke, seizing the Channel 3 station. He wasn't sure who the eight shady characters who showed up with the VIPs were and he didn't really care. What did matter was while the VIP's fought like wildcats in private they were putting on a unified front while on TV.One of the VIPs was the former civilian Prime Minister of Thailand. The other guys seemed to hate her guts, but were willing to work with her to overthrow the generals. What he did care about was the nearly five hundred men under his command plus a dozen helicopters and jets somewhere above, waiting to swoop in and help when the next government attack materialized.He had to give them this much, the police forces had guts, not a lot of brains, but plenty of guts. Their counter-terrorism unit had known their stuff, but they didn't have any effective anti-tank weapons and he had a half dozen tanks. Whenever the army got feisty, he called up 'Shiva's Fist' ~ his men's joking reference to the Khanate air support. Those bastards not only killed you, they came back around and killed your corpse too.He got a call from the perimeter. Some of those Karin fighters had crossed half the city to join them. The Indian officer had thought that part of the Khanate plan was utter madness, yet here they were, shooting up the place in a manner only highly experienced insurgents could. Those guys didn't even want to hang around. They were asking for more ammo. The locals were giving them all the food and water they needed.At nine, once it was truly dark, the Khanate was promising to drop off a few tons of whatever they need plus some more medivac units. He was down nine men dead and twenty-seven wounded badly enough they need to be removed. The Khanate had lost four times as many. All in all, the overthrow of a military regime was turning out to not be as difficult as he thought it would be. He was waiting to be surprised.  It was H-hour plus fifteen. The fighting had died down and now the main activity was the Thai civic authorities fighting the fires burning in Saraburi. The Khanate Commander of 1000 looked over his shoulder at the burning city. It hadn't been much of a fight, mainly a few rear echelon forces from the Royal Thai 2nd Army and some paramilitaries.He wasn't in the town. The majority of his troopers had already rolled down to the junction of Highways 1 and 33. He had communication with other elements farther west on Highway 32 at Ang Thong and to the northwest at the junction of Highways 1 and 32. The offensive operations was essentially over for his command. That was just as well. He was running low on petrol. He still had plenty of ammunition though.They were sitting on the lifeline for the 1st Army's 3rd Cavalry and 11th Division to the north and the 2nd Division to the east. The 6th Division was too far in his rear to matter and the 9th Division was facing annihilation along the coast. It was very dark now, but the air force was still active. Some pilots were flying their sixteenth mission of the day.For most of the day, the Khanate Air Force had concentrated on his axis of advance and the battle in Bangkok. The Vietnamese Air Force had concentrated on the hapless 9th Division. In reality, the Alliance was almost at the end of its tether.His combined Laos and Far North Task Forces were spent. The North and Cambodian Task Forces had the 6th Division pinned down. The South Task Force had done the same with the 9th. Only the Central Task Force facing the 2nd Division appeared to be in serious trouble.None of those formations were actually near defeat, though many of them wouldn't realize that until morning. Only the 3rd Army's two task force had consisted of more than 5,000 hastily gathered troops and most of those were Cambodians, Laotians and Vietnamese. To that the Khanate had added 50 mobile Zuuns spread over ten task forces and another 50 airmobile, parachute and airlifted units ~ less than ten thousand men and women spread over all fronts.The cold, hard reality for him was that not a single loyalist Thai unit had been destroyed. The 3rd and 9th infantry divisions has been battered, that was true. The majority of their mobile forces, the 2nd and 3rd cavalry divisions, still existed as a potent force. The 11th and 2nd infantry divisions were also out there, but they were all cut off from the capital. And in this elegant global play, the one theater that mattered was Bangkok.In the morning, if they came for him, the loyalist Thai's were going to discover that offense was a lot more painful that defense. Only the 2nd Division bothered him. The forces to the north were too heavily engaged with the rebel Thai 3rd Army to dispatch more than a battalion his way and he would gobble up a battalion.It would be too much to ask the battered Alliance Center Task Force to keep the 2nd Division occupied. From what he had heard, they were on the verge of disintegration after a powerful Loyalist counterattack. He did have patrols on the 304 and 359 Roads in case their commander got creative. What those few men lacked in vehicles, they would compensate for with air power.The Khanate Air Force was a 24/7, all-weather operation. They had lost 40 aircraft to enemy action and a further forty to mechanical malfunction. Losses in helicopters was also high. But there were still enough of both to get the job done. Now all he had to do was wait for the Americans to arrive.  It was H-hour plus seventeen.There were only three major acts left in this macabre play before the eyes of the world. A squadron of 12 Tu-22M bombers found two of the 2nd Division's regiments sneaking to the west. The Thais had done this with as much secrecy as they could. Unfortunately, their move was one of only two option left to the Loyalist Royal Thai Army.Option One, the most likely one, had the 2nd Division attacking the Khanate troops south of Saraburi. It would not only give the 2nd Division freedom of movement, it would establish supply lines to the divisions currently holding the rebel Thai Third Army at bay. It was the predictable choice.The Khanate U A V were out there, scouting for them and when they spotted the three columns using the backroads to approach their attack positions, they relayed that information to a not-so-distant A-50E/I. The squadron of waiting bombers had incredible endurance and had been circling the suspected target area for three hours. They broke up into groups of six then into groups of two. The first two lined up on their targets then unleashed their lethal cargo.Each plane dropped sixty-nine 250 kg bombs. That was138 bombs with a combined explosive power of 75,900 lbs. spread out over three-quarters of a mile. The A-50 assessed the damage for 7 minutes before sending the second set of two in. Another 138 bombs. Another 75,900 lbs. of death. The third group wouldn't be needed. In ten minutes the fighting power of the 2nd Royal Thai Infantry Division had evaporated.Option Two? That called for the 1st Infantry Division, with her added units, to sally forth from Bangkok and rescue the trapped elements of their other divisions. That would have entailed abandoning large areas of the capital to the protestors and the tiny groups of invaders that were helping them. No one thought they would do that and they were right. Had they been wrong, there was another squadron of bombers waiting for them.  It was H-hour plus nineteen. The Thai Phon Thahan-turned-Sip Tho looked out into the darkness. Four hours ago he was anticipating crossing the Cambodian border and burning down their town for a change. Now, now it was wait-and-see. The majority of the division had withdrawn for a long night march to the west. From what he had gathered, the 2nd Army had been pummeled and it was once again the time for the 2nd Division to save the day.He spotted movement in front of him. He glanced over to his 'sniper', a Thahan Phran who was the best shot in his unit and had a taste for the task. The man had the target in his sights."I come to parlay," the voice in the darkness shouted in less than perfect Thai. The Thai soldier had to think what that meant. His instinct was to shoot the man. His training taught him to not make choices above his pay grade."Advance. Don't do anything stupid," he called out. To the man next to him he whispered, "Go get the Captain." The man slunk away. No one alive in the unit stood up to do anything. You even pissed crouched down. The man coming toward him was a Cambodian. It was evident in both his gear and accent. "What do you want?""We want a truce," the man replied. He remained very erect, his hands in the air and only made slow, careful movements."I should shoot you," he growled."That would be unfortunate for both of us. I would, of course, be dead, and my allies would open up with our artillery."The conversation was truncated by the captain's arrival. They went through much of the same routine, absent the 'I should kill you part' and the counter-threat. The captain turned to the Thai soldier."Blindfold and bind this man's hands then take him to the Phan Ek (Colonel). Let him figure this out."Without the soldier saying anything the Captain added, "This could be a ruse. I must stay here. Hurry."He nodded, took a shirt from one of the civilian volunteers, cut it into strips then blindfolded and bound the man."If you so much as sneeze, I'll put a bullet in your head," he warned the man."I understand," the Cambodian replied. The soldier took the Cambodian one block behind the lines, spun the man around several times, then led him toward the command bunker. He spun him around twice more before making his final approach. A wounded junior officer met him at the entrance."Come on," he took custody of the man. Having nothing else to do and not having been ordered to release the prisoner, the soldier followed along.The Regimental Commander had the man un-blindfolded. His hands remained bound."What do your masters want?" the Major snapped."They want a truce," the Cambodian blinked in the sudden bright light."You invaded us without a declaration of war. That makes you criminals, not combatants.""We attacked at the request of the legitimate authority in Thailand, the Commanding General of the Royal Thai Third Army.""Those men are rebels and you will not refer to them as anything but," the Phan Ek insisted."Very well. My Commander wishes to let you know that our mobile hospital has arrived. We wish to exchange prisoners and place our facilities at your disposal as well.""The Royal Thai army will be there soon enough," the Major glowered."Unlikely. Our Khanate allies have informed us that most of your division was destroyed on the road. You have one battered regiment and a handful of tanks. You are not going anywhere."The soldier wanted to slap the smug smile off the man's face."I do not have the authority to hand over prisoners until their status as POWs or criminals has been established," the senior officer countered."If you consider our men criminals, we will treat your men like traitors.""Are you threatening me?""Yes. A fact you should be aware of is that the Khanate has been flying in reinforcements since noon and we have five more armored, mechanized and artillery Zuuns to attack with. Come sunrise, we will be coming at you again unless we have a truce.""Now you are threatening us again," the Phan Ek pointed out."I am explaining the realities of your situation, nothing more," the Cambodian countered. "Our task force commander believes that further violence will be futile. You have done your job and we have done ours.""And your job was to keep us occupied so you could rape and pillage other parts of our country?""No sir. The Alliance forces have been operating under very strict guidelines. The Thai people are our allies and we are a liberating force," the Cambodian replied."You consider this town 'liberated'? You've destroyed it," the Phan Ek noted."It was unfortunate that you chose to fight us here."The Colonel studied the man silently for thirty seconds."I will agree to a two hour truce. That should allow me to contact my superiors for further clarification on my mission. We will hand over any critically injured 'invaders'. You will return any POW's you are holding in exchange.""Agreed," the Cambodian immediately responded."Just like that? It is really within your authority to make such a deal?""As I said earlier Phan Ek, we believe the fighting is over. We don't need your captured men. We would like to see as many as our comrades live as possible. No matter what your commanders say, the fact remains that if you come out of these ruins, you will be slaughtered. You know that. I know that. Peace is the only avenue that leads to any level of success. Today, today, both our forces did what our commanders told us to do. The dying should stop.""Go. The truce will take effect in, fifteen minutes ~ 12:12 am. We will transfer prisoners and wounded at your point of entry. We will both give a warning whistle fifteen, ten, five and one minute before the truce ends at 2:12 am. Do you understand?"The Cambodian repeated the terms of the truce. He was bound up then sent back with the Sip Tho."Do you really think this is the end of the fighting," he asked his blind captive."On the lives of my children I hope so," the man sighed. "I led 88 men into battle this morning and now I'm down to 46 effectives. I have lost too many already for a battle that wasn't in my nation's best interest. I am tired of the killing.""Me too," the Thai said a moment later. After he delivered him to the Captain on the front lines, the man was unbound."Good luck," he found himself saying."Good luck for both of us," the Cambodian gave a weary smile. "May we not meet again.""If I see you again, I will kill you.""I feel the same way," the man chuckled. "We are both soldiers doing what more powerful men have commanded us to do. I don't know about you, but I have had enough." Several Thai soldiers nodded. They had driven the enemy off Thai soil. Continuing the fight didn't seem to have much of a point.  

