Podcasts about Fort Benning

Combat roles have been open to women for a decade, but President Donald Trump's Pentagon still questions whether women can be lethal. Army veteran Emelie Vanasse says the debate over women's battlefield fitness is long settled. This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin with help from Denise Guerra, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Andrea Kristinsdottir and Patrick Boyd and hosted by Noel King. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast. Army veteran Emilie Vanass outside Army Ranger School at Camp Rogers in Fort Benning, GA. Image courtesy Emilie Vanass. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fort Benning takes back its old name, but to honor a different soldier Please Subscribe + Rate & Review KMJ’s Afternoon Drive with Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson wherever you listen! --- KMJ’s Afternoon Drive with Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever else you listen. --- Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson – KMJ’s Afternoon Drive Weekdays 2-6 PM Pacific on News/Talk 580 & 105.9 KMJ DriveKMJ.com | Podcast | Facebook | X | Instagram --- Everything KMJ: kmjnow.com | Streaming | Podcasts | Facebook | X | Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fort Benning takes back its old name, but to honor a different soldier Please Subscribe + Rate & Review KMJ’s Afternoon Drive with Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson wherever you listen! --- KMJ’s Afternoon Drive with Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever else you listen. --- Philip Teresi & E. Curtis Johnson – KMJ’s Afternoon Drive Weekdays 2-6 PM Pacific on News/Talk 580 & 105.9 KMJ DriveKMJ.com | Podcast | Facebook | X | Instagram --- Everything KMJ: kmjnow.com | Streaming | Podcasts | Facebook | X | Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The entrepreneurial journey for Dennis Balonze began when he was 12, sweeping floors in his uncle's barbershop in Paterson, New Jersey. He was inspired by the sense of community and business hustle, eventually earning his hairdresser license while still in high school. After graduation, Dennis worked in salons to master his craft and, in 2001, he purchased an 80-year-old barbershop in Montclair, New Jersey. That shop grew into multiple locations and sparked his interest in real estate investing. At 22, Dennis bought his first two-family investment property in Belleville, New Jersey. Managing and renovating it taught him the power of passive income and appreciation. In 2005, he used a 1031 exchange to expand, which led him to Huntsville, Alabama, and the founding investment career. He later invested in Fort Benning, Georgia, and partnered with firms like Borland Capital to underwrite deals and scale his knowledge. After two decades in the barbering business, Dennis sold off his shops to focus fully on real estate—specifically real estate investing. Check out Dennis' YouTube channel, BarberUPP!

On Monday the Army announced some major fitness testing changes that include removing the Standing Power Throw (SPT) and introducing sex-neutral standards for 21 "close combat" military occupational specialties (MOSs). These changes are marked with a shift from Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) to the new name: Army Fitness Test (AFT). In this episode we break down the changes and some of the most frequently asked