Today's guest is Lt. Col. Mark Westphal, a highly accomplished leader with an extensive and diverse background. Mark grew up in Westchester County, New York before heading to Georgia Tech, where he earned both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Mechanical and Materials Engineering.  He also earned an MBA from LaSalle University.  In his civilian career, Mark serves as the Chief Engineer for Special Operations Forces platforms and is a certified Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) with a major defense contractor.  A combat veteran, Mark recently retired from the National Guard as a Lieutenant Colonel after an extraordinary career. His service spans multiple roles, including Combat Engineer, Infantry, Special Forces Green Beret, and Air Force Special Warfare Officer.

This is Episode 4 featuring Fire and Rescue NSW Station Officer Adam Long.Adam's resume reads like a rescue nerds wet dream, with a background as a rescue technician, team member and instructor in Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), Combat Engineer in the Australian Army, and a helicopter Rescue Crew Officer (RCO).I had the privilege of sitting down with Adam to discuss his time as a fire fighter, the Australian Army, mental health, fatherhood, and the story of how he received a medal for bravery.

The UnconqueredBy FinalStand. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.Politically, this was manna from Heaven. Putin couldn't strong arm both the Ukraine and the PRC. His priorities had switched, so now NATO could jump into the Ukraine which would appease their democratic constituencies.There were also larger economic/political issues to look at. Europe had constantly been threatened by Russia's interference with the oil and natural gas pipelines that first pass through Russia before crossing the Ukraine and Belarus and heading off to Central and Western Europe. A great deal of that fuel originated in what was now the Khanate.If the Khanate survived, and viewed the US and UK favorably, the 'oil and natural gas' boot would be on the other foot. If Russia threatened the European Democracies' petrochemical supplies, the Khanate could threaten to cut off Russia as well. The old Republic of Kazakhstan never had the will to confront Russia. The Khanate was turning out to be a very different beast.Because the world didn't need any more ominous rumblings, catastrophe and madness collided in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea was an energy exporter, with most of its power coming from coal-fired plants and hydro-electric facilities. The problem was you can't run armored vehicles and combat aircraft on electric power. You needed oil.North Korea's oil came from China, Liaoning province to be precise, and Liaoning was getting hammered around the clock by the Khanate. The oil pipeline had ruptured and it would be months before it was fixed. In that situation, a sane nation would have shopped around for other avenue of imported oil. But we were talking about North Korea here.Kim Jung-un was looking down the barrels of another famine (trucks and tractors need petrol too) as well as the far more important reduction in the Korean People's Army's readiness. He saw himself possessing the World's 4th largest military and it was in danger of running out of fuel, and Liaoning province was sitting right across the Yalu River, all helpless-like.End World News Behind the Scenes ReportIn the annals of martial history, the bloodiest, costliest battles are when elites face elites. As corny and melodramatic as it sounds, the truth is that neither has 'surrender' in their creed. They attack, defend, ambush, shoot, stab and kill one another until one side loses the capacity to carry on the struggle. It is a grapple to the death.All of Ajax's men were hardened killers, ten year veterans of the Trojan Wars every; one of them. The ranks of the 22nd Mountain Troops Battalion were filled with numerous combat-tested soldiers of the Afghan War. These Romanians were some of the finest combatants produced by the Romanian Army. The two companies earmarked for sealing off the road as a retreat route were about to find out what the price of being elite really was.They were fighting for their homeland, avenging their slain (technically, the slaughtered Amazons were Romanians) and had generations of their own warriors, dating back to the First World War, whose legacy of ferocity they had to maintain. Ajax had the advantage in technology and surprise. The Romanians had numbers, experience with the terrain and the advantage of multi-dimensional warfare.The lead vehicles of the 22nd had rounded the hilly terrain to the East of the Castle of Seven Skulls when they collided with Ajax's team rolling away from those ruins. The Mountain Troops were fast, Ajax's team was faster. One soldier stepped out of his still-braking Eagle transport.He snap-shot a Panzerfaust 3, a light anti-tank weapon, blowing up the first Romanian Piranha IIIc. Two Eagles further down the column, a second team member put another Panzerfaust into the follow-up 22nd MLVN (armored personal carrier). That was as good as it got. The third vehicle, another MLVN swung partially around its burning brethren and poured automatic fire into Ajax's lead Eagle, turning huge chunks of that 'Hummer on Steroids' transport into shrapnel.Trading vehicle for vehicle wasn't something Ajax could afford. For the Romanians, they couldn't race past the blocked road without incurring horrendous losses themselves. Besides, by holding their ground and keeping the enemy focused on them, they were fulfilling their part of the plan. The Mountain Troops disgorged from their MLVN's, spreading out into the meadow on either side of the path and were quickly bounding forward by fire.Ajax reacted quickly. His heavy weapons would allow him to attrition the enemy in front of him, yet he'd be a fool to think they were alone. He knew he was facing army troops, not police. That spelled serious trouble. He ordered his column to reverse course back into the wood cover. He lost his second Eagle to intensive fire.The warriors in the main column bailed out once they reached the shelter of the trees. Machineguns came forward and established a withering cover fire. The two survivors at the first Eagle were badly wounded. With fatalistic resolve, they lashed the advancing Romanians with grenades and their assault rifles until they were both silenced. The second Eagle's demise was much harder.Three of the four crew were alive and unharmed. Their fate was decided by 25 meters of open ground between them and their compatriots. Ajax's gunners kept firing, but the Romanians refused to be suppressed. Worse, that second MLVN was proving impossible to kill. Its driver had parked it so that barely the front of his vehicle body and turret were exposed.Two more of Ajax's precious anti-tank rockets failed to connect, though one did knock the first destroyed IFV into that troublesome vehicle. These were Ajax's brothers-in-arms, yet he knew their situation was hopeless. He cursed that his opposition wasn't made up of raw conscripts. Despite their losses, they were not wavering. Their morale remained solid.The Romanians had spread out to the north and south. They were leap-frogging their machineguns forward and it was clear he was facing over 200 men. The 22nds advance was relentless. Soon they'd be right on top of his trapped men. As a final ploy he dropped two smoke grenades around the endangered trio and every other grenade launcher dropped their payloads onto the aggressive Romanians.The three men ran for it. Their enemy were nobody's fool and sprayed their retreat path with bullets. Only one made it to safety.For the Romanian battalion's commander in his command IFV, this was its own kind of Hell. His boys were getting murdered out there. He hadn't really believed the sketchy intelligence analysis that described his expected foes as the finest trained mercenaries the world has ever seen. Now he was a believer. His opponents reacted like an organic unit. Their weapons were incredibly lethal and their discipline was chilling. Ajax's snipers picked off anyone who seemed to be in charge. One Captain fell, as did two lieutenants. One section lost all its non-commissioned officers.Despite that, individual initiative kept the 'leaderless' men of the 22nd advancing. Their snipers came into play by targeting the opposing machineguns. One gunner went down, then the other. To get one man back, Ajax had lost five dead, or seriously wounded. Ajax ordered the remaining Eagles back to the castle. The rest of the Warband would have to make a fighting retreat.He'd killed or wounded a third of the Romanians out there, yet they were still coming. Even as he pulled out, he got two more pieces of bad:First, his scouts had reported hearing helicopters as they returned toward the castle; this latest enemy was somewhere behind him, to the east.Second, two Mig-21's dropped out of the sky and raked his area with rockets and auto-cannon fire; eight more men gone.Ajax may not have been the greatest military mind of all time, but wasn't a fool. He was being boxed in. Since it was highly unlikely the Hylonome Amazons had sacrificed themselves, this was an ad hoc plan to take him out. Instead of hunting down that male Amazon as he wanted, Ajax had let the Condottieri side-track him on this mission. Now, it was proving far too costly.A whistle, a few traded hand signals and the Mycenaeans started sprinting back upslope toward the castle ruins. It wasn't a rout. His men maintained their élan and cohesion. Ajax was trading space for time and the Romanians wouldn't chase his men as fast as the Mycenaeans were moving because there was always the threat of ambush. Or, they wouldn't have if an An-30 Reconnaissance Aircraft hadn't been tracking his progress from high above.Just coming on-line, it identified the heat signatures of the Greeks and let the soldiers of the 22nd know that their enemies were trying to put some distance between them. The battalion commander knew his men had been mangled, yet believed they were still more than willing carry the fight to the enemy. Right as the 'pursuit' order went out, the promised company from the 24th Mountain troops rolled up, with the 61st Brigade's 385th artillery battalion. 'Now things were really going to get hot for those bastards', he thought.(The Seven Skulls, Cáel)I was true to my nature. I sent off my plan, Operation Funhouse, to the Russians via their attaché (a hot looking, curvaceous blonde Major) and to the Khanate through the offices of the US and UK. Only after that was done, did I ask for my favor. I wasn't going to bargain with the fate of Temujin's people. I couldn't.My only chip to play was that people in strange places thought well of me. I wasn't so naïve to believe that I got what I wanted because I'd forged emotional bonds that superseded personal ambitions or national loyalties. No, I was now on my own self-inflicted 'Ride of the Valkyries' because people in authority felt I could still be useful and they were willing to risk the lives a few hundred Romanian soldiers to pander to my eccentricities.Our intelligence came from Google Maps, a woman's recollections from twenty-five years ago and the frighteningly precise memories of a battle-scarred 11 year old girl. For the 24th Mountain Troops battalion intelligence officer, it was a stunning introduction to Amazons. The girl was one year away from her Rite of Passage and she'd been raised to take in the terrain and the sounds of battle.Several times, he tried to trick her, altering information she had provided minutes earlier, but the girl corrected him every time. Seventeen minutes and the man relayed to his battalion commander his belief that the girl's story was solid. The men and women of the 24th may not have known the specific of the valley we were going to, yet this was their backyard.They knew the rocks, trees and bushes. They knew the ground was crinkled and what marsh soil looked like, without stepping into it. They could do this, attack a rogue mercenary band threatening their native land. They were going to do this and do it quick. Me and mine coming along was problematic. But Me being one of the first ones in, I had to play my trump card."I am Magyarorszag es Erdely Hercege," I proclaimed. "I have returned to my people in their hour of need. Besides, I'm the only one who can kill their leader.""You can kill Ajax?" Riki snorted in disbelief. "Ajax from the Trojan Wars? That Ajax?""Don't sweat it," I put my arm around her shoulder. "I got this covered. Get me close and I can make him dead.""You've lost your mind," Rachel muttered."I love you to," I grinned. To the Captain of the first company to rappel next to the ruins, "I'm your Prince. Let's do this.""Do you have any combat experience?" he shook his head."There are a whole bunch of dead Chinese who think so," I assured him."Let him go," Sakuniyas stated regally. "He is the Scion of Alal. He is invincible in battle." Hey, I liked that. Someone believed in me."Do you believe that?" Pamela asked Saku."Of course not, but if he's about to die, he should be allowed to feel good about himself," she told Pamela. Shit, I wish I hadn't heard that part."Oh, in that case, I agree. Let him go," Pamela added her preference to the final decision. The real weight in that Captain's final call was the small, well-armed group of supporters who seemed rather insistent that I get a chance at Valhalla.He took it well. The officer even announced to the entire battalion that their feudal overlord was leading them into the fight. My codename was 'Prince'. I hope I didn't turn out like the singer, I had no aspirations for being Machiavelli's 'hero', but being remember as someone like Prince Harry wouldn't be so bad.What I did know was this was my choice of actions and I couldn't send others into the madness I had inspired. I didn't blame myself for the deaths. Those were inevitable if Ajax was going to die. I didn't blame myself for Ajax, that was the Weave of Fate being a bastardly bitch. No, I had to kill Ajax because I was an idiot, and I loved my companions, and if it wasn't me making the attempt and possibly dying, it would be one of them. Not on my watch.Our IAR 330 Puma Helicopter lifted off into the sky. Our two companion birds, another troop carrier and an assault variant of the Puma, followed suit and soon we linked up with the rest of the company that was going to rappel into the clearing next to the ruins. Could I rappel? Sure, I lied. Hey, I'd made it to the top of the rope in gym class at the end of my senior year. That had to count for something.I was even lucky to have the lynchpin of my master plan sitting next to me. One in sixteen, what were the odds? "You, what's your name?" I asked the soldier barely older than me. "Master Corporal Menner," he grinned. Maybe he sensed my insanity. "Székely?" I asked. He nodded.   "Do you believe I am your Prince?""Either that, or you are crazy," he kept grinning. I leaned over and after some helmet shuffling, I whispered my request in his ear. I didn't demand that he agree, only that if he didn't, he wouldn't turn me in. Our eyes met."Why?" he was now filled with disbelief. I had passed beyond the realm of comedian to the land where all crazy ideas go off to die."It is the only way. Trust me, I don't love this plan either, but it is the only way I can think of to keep as many of you alive as possible," I explained. "He's a monster.""How will this help?" he was still confused, even if he was being swept away with my intensity."I don't have time to explain. All I can tell you is that I'm not crazy and I don't want to die, but this is the only thing I can think of to keep my people alive," I remained firm and confident in my beliefs."I will have to think about it," he conceded. At least he wasn't insisting I be forcibly committed to a mental institution. I did annoy one of the two crewmen in the back with the rest of us combatants when I stood up and looked out the side window. I glimpsed it, her, flowing through the forest beneath us. After I sat back down, the Captain flagged me.I had forgotten to cut on my communications rig on. "First Force (the two companies of the 22nd) has encountered the enemy before they could exit into the flatlands," he paused, somewhat shocked. "They are taking heavy casualties. It is just like you warned us. These foes are exceedingly lethal." "Don't worry about it," I overflowed with charisma. "Just follow me and we'll be fine." "But, I thought you said you didn't know anything about the compound?" the Captain looked at me funny."I don't. I'm relying on luck," I pumped my eyebrows. The Captain knew enough English to groan."I have a sudden desire to club a baby seal," Rachel stared at me intently. Who, me? "Let me and my men take the point," the Captain insisted. "Captain, either I'm diving headfirst out of our ride, or you are letting me rappel down in the first wave, either way, my boots are the first on the ground," I demanded. "No," the Captain shook his head. "You are a civilian." "Captain," I leaned forward. "Everyone else is fighting and dying because I made a judgment call. You can't ask me to hold back now."That shone through. Over his battalion frequency, he could hear the confusion and chaos chiseling away at his brethren in the 22nd. He could tell by my countenance that I both knew the enemy he was going to fight and that I wasn't ruled by guilt, or a death wish. I wanted to go first because I thought I could make the difference between someone else's life and death. "Who are the other three with you?" he stated. Four could rappel down at a time. "Rachel, Chaz and Master Corporal Menner here," I indicated. Rachel didn't freak, the Colour Sergeant looked my way and gave his acknowledgement, as did Menner. "I'll go down with you, Captain," Pamela spoke up.Of my group, Delilah, Wiesława and Virginia had stayed behind to guard Odette, Riki, the Lovasz sisters and the Loma family. Two troopers of the 24th joined them to provide extra security if needed. Vincent had pulled seniority to be the sole American going. With Chaz and Delilah, there hadn't been a real discussion about it. Chaz was the professional ground-pounder.Selena had volunteered to go even though this wasn't really her fight. She claimed the right of revenge for Ajax's attempt to kill the Vizsla, but I thought it was something else, some desire to step forward and make the point that the Black Hand were invested in this global struggle. There had been no doubt that Rachel  and  her team plus Sakuniyas and Pamela would be joining me.In my estimation, we were over the target area way too fast. I hadn't thought of a good reason to talk myself out of this harebrained scheme of mine. The side doors of the Puma opened. Rachel would be going down on my side."Look and see what Rachel does and do the same thing," Pamela yelled to me over the roar of the engines."And don't lock your knees or you'll sprain your ankles," she added. It was just another day of 'on the job' training at Havenstone Commercial Investments, I rationalized. I was scared, which was also a good indicator that I was still marginally sane. Rachel made her movements slow and steady.I went down a second later, barely remembering to avoid rope burn through my gloves and not bust my feet when I hit bottom. Rachel crouched. She was waiting for follow up troops before advancing. Me, I ran straight toward the ruins. Why? It was Alal once more. From the relayed chatter from the 22nd and whatever spy plane the Romanians had above, I 'knew' that Ajax hadn't made it back to the fortifications yet.If we hurried, we could beat him there. Then we would be ambushing his ass for a change. It almost worked. Whatever Chaz and Menner thought of my actions, they kept it to themselves. I didn't have to be a psychic to realize Rachel wasn't a fan. I leapt over the first Amazon corpse. The second one I passed was sitting with her back to the tree, hands tied around the trunk and had been tortured before she died.I believed that was when the momentum shifted. This was barbarism and the three following me knew it. Menner relayed our findings to his Captain even as the first helicopter was pulling away. My mind was picking up the details and processing somewhere in the back of my mind so as not to distracting me from the task of staying alive.A pile of bodies lumped too close together, they had been executed. A small girl, three, or four, with a close-contact wound to the temple. The smell of burnt flesh, more torture. Whatever Code of Military Conduct the Mycenaeans had, it wasn't the rules we, their opponents, fought by today. We were outraged and help was coming.We were running in from the northeast. Three meter from what had once been a doorway, I broke free of the underbrush and saw the closest Greek and the row of vehicles behind him. He was to my east, maybe ten meters away. I wasn't stopping. The terrain had funneled us down so that we weren't coming directly from the helicopter's noise.That must have been the reason he wasn't staring at us when we appeared. I didn't stop. Chaz and Menner were right behind me. Rachel only slowed enough to fire her P-90 at full-auto at the man as she ran. She killed him. The three of us ran across the open-aired, ruined room until we found the doorway to the other side of the building. From there, we had a good view of Ajax's remaining Eagles and the eight remaining men with them."I'm going for higher ground," Chaz growled before he took off."Rachel, go back and secure the corner we came in by," I shouted. She grimaced but obeyed. Menner had his own ideas. He fired off his first rocket-propelled grenade from his AG-7 at the farthest Eagle he could clearly see, blowing it to smithereens. I added the

Daniel Turner is entered in the Mini Globe Race, sailing Immortal Game, his mini 5.80, which he built. He started racing small boats in Australia when he was six years old. He moved from Holdfast trainers to the 125 and Pacer classes, and raced on his father's Farr 30 and grandfather's Adams 12. Daniel spent four years in the Australian Army as a Combat Engineer and Combat Fitness Trainer and represented the Australian Defence Force at regattas in the Tasar class. Daniel also competed in a number of marathons and ultra-marathons including the Marathon Des Sables in 2015 (265 kms across the Sahara desert over 6 days) and is known as the toughest footrace on the planet. In 2018, he competed in the Melbourne to Osaka Yacht race.  We talk about building the boat, crossing the Atlantic in the boat, preparing to sail around the world, difficult moments during the passage and how he dealt with them, rules of the race, sailing the boat, safety, sleeping while solo sailing, the cost of the campaign, and much more. Find photos of Daniel's boat and links on the podcast shownotes page, here. Support the show through Patreon here.

The Kids Table returns! The lads sit down to chat Nottingham, the many new detachments, and the looming Guard book. Is it too good?! #40k #warhammer40k #astramilitarum Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/JcFMpcYvkV Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYwPTgmHC5VWu4Xn-qMg31g/join All our Links in one handy place: https://linktr.ee/6plusplusgaming. 

In this episode of the Leadership Loading Podcast, Jason McClaren sits down with Greg Jenkins, a retired U.S. Army veteran and founder of Greg Jenkins Consulting, a leading provider of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) solutions. Greg shares his journey from a 28-year military career to becoming a consultant focused on leadership development, team building, and organizational performance enhancement. Discover how Greg overcame initial misconceptions about DEI, his perspective on the evolving corporate landscape, and the importance of mentoring and effective leadership in diverse workplaces. Plus, learn actionable tips for young leaders and aspiring professionals. Topics Covered: - Greg's transition from the military to consulting - The evolution of DEI and its role in leadership - How mentoring can impact professional growth - Insights into building inclusive and high-performing teams - Advice for emerging leaders

What kind of a reaction should you expect when you start a bar fight with your Sergeant Major present? Is it possible for the Combat Engineers to work on underground wires without issues?  Find out, the answers to these questions and more on this weeks "sode" of The Cammo Comedy Show Podcast! If you have any funny military stories of your own that you would like to share, drop us a line at:stories@cammocomedy.com  or  Leave a voicemail at (531) 222-6146  Sadly, the voicemail will only record in 2 minute blocksWe are here to make you laugh, but behind this there is the imbedded philosophy of, "No One Left Behind." Sadly, 22 vets per day commit suicide, approximately 67,500 vets are homeless and thousands struggle with everyday life after service.  What we hope to accomplish is providing a fun place to gather that will have a similar feel to the conversations that happen at the VFW or American Legion between vets.  Since the latest generations of vets are not really going to these places anymore, we are making it happen online.  We believe that the sense of community will help some who struggle, while providing stories about the good times that we can all laugh at!An additional part of this show is capturing the oral history of the military over the past few decades, so if you happen to know a veteran who served during WW2, Korean War or Vietnam eras, we would love to hear from them.  Obviously, we want to hear stories from all eras, but we have special respect for the older generations.  Give Send Go Fundraiser: https://givesendgo.com/VeteransLaughterTherapy?utm_source=sharelink&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=VeteransLaughterTherapyWe took great pleasure in animating these short videos with fresh new music and some fun character models. We hope that you will enjoy them and share this message with your friends and loved ones.Animated Video Sympathetic:https://rumble.com/v5a3ujh-cammo-comedy-community-outreach.htmlAnimated Video Bad Ass:https://rumble.com/v5a69h9-cammo-comedy-rocken-outreach.html

On today's Coffee with Rich, we will be joined by Mike Seeklander discussing the Top Ten mistakes he see's in his Rifle classes.  These tips will directly benefit your shooting skills!   Join Pro Tips (free Rifle program discussed in the show) Currently Mike Seeklander is owner of Shooting-Performance LLC (www.shooting-performance.com), a full service training company and the American Warrior Society. Mike is also the co-host of The Best Defense, the Outdoor channels leading firearm instructional show. Previously, Mike was Chief Operating Officer, Director of Training and a Senior Instructor at the U.S. Shooting Academy in Tulsa, Ok. He was directly responsible for the development of all U.S.S.A. training programs.   Prior to that as an employee of the Federal Government, Mike has served as the Branch Chief and Lead Instructor for the Firearms division with the Federal Air Marshal Service as well as a Senior Instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). He has extensive formal training and experience in all phases of military and law enforcement training. Mike is a highly sought after tactical and competitive trainer and a high level performer on the competition handgun circuit. Currently a nationally ranked competitor on the practical handgun competition circuit, Seeklander has authored/produced instructional books, DVD's and has developed hundreds of lesson plans specifically related to basic and advanced firearms training.   As a local law enforcement officer with the Knox County Sherriff's Department as well as the Knoxville Police Department mike worked in corrections as well as patrol and with the Organized Crime division. In 1990 Mike joined the United States Marine Corps and was trained as an Intelligence Specialist with Top Secret clearance. Mike is a combat veteran of Desert Storm/Shield (Gulf war 1). He holds secondary MOS's of Combat Engineer and Primary Marksmanship Instructor. Mike is the recipient of numerous awards and honors in the law enforcement community, and as a semi-professional shooter.   Coffee with Rich Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rhodieusmc/videos American Warrior Show: https://americanwarriorshow.com/index.html SWAG: https://shop.americanwarriorsociety.com/ American Warrior Society please visit: https://americanwarriorsociety.com/

On today's Coffee with Rich, we will be joined by Mike Seeklander. Rich Brown is the Co-Host of America's leading Self-Defense podcast, the American Warrior Show.   On today's Coffee with Rich, we will be joined by The Mike Seeklander. Currently Mike Seeklander is owner of Shooting-Performance LLC (www.shooting-performance.com), a full service training company and the American Warrior Society. Mike is also the co-host of The Best Defense, the Outdoor channels leading firearm instructional show. Previously, Mike was Chief Operating Officer, Director of Training and a Senior Instructor at the U.S. Shooting Academy in Tulsa, Ok. He was directly responsible for the development of all U.S.S.A. training programs.   Prior to that as an employee of the Federal Government, Mike has served as the Branch Chief and Lead Instructor for the Firearms division with the Federal Air Marshal Service as well as a Senior Instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). He has extensive formal training and experience in all phases of military and law enforcement training. Mike is a highly sought after tactical and competitive trainer and a high level performer on the competition handgun circuit. Currently a nationally ranked competitor on the practical handgun competition circuit, Seeklander has authored/produced instructional books, DVD's and has developed hundreds of lesson plans specifically related to basic and advanced firearms training.   As a local law enforcement officer with the Knox County Sherriff's Department as well as the Knoxville Police Department mike worked in corrections as well as patrol and with the Organized Crime division. In 1990 Mike joined the United States Marine Corps and was trained as an Intelligence Specialist with Top Secret clearance. Mike is a combat veteran of Desert Storm/Shield (Gulf war 1). He holds secondary MOS's of Combat Engineer and Primary Marksmanship Instructor. Mike is the recipient of numerous awards and honors in the law enforcement community, and as a semi-professional shooter.   Coffee with Rich Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rhodieusmc/videos American Warrior Show: https://americanwarriorshow.com/index.html SWAG: https://shop.americanwarriorsociety.com/ American Warrior Society please visit: https://americanwarriorsociety.com/

In this episode of the Burnout Podcast, host Skip-O and guest Daniel Norris discuss the challenges faced by first responders, including PTSD and alcoholism. Daniel shares his journey from military service to becoming an EMT, detailing his struggles with mental health and the importance of community support. The conversation emphasizes the significance of sharing personal stories to help others and the strength found in vulnerability. Daniel also talks about his involvement in various organizations and his plans for future adventures, including a fundraising hike in Scotland.Daniel was born and raised in Southern Maryland. He is about to hit the big 37 on October 23rd. Upon graduating High School in 2006, Daniel went straight into the United States Marine Corps Reserves where he enlisted as a Combat Engineer and was "stationed" at 4th Combat Engineer Batallion in Baltimore.During his time in the Corps, Daniel also became a first responder. He earned his Maryland Emergency Medical Technician certification in December 2010. He reached the end of his service contract with USMC in 2014, being honorably discharged at the rank of Corporal. Throughout his life I have struggled with ADHD, depression, anger, and suicidal thoughts. He was recently diagnosed with PTSD.Daniel is serving as a volunteer with multiple veteran related organizations... Mission 22, Americas Mighty Warriors, Team Rubicon, Foundation 4 Heroes, and most recently the Travis Manion Foundation. He lives to serve and give back to his community and others. He thrives on it.Outside of work and his volunteer efforts, Daniel enjoys hunting, fishing, baseball, playing church league softball, playing rugby (Patuxent River Rugby), football, photography, etc.TakeawaysDaniel Norris shares his journey from military service to becoming an EMT.He discusses the struggles he faced with PTSD and alcoholism.The importance of community support and finding purpose after service is emphasized.Daniel highlights the significance of sharing personal stories to help others.He reflects on the challenges of maintaining sobriety during difficult times.The conversation touches on the idea that reaching out for help is a sign of strength.Daniel's involvement in various organizations showcases his commitment to service.The podcast encourages listeners to seek help and support when needed.Daniel's life verse, Philippians 4:13, has been a source of strength for him.The episode concludes with a call to action for listeners to connect and share their stories.Sound Bites"You're not alone because you have support.""It's an absolute sign of strength to reach out for help.""I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."PLEASE SUPPORT THIS PODCAST BY TAKING A LOOK AT OUR SPONSORSThrottle & Thrive First Responder Addiction Recovery: https://throttleandthrive.com/MyPodcast.Media: https://ShawnPNeal.comPODCAST WEBSITE:https://burntoutpodcast.orgBURNT OUT CREW:Host: Skip OMental Health Minute: Melissa HSunday Support Zoom Meeting Facilitator: Jeff DBonus Episode Host: Capt. Chuck BrayExecutive Producer: Shawn P NealA Two On The Lobster ProductionEPISODE HASHTAGS:#firefighter #firstresponder #ems #emt #police #lawenforcement #military #trauma #mentalhealth #USMC #military

In this episode of Urban Valor, we sit down with retired Army Staff Sergeant Kyle Kelly, who has gone from a troubled childhood in Northeast Texas to the frontlines in Iraq.Kyle shares his experiences as a Combat Engineer battling Al Qaeda in intense warfare. He remembers surviving a gunshot wound, barely escaping an RPG, and enduring a devastating blast that led to amputation. Kyle opens up about his struggles transitioning to civilian life, including time spent in jail for aggravated assault while still on active duty. Despite these challenges, Kyle found a new purpose in serving his fellow veterans.Watch now to learn how Kyle turned his experiences into a force for good, founding the non-profit organization Open Water.

The 299th Combat Engineer Battalion was the only combat engineer unit to land on both Omaha and Utah beaches during the D-Day invasion. Some of the engineers landed before any other allied soldiers set foot on the beaches earning them the nickname “First on Omaha”. Chief Warrant Officer James W. Tucker was among them. His daughter Jean joins us to share more about the “Famous 299th”. James commanded a group of eight armored tractors whose mission was to clear obstacles and open paths off the Normandy beaches. One third of the Combat Engineer Battalion that landed on Omaha beach was killed missing or wounded. For their heroic efforts that day, they would be awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. Tucker was also assigned the somber job of creating the first American cemetery in Normandy. There were so many bodies on the beaches that the equipment could not land without driving over the bodies of their fellow soldiers. Tucker used a bulldozer to dig a mass grave while still under fire and he and his comrades “stacked the bodies like cordwood.” These remains were eventually relocated. Members of the 299th would fight and build their way across Europe to the heart of Germany. Jean was so inspired by her father's stories she has become a passionate advocate for their history. She single handedly manages their website and is continuously tracking down photos and stories from the families of members of the 299th Combat Engineers.  Family or living members of the Battalion are encouraged to contact Jean through their website. Jean and I also spend a great deal of time discussing the importance of recording these stories and history of generations that are rapidly passing away. She also regularly interacts with the “descendants” of this famous group – the 299th Brigade Engineer Battalion currently headquartered at Fort Carson, Colorado. Jean also shares an intriguing story of the “spat” between the Army and the Navy over who should have responsibility for clearing obstacles on the landing beaches. They eventually agreed that any obstacles that were visible at high tide they would be the Army's responsibility.

In this joint episode with Denny Paul from the Be the Standard podcast and Seth Gale from Go Beyond the Shadows, the three Army veterans discuss the best and worst aspects of Army life. They share funny and wild stories, as well as reflect on the importance of Memorial Day. The worst thing about the Army, according to Denny and Seth, is the constant hurry up and wait, where soldiers are expected to be ready at a moment's notice but often end up waiting for hours. The best thing about the Army, they agree, is the camaraderie and friendships formed. They also share crazy and dumb moments from their time in the Army, as well as the tough lessons they learned. In this conversation, the speakers discuss their experiences in the military and reflect on the lessons they learned. They talk about the importance of accountability and responsibility, their favorite weapon systems, their experiences in combat, and the impact they had on other countries. They also discuss the surprises they encountered in the military, such as the prevalence of drugs and steroids, and the contrast between the perception of the American flag in other countries versus in the United States. The speakers share their proudest moments, including graduating college and the influence they had on their soldiers.

Jay Dorleus has seen more than his fair share of explosive engagements. With 2 Iraq and 4 Afghanistan Deployments under his belt, he's served 14 years in country as a Green Beret, with his first 4 years served as a Combat Engineer specializing in demolitions - tracking IED's and disarming charges that would otherwise devastate forces on the ground. And devastate they did - to hear it from Jay, he's picked up parts of his squad mates (literally) on more than one occasion.  But violent beginnings often lead to violent ends, and for Jay, becoming a Green Beret wasn't just a matter of duty - it was a means to exact revenge on the very fighters that caused such devastation in the first place. So what's it like serving as a Green Beret in Afghanistan? How does a Combat Engineer make the leap to Special Forces? And how is Jay Dorleus still creating dynamic warriors through his company, The Green Beret Chronicles? Let's meet Jay.  ---------- Support Jay Dorleus -  Find Jay's Training, Resources, and More at https://www.greenberetchronicles.com/ Podcast - Beyond the Beret with Jay Dorleus - https://open.spotify.com/show/45o446jPR1BePrqELwrU0W?si=d0b2c38979924565&nd=1&dlsi=3aa40fcc50854c52 IG - https://www.instagram.com/green_beret_chronicles/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@GreenBeretChronicles Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=73014975&fan_landing=true&view_as=public ---------- Sponsors:  American Hartford Gold Visit https://www.americanhartfordgold.com or call 855-967-1413, that's 855-967-1413, or text “DROP” to 6-5-5-3-2 for UP TO $15,000 of FREE SILVER! ---------- Beam Take advantage of Beam's biggest sale of the year and get up to 40% off for a limited time when you go to https://www.shopbeam.com/MIKEDROP and use promo code MIKEDROP at checkout!   ---------- True Classic Tees Upgrade your wardrobe and get up to 25% OFF @trueclassic at https://www.trueclassic.com/MIKEDROP! #trueclassicpod #sponsored ---------- Fueled by TeamDog | www.mikeritlandco.com | @Teamdog.pet ALL THINGS MIKE RITLAND: SHOP for Fueled By Team Dog Performance Dog Food, Treats, Apparel, Accessories, and Protection dogs - MikeRitlandCo.com - https://www.MikeRitlandCo.com Team Dog Online dog training - TeamDog.pet - https://www.TeamDog.pet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LTC Clark is working on achieving election integrity in Virginia. The Mission is focused on two main lines of effort. The first, preventing election certification with voter rolls that exceed legally allowable error rates. Second, achieving hand paper counts in all future primaries and elections. LTC Clark's military service was in the active Army, Army Reserve, and Virginia National Guard. His last duty position was Chief Logistics Officer at CENTCOM, providing all combat and non-combat supplies throughout the entire Middle East Area of Operations (AOR). He was deployed on four combat tours which include two in Afghanistan and is the recipient of the Bronze Star. LTC Clark has served in several branches within the Army to include Armor Cavalry, Infantry, Combat Engineers, Artillery, and Logistics. He is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute with a bachelors degree in history and has a masters in business administration from Embry & Riddle Aeronautical University. https://rumble.com/v4xl5e5-ltc-clark-on-the-patriot-cause.html

Join us for our second Memorial Week Show as we welcome US Army CSM Retired Harold Reynolds. CSM (R) Harold Reynolds is a native of Clarks Grove, Minnesota. He entered the Army on November 26, 1986, as a Combat Engineer. He attended One Unit Station Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. His assignments include: A & B/37th EN BN Fort Bragg, NC; 6th EN CO Fort Richardson, AK; Sapper Leader Course Det., Fort Leonard Wood, MO; B/44th EN BN Camp Howze, Korea; B/307th EN BN Fort Bragg, NC; A/2nd STB, 2 BCT Fort Bragg, NC; Student USASMA (CLS 58); 92nd EN BN Fort Stewart, GA; 2BSTB, 2 BCT Fort Campbell, KY; 3-364 EN BN Fort Bliss, TX; United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, Fort Bliss, Texas. Retired 2017 and began as a Consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton (Booz Allen) firm in FORSCOM HQ BLDG, G3/5/7 department, Engineer DIV, AW C-IED. Currently working as the Training Development Services Lead for Booz Allen on the Army's Emerging Threat Training and Readiness Capability program based in Fayetteville, NC. CSM (R) Reynolds has served in numerous leadership positions to include Team Leader, Squad Leader, Operation Sergeant, Platoon Sergeant, First Sergeant, Battalion Operations Sergeant Major, Battalion Command Sergeant Major (x2), and Sergeants Major Course Director. He has deployed to three Campaigns (Desert Storm/Shield, OIF, and OEF) for a total of five operational deployments. He has deployed as a Squad Leader, Platoon Sergeant, 1SG, and as a CSM. Of note, the Sapper Leader Course Distinguished Leadership Award (DLA) is named the “CSM Harold A. Reynolds Jr. DLA”. His military and highest civilian education includes Basic Leader Course, Advance Leader Course, Senior Leader Course, Ranger School, Sapper Leader Course, Pathfinder Course, Air Assault Course, Mountain Warfare Course (Summer and Winter), Jumpmaster Course, Airborne School, graduate of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, Class 58. He holds a Master of Science in Management Degree from Excelsior College.

Send us a Text Message.On today's Zero Limits Podcast I chat with Chris Burson veteran of the Australian Defence Force both as an Engineer and Loadmaster with Army Aviation also Victorian Police Force.Chris joined the Army in Dec 2002 as a Combat Engineer at 3CER and he then transfered corps to army aviation in Sydney as a Loadmaster at 171 Aviation Squadron with deployments to Timor Leste. After discharging from the army Chris joined Victoria Police and served in both PORT (Public Order Response Team) and CIRT (Critical Incident Response Team) including as a negotiator.Chris resigned from Victoria Police to run as a political candidate in the 2022 federal election for the Australian Values Party.www.getsome.com.auInstagram @getsome_auDiscount Code ZEROLIMITS www.3zeroscoffee.com.auInstargram @3zeroscoffee Discount Code 3ZLimits Website - www.zerolimitspodcast.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/zero.limits.podcast/?hl=enShow Sponsors www.3zeroscoffee.com.au Discount code 3ZLimitswww.getsome.com.au Discount code ZEROLIMITS

  On today's Coffee with Rich, we will be joined by Mike Seeklander.   Currently Mike Seeklander is owner of Shooting-Performance LLC (www.shooting-performance.com), a full service training company and the American Warrior Society. Mike is also the co-host of The Best Defense, the Outdoor channels leading firearm instructional show. Previously, Mike was Chief Operating Officer, Director of Training and a Senior Instructor at the U.S. Shooting Academy in Tulsa, Ok. He was directly responsible for the development of all U.S.S.A. training programs. Prior to that as an employee of the Federal Government, Mike has served as the Branch Chief and Lead Instructor for the Firearms division with the Federal Air Marshal Service as well as a Senior Instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). He has extensive formal training and experience in all phases of military and law enforcement training. Mike is a highly sought after tactical and competitive trainer and a high level performer on the competition handgun circuit. Currently a nationally ranked competitor on the practical handgun competition circuit, Seeklander has authored/produced instructional books, DVD's and has developed hundreds of lesson plans specifically related to basic and advanced firearms training. As a local law enforcement officer with the Knox County Sherriff's Department as well as the Knoxville Police Department mike worked in corrections as well as patrol and with the Organized Crime division. In 1990 Mike joined the United States Marine Corps and was trained as an Intelligence Specialist with Top Secret clearance. Mike is a combat veteran of Desert Storm/Shield (Gulf war 1). He holds secondary MOS's of Combat Engineer and Primary Marksmanship Instructor. Mike is the recipient of numerous awards and honors in the law enforcement community, and as a semi-professional shooter. Coffee with Rich Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rhodieusmc/videos American Warrior Show: https://americanwarriorshow.com/index.html SWAG: https://shop.americanwarriorsociety.com/ American Warrior Society please visit:

On today's Zero Limits Podcast part 2 podcast  with Craig “Spins” Turnball. Spins was a K9 Handler in the Incident Response Regiment (IRR) now known as SOER and also spent time in 2 CER and 3 CER (Combat Engineer Regiment)Craig enlisted into the army reserve in 1990  whilst still at school and spent a couple years at 5/11 regt RAA as a FO Sig. In 1994 he enlisted into the regular army and was posted to the transport corps. After 12 months in transport he put in his transfer to become a combat engineer. Craig was posted to 2CER/ 3CER and to the Incident Response Regiment as a K9 handler.He deployed on multiple deployments including Solomons Islands , SOTG III and SOTG IV deployments with SASR as an explosive detection handler from Incident Response Regiment and a deployment with Combat Engineer Regiment Afghanistan MTF1.  During this part 2 Craig talks about the deployment to Afghanistan on MTF1 which was one of the deadliest years for the Australian Defence Force and more specifically mentoring task force.www.getsome.com.auInstagram @getsome_auDiscount Code ZEROLIMITS www.3zeroscoffee.com.auInstargram @3zeroscoffee Discount Code 3ZLimits Website - www.zerolimitspodcast.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/zero.limits.podcast/?hl=enShow Sponsors www.3zeroscoffee.com.au Discount code 3ZLimitswww.getsome.com.au Discount code ZEROLIMITS

In this week's episode, both of our storytellers share tales that illuminate the transformative power of returning to their roots. Part 1: Gregor Posadas joins the army to pursue his dreams of becoming an engineer and fulfill his father's wish of “fixing” their home country of the Philippines. Part 2: After losing his father as a young child, Nanduh Balakrishnan feels compelled to use his school savings to buy a life saving drug for a patient at the hospital he's working at. Gregor Posadas is a Civil Engineering student and Undergraduate Research Assistant at Boise State University. He is currently set to graduate from his undergraduate studies by December 2023. Born and raised in the Philippines, he grew up with a strong interest and deep appreciation for science and engineering, thanks largely in part to the influence of his late father Dr. Roger Posadas - a former relativity physicist, professor, and chancellor of the University of the Philippines. Gregor is committed to learning about new technologies in water/wastewater treatment, sustainable infrastructure, and water resource systems in developing countries. He specializes in data analysis and environmental engineering. He is set to begin his masters studies at Boise State University in the Spring semester of 2024, immediately following his undergraduate graduation.Outside of his studies, Gregor also currently serves as a Combat Engineer in the United States Army Reserves. He enlisted in 2019, just eight months after moving from the Philippines to Idaho. Gregor also serves as a Graphic Designer and Marketing Delegate for the Boise State Martin Luther King Living Legacy Committee - Boise State's student agency in charge of organizing the annual MLK Day March in Boise, Idaho.With a unique upbringing and an diverse set of experiences, Gregor is an engineering student with many interesting stories to tell. Nandhu Balakrishnan works for Georgia Public Health Laboratory as Director of Microbiology. His job involves public health and community service. He was born and raised from Southern India. He completed my Master's and PhD in Medical Microbiology from India. In 2008, he migrated to United States and worked as post-doctoral fellow before he landed into a real stable job. His passion towards laboratory science has stemmed from his childhood and it has been a roller coaster throughout the years to climb to the pinnacle of success. He loves cooking with authentic spices and enjoys feeding people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Zero Limits Podcast in a 2 part podcast I chat  with Craig “Spins” Turnball. Spins was a K9 Handler in the Incident Response Regiment (IRR) now known as SOER and also spent time in 2 CER and 3 CER (Combat Engineer Regiment)Craig enlisted into the army reserve in 1990  whilst still at school and spent a couple years at 5/11 regt RAA as a FO Sig. In 1994 he enlisted into the regular army and was posted to the transport corps. After 12 months in transport he put in his transfer to become a combat engineer. Craig was posted to 2CER/ 3CER and to the Incident Response Regiment as a K9 handler.He deployed on multiple deployments including Solomons Islands , SOTG III and SOTG IV deployments with SASR as an explosive detection handler from Incident Response Regiment and a deployment with Combat Engineer Regiment Afghanistan MTF1. During one of the SOTG deployments as spoken about in Mark Direen's Podcast Ep. 159, Mark's and Spins LRPV hit a IED with Mark and vehicle driver getting medically evacuated due to injuries. Spins and his Explosive Detection K9 Razz were rattled from the explosion but carried on with the patrol however a couple of hours later during a route search K9 Razz indicated and sat on a IED which initiated the main charge being killed instantly with spins only a short distance away yet again gets thrown by the blast and injured.www.getsome.com.auInstagram @getsome_auDiscount Code ZEROLIMITS www.3zeroscoffee.com.auInstargram @3zeroscoffee Discount Code 3ZLimits Website - www.zerolimitspodcast.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/zero.limits.podcast/?hl=enShow Sponsors www.3zeroscoffee.com.au Discount code 3ZLimitswww.getsome.com.au Discount code ZEROLIMITS

Tonight's guest, Todd Neiss, is a Sasquatch researcher who has spent the vast majority of his life in the Pacific Northwest. What got him started down the road of researching Sasquatch was an experience he had with 3 of them, years ago, in the Oregon Coast Range, while he was serving in the Army, with the 1249th Combat Engineers. Before that fateful day, the existence of Sasquatch was just an urban legend that didn't have any truth to it, in Todd's opinion. After he saw 3 of them, with his own eyes, however, the phenomenon took on a whole new meaning. We hope you'll tune in and listen to Todd talk about his sighting, as well as his involvement with the American Primate Conservancy, which is a non-profit research organization that he founded.Todd has been featured on several television shows and documentaries that focus a Sasquatch-related topics. The most recent documentary he was featured in is called, “A Flash of Beauty: Bigfoot Revealed.” Here's a link to it, on Amazon...https://www.amazon.com/Flash-Beauty-Bigfoot-Revealed/dp/B09XVN6TMPIf you'd like to contact Todd, to share a Sasquatch-related experience you've had, please contact him by sending an email to...AmericanPrimate@AOL.com  If you'd like to visit the American Primate Conservancy's website, please go to…  AmericanPrimate.org    If you'd like to check out my new Bigfoot show, called "My Bigfoot Sighting," you can listen using your favorite podcast app. Here's a link to the My Bigfoot Sighting Channel on Spotify...https://open.spotify.com/show/2gomYbQG2gM6gPFakCQYNL?si=M0dm3bDfR_ShTiJcHPWoyw&dl_branch=1If you've had a Sasquatch sighting and would like to be a guest on Bigfoot Eyewitness Radio, please go to https://www.BigfootEyewitness.com and submit a report.If you've had a Sasquatch sighting and would like to be a guest on My Bigfoot Sighting, please go to https://www.MyBigfootSighting.com and let me know.If you'd like to help support the show, by buying your own Bigfoot Eyewitness t-shirt or sweatshirt, please visit the Bigfoot Eyewitness Show Store, by going to https://Dogman-Encounters.MyShopify.comI produce 3 other podcasts that are available for listening on your favorite podcast app. If you haven't checked them out, already, here are links to them…  My Bigfoot Sighting https://www.spreaker.com/show/my-bigfoot-sighting  Dogman Encounters https://www.spreaker.com/show/dogman-encounters-radio_2  My Paranormal Experience https://www.spreaker.com/show/my-paranormal-experience  Thanks, as always, for listening!

  Get your Challenge Coin! https://train.americanwarriorsociety.com/home   On today's Coffee with Rich, we will be joined by The Mike Seeklander for a tour of the American Warrior Society Training Vault.    Currently Mike Seeklander is owner of Shooting-Performance LLC (www.shooting-performance.com), a full service training company and the American Warrior Society. Mike is also the co-host of The Best Defense, the Outdoor channels leading firearm instructional show. Previously, Mike was Chief Operating Officer, Director of Training and a Senior Instructor at the U.S. Shooting Academy in Tulsa, Ok. He was directly responsible for the development of all U.S.S.A. training programs. Prior to that as an employee of the Federal Government, Mike has served as the Branch Chief and Lead Instructor for the Firearms division with the Federal Air Marshal Service as well as a Senior Instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). He has extensive formal training and experience in all phases of military and law enforcement training. Mike is a highly sought after tactical and competitive trainer and a high level performer on the competition handgun circuit. Currently a nationally ranked competitor on the practical handgun competition circuit, Seeklander has authored/produced instructional books, DVD's and has developed hundreds of lesson plans specifically related to basic and advanced firearms training. As a local law enforcement officer with the Knox County Sherriff's Department as well as the Knoxville Police Department mike worked in corrections as well as patrol and with the Organized Crime division. In 1990 Mike joined the United States Marine Corps and was trained as an Intelligence Specialist with Top Secret clearance. Mike is a combat veteran of Desert Storm/Shield (Gulf war 1). He holds secondary MOS's of Combat Engineer and Primary Marksmanship Instructor. Mike is the recipient of numerous awards and honors in the law enforcement community, and as a semi-professional shooter. Coffee with Rich Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rhodieusmc/videos American Warrior Show: https://americanwarriorshow.com/index.html SWAG: https://shop.americanwarriorsociety.com/

Tune in and take a step into Gaza's underground and discover how combat engineering troops approach threats and any hostile surprises they might encounter—all through the eyes of CPT Simha, Operations Officer in the 98th Brigade. CPT Simha discusses everything from demolition scenarios to unique explosives developed in light of emerging threats in the field. Don't forget to like and subscribe for more episodes.

  Mike Seeklander and Rich Brown jump into Rifle Optic selection for Defensive Rifle use, including LE and MIL applicaitons.   Also discussed is rifle optic set up, 1 power optic + magnifiers, and a ton more.   Currently Mike Seeklander is owner of Shooting-Performance LLC (www.shooting-performance.com), a full service training company and the American Warrior Society. Mike is also the co-host of The Best Defense, the Outdoor channels leading firearm instructional show. Previously, Mike was Chief Operating Officer, Director of Training and a Senior Instructor at the U.S. Shooting Academy in Tulsa, Ok. He was directly responsible for the development of all U.S.S.A. training programs. Prior to that as an employee of the Federal Government, Mike has served as the Branch Chief and Lead Instructor for the Firearms division with the Federal Air Marshal Service as well as a Senior Instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). He has extensive formal training and experience in all phases of military and law enforcement training. Mike is a highly sought after tactical and competitive trainer and a high level performer on the competition handgun circuit. Currently a nationally ranked competitor on the practical handgun competition circuit, Seeklander has authored/produced instructional books, DVD's and has developed hundreds of lesson plans specifically related to basic and advanced firearms training. As a local law enforcement officer with the Knox County Sherriff's Department as well as the Knoxville Police Department mike worked in corrections as well as patrol and with the Organized Crime division. In 1990 Mike joined the United States Marine Corps and was trained as an Intelligence Specialist with Top Secret clearance. Mike is a combat veteran of Desert Storm/Shield (Gulf war 1). He holds secondary MOS's of Combat Engineer and Primary Marksmanship Instructor. Mike is the recipient of numerous awards and honors in the law enforcement community, and as a semi-professional shooter. Coffee with Rich Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rhodieusmc/videos American Warrior Show: https://americanwarriorshow.com/index.html SWAG: https://shop.americanwarriorsociety.com/ American Warrior Society please visit: https://americanwarriorsociety.com/

Jasmin Diab, CSC Jasmin describes herself, somewhat modestly, as a mum, leader, nerd and diversity advocate. She is also the President of Women in Nuclear Australia, the Oceania representative on the Women in Nuclear Global executive, a Partner with Global Nuclear Security Partners Australia, a Senior Associate with Mettle Global, a member of the ARPANSA Nuclear Safety Committee and a Fellow with Engineers Australia. Jasmin joined the Australian Army in 2001 and after graduating from the Australian Defence Force Academy and Royal Military College Duntroon,  became a Combat Engineer with the Royal Australian Engineers. With a background in explosive ordnance disposal, Jasmin spent most of her 22 years of service providing operational and training support in countering chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive threats and has seen operational service both domestically and overseas. She thrives leading multidisciplinary teams in uncertainty. On completion of her tenure as a Commanding Officer of an Engineer Regiment, she was awarded a Conspicuous Service Cross in the Kings Birthday Honours 2023 for her leadership. Jasmin is a big advocate for thinking differently and is a co-founder of the Defence Entrepreneurs Forum Australia (DEF Aus) which encourages bottom-up conceptual innovation. Jasmin has a Bachelor of Science in physics and chemistry, a Masters in Defence and Military Studies and a Masters in Engineering Science (Nuclear Engineering). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dark-mode-podcast/message

Are tension headaches and stress bogging you down? Discover the secret to quick relief and reduced stress naturally with the Temple Massager! In this eye-opening Tactical Living Podcast episode, we sit down with Joe Meisch, the brilliant mind behind this ingenious invention.   ⩥ PLEASE SUBSCRIBE ⩤   CLICK HERE for our best-selling products: https://amzn.to/3xaG3xw and https://rdbl.co/3DIQVUC   CLICK HERE to join our free Police, Fire, Military and Families Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/38w2e7r   SUBSCRIBE to the LEO Warriors YouTube Channel here: https://bit.ly/3xbvVon   Check out our website and learn more about how you can work with LEO Warriors by going to: https://www.leowarriors.com/   About Our Guest:   Prepare for an inspiring journey as we bring you a remarkable guest on the Tactical Living Podcast - Joe Meisch, the ingenious mind behind the Temple Massager!  

On any modern battlefield, the people you want most in a fight – be it in urban terrain or facing a determined adversary in rural environments – are engineers and maintainers. They are of far more use than a coder or pentaphibian in combat operations. How do you the military train these people? After all, giving them the skills needed, both foundational knowledge and type-specific familiarity, is not something that can be provided on a drill square or in the field. Peter talks to Brigadier Caroline Woodbridge-Lewin, Commandant of the Defence College of Technical Training in the UK, about the British approach. Turns out, a lot of this comes down to the instructors. Training and retaining those people deserves much more of our attention.

On today's Coffee with Rich, we will be joined by The Mike Seeklander. Currently Mike Seeklander is owner of Shooting-Performance LLC (www.shooting-performance.com), a full service training company and the American Warrior Society. Mike is also the co-host of The Best Defense, the Outdoor channels leading firearm instructional show. Previously, mike was Chief Operating Officer, Director of Training and a Senior Instructor at the U.S. Shooting Academy in Tulsa, Ok. He was directly responsible for the development of all U.S.S.A. training programs. Prior to that as an employee of the Federal Government, Mike has served as the Branch Chief and Lead Instructor for the Firearms division with the Federal Air Marshal Service as well as a Senior Instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). He has extensive formal training and experience in all phases of military and law enforcement training. Mike is a highly sought after tactical and competitive trainer and a high level performer on the competition handgun circuit. Currently a nationally ranked competitor on the practical handgun competition circuit, Seeklander has authored/produced instructional books, DVD's and has developed hundreds of lesson plans specifically related to basic and advanced firearms training. As a local law enforcement officer with the Knox County Sherriff's Department as well as the Knoxville Police Department mike worked in corrections as well as patrol and with the Organized Crime division. In 1990 Mike joined the United States Marine Corps and was trained as an Intelligence Specialist with Top Secret clearance. Mike is a combat veteran of Desert Storm/Shield (Gulf war 1). He holds secondary MOS's of Combat Engineer and Primary Marksmanship Instructor. Mike is the recipient of numerous awards and honors in the law enforcement community, and as a semi-professional shooter. Coffee with Rich Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rhodieusmc/videos American Warrior Show: https://americanwarriorshow.com/index.html SWAG: https://shop.americanwarriorsociety.com/ American Warrior Society please visit: https://americanwarriorsociety.com/  

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's special one-on-one episode. We are on day 35 of the war with Hamas and as of this morning, 36 IDF soldiers have been killed during the ground operation in Gaza. Fabian describes how in the past several days, the IDF has continued to achieve its goals inside the Gaza Strip and has reached near the Shifa Hospital, which the IDF has said is the headquarters of the terror group. The IDF has completed airstrikes in Syria after a drone attacked a school in Eilat, Israel's southernmost city. What's the connection? The Palestinian Authority has claimed that 14 Palestinians were killed in recent Jenin clashes. What is happening here? And we hear updates on continued tit-for-tat fighting in the north. Fabian journeyed inside the Gaza Strip with the IDF's Combat Engineering Corps. We hear about proverbial monsters under a child's bed and a portal into a dark world. For the latest updates, please look at The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Live blog November 10, 2023 IDF says it's fighting gunmen in Gaza City's ‘military quarter' near Shifa Hospital IDF strikes Syria in response to drone attack on Eilat school Palestinian Authority says 14 killed in Jenin clashes with IDF Arrow intercepts missile headed to Eilat; drone of unclear origin hits school in city Inside a Gaza bedroom, soldiers searching for tunnels find how low Hamas can go THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: Damaged buildings are seen in the northern Gaza Strip, as an IDF armored D9 bulldozer flattens land, November 7, 2023. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  On today's Coffee with Rich, we will be joined by The Mike Seeklander. Currently Mike Seeklander is owner of Shooting-Performance LLC (www.shooting-performance.com), a full service training company and the American Warrior Society. Mike is also the co-host of The Best Defense, the Outdoor channels leading firearm instructional show. Previously, mike was Chief Operating Officer, Director of Training and a Senior Instructor at the U.S. Shooting Academy in Tulsa, Ok. He was directly responsible for the development of all U.S.S.A. training programs. Prior to that as an employee of the Federal Government, Mike has served as the Branch Chief and Lead Instructor for the Firearms division with the Federal Air Marshal Service as well as a Senior Instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). He has extensive formal training and experience in all phases of military and law enforcement training. Mike is a highly sought after tactical and competitive trainer and a high level performer on the competition handgun circuit. Currently a nationally ranked competitor on the practical handgun competition circuit, Seeklander has authored/produced instructional books, DVD's and has developed hundreds of lesson plans specifically related to basic and advanced firearms training. As a local law enforcement officer with the Knox County Sherriff's Department as well as the Knoxville Police Department mike worked in corrections as well as patrol and with the Organized Crime division. In 1990 Mike joined the United States Marine Corps and was trained as an Intelligence Specialist with Top Secret clearance. Mike is a combat veteran of Desert Storm/Shield (Gulf war 1). He holds secondary MOS's of Combat Engineer and Primary Marksmanship Instructor. Mike is the recipient of numerous awards and honors in the law enforcement community, and as a semi-professional shooter. Coffee with Rich Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rhodieusmc/videos American Warrior Show: https://americanwarriorshow.com/index.html SWAG: https://shop.americanwarriorsociety.com/ American Warrior Society please visit: https://americanwarriorsociety.com/

In this Topical Tuesday's episode, I spoke with Greg Butcher who is an experienced real estate investor who served as a combat engineer officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel and earning an MBA along the way. He's also the founder of BlueSky Equity Partners, where he provides busy professionals with curated, recession-resistant opportunities to invest passively in multifamily real estate. Be sure to tune in if you're interested in learning about: How the skills he cultivated over a multi-decade military career have served him well in the world of multifamily real estate The compelling reasons why military veterans should consider investing passively in real estate His framework for asset managing multifamily assets - the "3 Ms and 3 Cs" How how his approach to asset management has evolved given where we're at in the market cycle His perspective on market selections and where he is investing right now To your success, Tyler Lyons Resources mentioned in the episode: Greg Butcher Website Interested in investing with Asym Capital? Check out our webinar.   Please note that investing in private placement securities entails a high degree of risk, including illiquidity of the investment and loss of principal. Please refer to the subscription agreement for a discussion of risk factors. Tired of scrambling for capital?  Check out our new FREE webinar -  How to Ensure You Never Scramble for Capital Again (The 3 Capital-Raising Secrets). Click Here to register.   CFC Podcast Facebook Group

Dan Joseph, a former Army Combat Engineer, talks to us about some important and heavy aspects of leading. It is a nice reminder that leading is hard, because it is hard -- not because you are doing it wrong.  Inspired to help others after a soldier in his platoon attempting suicide, Dan wrote a book entitled, "Backpack to Rucksack: Insight into Leadership and Resilience by Military Experts." Dan draws from his vast experience to leave us with some pragmatic self-care and resilience building tips. I really enjoyed this conversation, and I think you will too! Until next time, communicate with intention and lead with purpose.Looking for more leadership tips?Join our weekly email list to receive episode recaps, previews, and most importantly, communication-rooted solutions for your everyday workday questions and experiences.Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/h91B0vP.S. Check your spam folder...we like to send these out on Mondays :)Have a question for Dr. Leah OH? Is something at work driving you nuts? Have an idea for an episode? Reach out!We'd love to hear from you! Send us your questions and requests via email or a voice note to TheCommunicativeLeader@gmail.com. Support the Show.Hey leader! Thanks for listening. For more leadership communication tips, check out https://www.thecommunicativeleader.com/

This is ReConversations, a special interview with Joe DosReis, Senior Vice President of GEMCAP Development, live from ICSC ReCon 2023.ReConversations is an exclusive mini-series of The Crexi Podcast, an insider's look at all things commercial real estate, powered by NNN Pro Group.The Crexi team visited ICSC ReCon LIVE in Las Vegas from the floor of the convention center at the NNN Pro Group's booth. The Crexi Podcast explores various aspects of the commercial real estate industry in conversation with some of the top CRE professionals in the space. In each episode, we feature different guests to tap into their wealth of CRE expertise and explore the latest trends and updates from the world of commercial real estate. In this episode, Crexi's Yannis Papadakis sits with Joe to cover wide-ranging topics, including:Introductions and early career movesKey mentors, lessons learned, and why “no deal is worth dying for”Current trends in retail space and the impact of financing on the sectorHow past market cycles apply to todayChallenges the market faces today, such as the bid-ask gap between the increased construction costs of build-to-suits and what tenants are expecting to pay in rentSeeking big opportunities in office's current headwinds, if you know where to lookThoughts on the rise of technology and AI in the CRE spaceRapid fire questions and sign-offsAnd much more!A special shout out and thanks to our friends at the NNN Pro Group, the market leading net lease investment sales and advisory team who is making this podcast series possible. NNN Pro Group has completed over $30 billion in net lease sales and is one of the largest sale-leaseback advisors in the country. To learn more about their team and services, you can visit their website.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our newsletter to receive the very next one delivered straight to your inbox. For show notes, past guests, and more CRE content, please check out our blog, Crexi Insights.Ready to find your next CRE property? Visit Crexi and immediately start browsing hundreds of thousands of available commercial properties.Follow Crexi: WebsiteInstagram ​ Facebook​ TwitterLinkedinYoutube About Joe DosReis:Joe DosReis has over 22 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. Joe began his career as an account executive for an investment properties team at CBRE, where he served 12 years in various capacities, including investment properties, retail leasing and Global Corporate Services divisions. Following his time with CBRE, Joe made the transition to the occupier side of the business when he joined Krispy Kreme as a Real Estate Manager and led new store development efforts and existing store lease re-negotiations for the brand. This was followed by his time as the Director of Real Estate at Bojangles where he lead a team of real estate professionals overseeing all franchise and corporate new store development, existing store lease optimization effortsJoe earned a Bachelor of Science in Social Science from California State University, Fresno and a Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. Joe is a proud military veteran where he served as a Combat Engineer for the U.S Army.

  On today's Coffee with Rich, we will be joined by The Mike Seeklander. Currently Mike Seeklander is owner of Shooting-Performance LLC (www.shooting-performance.com), a full service training company and the American Warrior Society. Mike is also the co-host of The Best Defense, the Outdoor channels leading firearm instructional show. Previously, mike was Chief Operating Officer, Director of Training and a Senior Instructor at the U.S. Shooting Academy in Tulsa, Ok. He was directly responsible for the development of all U.S.S.A. training programs. Prior to that as an employee of the Federal Government, Mike has served as the Branch Chief and Lead Instructor for the Firearms division with the Federal Air Marshal Service as well as a Senior Instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). He has extensive formal training and experience in all phases of military and law enforcement training. Mike is a highly sought after tactical and competitive trainer and a high level performer on the competition handgun circuit. Currently a nationally ranked competitor on the practical handgun competition circuit, Seeklander has authored/produced instructional books, DVD's and has developed hundreds of lesson plans specifically related to basic and advanced firearms training. As a local law enforcement officer with the Knox County Sherriff's Department as well as the Knoxville Police Department mike worked in corrections as well as patrol and with the Organized Crime division.   In 1990 Mike joined the United States Marine Corps and was trained as an Intelligence Specialist with Top Secret clearance. Mike is a combat veteran of Desert Storm/Shield (Gulf war    He holds secondary MOS's of Combat Engineer and Primary Marksmanship Instructor. Mike is the recipient of numerous awards and honors in the law enforcement community, and as a semi-professional shooter.   LiveFire App: https://www.teamlivefire.com/ American Warrior Show: https://americanwarriorshow.com/index.html SWAG: https://shop.americanwarriorsociety.com/ American Warrior Society please visit: https://americanwarriorsociety.com/

On today's episode, Dennis speaks with Inspirational Speaker, Performer and Purple Heart Recipient, J.P. Lane. J.P. joined the Army at the age of 20, In 2008. He joined the U.S. Army as a Combat Engineer and was deployed, in 2010, to Afghanistan to search for IED's (Improvised Explosive Device). He was blown up 3 separate times, and the 3rd one got him causing severe injury that almost took his life. July 2nd, 2011, J.P. was blown up by a 200lb IED while on mission, it was the first IED to penetrate an RG31 truck. The blast resulted in putting J.P. in a coma for 6 weeks. He lost both my legs, his right arm snapped in half, he lost his four front teeth, his pelvis snapped in half, spine dislocated from his pelvis, and everything in his torso was destroyed by shrapnel except for his heart and left lung. In total, J.P. received 26 injuries, and had 28 surgeries, this completely changed his life. Doctors said he wasn't going to be able to do many things, like, use prosthetics because his legs were so badly damaged. Today, Dennis and J.P. discuss the daily pain he deals with post incident, the effects of short term m emory loss from his TBI, finding your freedom, fear of the unknown, successfully dominating trauma, the blessing in disguise, combatting suicidal thoughts and the signs of suicide. Find out more about J.P. here: https://jpsjourney.com/meet-j-p-lane/ Check out J.P.'s book "Walking Again" here: https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Again-Justin-Lane/dp/1943226377 If you like what you are hearing and want to stay in the loop with the latest in Street Cop Training, please follow our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/StreetCopTraining Don't forget to subscribe and rate the podcast, it truly helps! Sign up for classes here: https://streetcoptraining.com/course-list/Follow our podcast here: https://streetcoptraining.com/street-cop-podcast/    or    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/street-cop-podcast/id1538474515

Adam was a Marine combat engineer from 2010 to 2018 and met Nicole during his military transition road trip. Nicole has been in the surety industry and worked as a surety underwriter while Adam completed his Entrepreneurship Degree from Belmont University in Nashville TN. In 2021 Adam & Nicole started a surety agency to help surety users and insurance agents get the most knowledgeable and specialized surety support. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/vets2pm/support

This week's episode of Urban Valor introduces Jesse Galvan, an Army veteran hailing from the Inland Empire of Southern California. Jesse's early life was marked by a deeply challenging experience of childhood sexual trauma, significantly shaping his upbringing. As he approached adulthood, a pivotal decision arose when his father presented him with a choice between pursuing higher education and enlisting in the military.Opting to embark on a path of service, Jesse joined the Army as a Combat Engineer. However, his journey took an unexpected turn when he was confronted with a cancer diagnosis during his enlistment. The weight of this diagnosis brought forth a wave of emotions, leaving him grappling with feelings of apprehension, fear, and even a moment of contemplating his own life.Jesse Galvan's remarkable life journey, from overcoming adversity in his formative years to facing the daunting challenges that emerged during his military service. His story is one of resilience, determination, and the enduring human spirit.✅ PLEASE "LIKE" THE VIDEO TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR JESSE! ✅ PLEASE "COMMENT" AND SHARE YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT! ✅ PLEASE "SUBSCRIBE" SO YOU NEVER MISS A WEEKLY URBAN VALOR EPISODE! 

  Get your Challenge Coin! https://train.americanwarriorsociety.com/home Rich's Book, "On Violence and Varietals" (Use Discount Code: "AWS") https://www.therichbrown.com Rich's Book, "On Violence and Varietals," on Amazon! https://a.co/d/g7STwy9 Listen to the American Warrior Show: https://americanwarriorshow.com/index.html Rich Brown is the Co-Host of America's leading Self-Defense podcast, the American Warrior Show. On today's Coffee with Rich, we will be joined by The Mike Seeklander. Currently Mike Seeklander is owner of Shooting-Performance LLC (www.shooting-performance.com), a full service training company and the American Warrior Society. Mike is also the co-host of The Best Defense, the Outdoor channels leading firearm instructional show. Previously, mike was Chief Operating Officer, Director of Training and a Senior Instructor at the U.S. Shooting Academy in Tulsa, Ok. He was directly responsible for the development of all U.S.S.A. training programs. Prior to that as an employee of the Federal Government, Mike has served as the Branch Chief and Lead Instructor for the Firearms division with the Federal Air Marshal Service as well as a Senior Instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). He has extensive formal training and experience in all phases of military and law enforcement training. Mike is a highly sought after tactical and competitive trainer and a high level performer on the competition handgun circuit. Currently a nationally ranked competitor on the practical handgun competition circuit, Seeklander has authored/produced instructional books, DVD's and has developed hundreds of lesson plans specifically related to basic and advanced firearms training. As a local law enforcement officer with the Knox County Sherriff's Department as well as the Knoxville Police Department mike worked in corrections as well as patrol and with the Organized Crime division. In 1990 Mike joined the United States Marine Corps and was trained as an Intelligence Specialist with Top Secret clearance. Mike is a combat veteran of Desert Storm/Shield (Gulf war 1). He holds secondary MOS's of Combat Engineer and Primary Marksmanship Instructor. Mike is the recipient of numerous awards and honors in the law enforcement community, and as a semi-professional shooter.

This wide ranging episode will touch on everything from the Army's fitness education for leaders, to the way soldiers prepare physically for demanding courses like Ranger and Sapper, to what it's like being a woman and a leader in combat organizations. Emma brings an authentic perspective and is very direct on these issues in a way that will hopefully start some important conversations. 1LT Emma Powless currently serves as a Combat Engineer in the Army's only Rough Terrain unit, the 57th Sapper Company (Airborne), at Fort Liberty, NC. This is the Army's only unit designed to intentionally jump into trees and then clear landing zones and drop zones for follow on forces. Emma graduated from West Point in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology where she also competed on the Women's Lacrosse Team, the Triathlon Team, and the Functional Fitness Team. Her military schools include Airborne School, Military Freefall School, Ranger School, Sapper School, Jumpmaster School, and the Master Fitness Trainer Course. With all those schools, she was the 6th woman ever to earn both her Ranger and Sapper tabs. Outside of the Army Emma enjoys fitness, mentoring others, sourdough baking, and skydiving. Emma is a huge advocate for mentorship, and if you want to reach out to her directly you can email her at epowless21@gmail.com

In the wake of Operation Cedar Falls, tunnel-rat duties in the 1st Infantry Division were transferred to the 1st Engineer Battalion where men began to specialize in it. In this episode, we'll hear personal stories from members of the Diehard Tunnel Rats. [WARNING: This episode contains vivid descriptions of combat, injury, and death.]

An Australian Combat Engineer talks about his experiences on "peacekeeping" missions as well as combat deployments. Remember to like, subscribe, and leave a review to help us grow the podcast. Go to www.warstoriesofficial.com and  Join our subscriber forums to get access to premium episodes. Support us at https://patron.podbean.com/warstoriesofficial and get a shout-out on an upcoming episode and access to subscriber-only episodes. Follow us on Instagram @war_stories_official and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WarStoriesOfficialPodcast 

Today I'm joined by Esker, a long-standing software brand that is on a mission to build a foundation that promotes positive-sum growth, increased productivity, improved employee engagement, and greater trust between organizations. Esker is a global cloud platform built to unlock strategic value for finance and customer service professionals and strengthen collaboration between companies by automating the cash conversion cycle. By developing AI-driven technologies and automating the order-to-cash and procure-to-pay cycles, Esker frees up finance and customer service professionals from time-consuming tasks, helps them be more efficient, and enables them to develop new skills. Today Daniel Reeve, US Director of Sales and Business Development at Esker, joins me to chat all about the company and what they do; the power of positive-sum growth; bringing people and technology together in harmony; and why not all cloud platforms are created equal.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [07.02] An introduction to Esker – who they are, what they do and how they help their customers. “Folks are turning to us when they're trying to free up their staff to be rockstars!” [08.17] Esker's mission, what sets them apart from the competition and why they're ‘more than just another cloud platform.' “We've often been seen as best-of-breed… but, increasingly, companies are realizing “wow, you guys are best of suite”… Companies are looking to put technology in place that leverages and enhances their ERP and improves the experience for the customers, suppliers and staff.” [10.47] Esker's commitment to ‘positive-sum growth,' and what that means for brands, their employees, customers, suppliers – and for the planet. “The concept is 'how do I put technology in, that brings efficiency and automation within my enterprise, without making it painful for my customers and suppliers?'” [15.14] Why digital transformation projects are often unsuccessful, and Esker's refreshing approach to providing close and ongoing customer support and training. “Technology promises great outcomes, great efficiencies, great savings, great visibility – but there's work involved to make that happen.” [16.53] A closer look at Esker's Procure-To-Pay solution, named in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant report for P2P suites. [19.29] Esker's Order-to-Cash solution, and how their technology facilitates collaboration and optimization to bring people and processes together and enhance customer experience. [26.54] What integration looks like with Esker. [29.24] Why Esker's range of technology includes robotic process automation, AI and mobile functionality, but also supports traditional tech like fax and Excel; and the importance of finding the balance between helping to drive innovation and digitization in the industry, and meeting customers where they are. “Quite often, when you put technology in, there's a dip… I don't think people are resistant to technology just because they're resistant. A lot of the time, they're so busy and everything is so pressured… you need to hold their hand and guide them and make it super easy for them to adapt that technology.” [31.36] The ideal client for Esker. “If folks care about a user experience and a workflow that's easy... they will often choose Esker over others.” [36.04] A case study detailing how Esker's technology helped a key client to reduce order entry time from 10 minutes to 10 seconds, which allowed them to free up their people to better serve customers and ultimately achieve high levels of growth. [39.04] The future for Esker.   Guest Bio:   Dan Reeve is a Sales Director, approaching 22 years with Esker. Dan works to help companies free up front-line troops to be finance and customer service rockstars through the application of machine learning and AI. Dan was fortunate to serve 10 years as a Combat Engineer in the British Army, then was attached to the Wisconsin Army National Guard. He traveled the world, served alongside Americans and many others, and learned everyone has a good idea, every Army unit thinks they are better, and what can you learn and apply so that you are indeed better prepared and more professional next time.   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   Head over to Esker's website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Esker and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or YouTube, or you can connect with Dan on LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this episode, why not listen to 257: Creating Supply Chain Stability with Dual Sourcing and S&OP or read The Three Biggest Challenges For Procurement – And What To Do About Them. Check out our other podcasts HERE.

https://www.amazon.com/Man-Red-Hill-Texas-Revolution-ebook/dp/B0888VF1PY/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Man+From+Red+Hill+%3A+From+the+Texas+Revolution+to+the+Trail+of+Tears&qid=1678913597&sr=8-1⁠ An Irish bondservant, Mary Fermoy, is sold with her infant son to a Cherokee, Billy Redhand. A veteran of the Red Stick Wars, Redhand settles on a farm and accepts Mary as his wife. Redhand names the boy John Circles-the-Tree. The death of John's mother and the murder of Redhand leaves him orphaned and embroiled in political intrigue and danger. In an attempt to escape arrest, John flees to Texas and is caught up in the Texas Revolution. Guided by a mysterious girl in his dreams, he returns to the Cherokee Nation as the renowned warrior, The Man from Red Hill, just in time to become entangled in the Trail of Tears. The Cherokee Nation was at war with itself and many sought vengeance. Will the Man from Red Hill become an instrument of retribution?Stephen Estopinal grew up in the Louisiana swamps and bayous of Saint Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes. He is a graduate of Louisiana State University (class of 1968), a US Army veteran (Combat Engineers 1969-1971) and is a Licensed Professional Land Surveyor and Civil Engineer.Mr. Estopinal was a living history volunteer at the Chalmette Battlefield National Park and a black powder expert. His love of history, particularly the history of colonial Louisiana, has prompted him to write a series of novels to bring that history to life. A descendent of Canary Islanders (Isleños) transported to Louisiana by the Spanish during the American Revolution, he draws on extensive research as well as family oral history to tell his stories of Colonial Louisiana from a Spanish point of view.

On today's episode, Dennis speaks with Inspirational Speaker, Performer and Purple Heart Recipient, J.P. Lane. J.P. joined the Army at the age of 20, In 2008. He joined the U.S. Army as a Combat Engineer and was deployed, in 2010, to Afghanistan to search for IED's (Improvised Explosive Device). He was blown up 3 separate times, and the 3rd one got him causing severe injury that almost took his life. July 2nd, 2011, J.P. was blown up by a 200lb IED while on mission, it was the first IED to penetrate an RG31 truck. The blast resulted in putting J.P. in a coma for 6 weeks. He lost both my legs, his right arm snapped in half, he lost his four front teeth, his pelvis snapped in half, spine dislocated from his pelvis, and everything in his torso was destroyed by shrapnel except for his heart and left lung. In total, J.P. received 26 injuries, and had 28 surgeries, this completely changed his life. Doctors said he wasn't going to be able to do many things, like, use prosthetics because his legs were so badly damaged. Today, J.P. gets deep into sharing his story starting from what inspired him to join the Army, the loss of his friend Justin while on mission and how that impacted his view on life, the day of his incident that led to his tragic injuries, his battle with recovery and his 12 suicide attempts, keeping faith when you're in the darkness, the book he wrote "Walking Again" and the support to handle life together. Find out more about J.P. here: https://jpsjourney.com/meet-j-p-lane/ Check out J.P.'s book "Walking Again" here: https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Again-Justin-Lane/dp/1943226377 If you like what you are hearing and want to stay in the loop with the latest in Street Cop Training, please follow our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/StreetCopTraining Don't forget to subscribe and rate the podcast, it truly helps! Sign up for classes here: https://streetcoptraining.com/course-list/Follow our podcast here: https://streetcoptraining.com/street-cop-podcast/ or https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/street-cop-podcast/id1538474515

Selfless purpose drives you to do things you never thought possible. This week US Marine Veteran Rob Jones explores how his life-altering experience of a double amputation created a clarity of purpose that his desire to seize opportunities every day. Listen in as Rob and I discuss how to push yourself, even when you're unsure of the outcome, why you can't move on from something until you accept it, and how there are times when the pursuit of a goal dominates everything. Rob also shares how his wife and family support him behind the scenes of his projects, allowing him to focus on new initiatives and relentlessly pursue what's next.   Rob Jones was assigned to the United States Marine Corps Bravo Company, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion at Roanoke as a Combat Engineer. In 2008, Rob was deployed to Iraq with the role of finding buried caches of weapons. His second deployment was to Afghanistan in 2010, where he was tasked with the job of finding IEDs. It was in this role that on July 22nd, Rob Jones stepped on an IED, which resulted in a double amputation above the knees.   Five days later, he arrived at the Naval Medical Center. The Marines supplied a brotherhood and the mission that gave him the courage and selflessness that he has for the rest of his life. This is just the beginning.   You can connect with Rob in the following ways: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-jones-921051142/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robjonesjourney/ Website: https://www.robjonesjourney.com/thejourney   Learn more about the gift of Adversity and my mission to help my fellow humans create a better world by heading to www.marcusaureliusanderson.com. There you can take action by joining my ANV inner circle to get exclusive content and information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom Satterly is retired United States Army Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta. Prior to serving with Delta, Tom was a combat engineer that attended the German Ranger school, French Commando Course and other specialized training that he credits with preparing him to undertake Delta selection.Support the show:patreon.com/formeractionguysjcramergraphics.comANGLICOshop.comTom's Links https://linktr.ee/allsecure00:00:00 Intro 00:02:46 Combat Engineer 00:10:43 French Commando Course 00:13:31 German Ranger School 00:17:34 Life Experiences 00:25:27 Swiss Mountain Training 00:28:39 Reenlisting 00:36:47 Green Beret Selection 00:41:03 Preparing for Delta Selection 00:50:45 Selection Standards are a Secret 01:00:35 Training with Delta Force 01:07:18 Changing Perspective 01:12:19 First Delta Force Mission 01:15:50 Mogadishu Atmospherics 01:28:15 Black Hawk Down 01:42:12 Americans Drug Th 01:48:31 Gothic Serpent Lessons Learned 01:50:59 Mental Fortitude 02:04:24 Was Black Hawk Down Accurate?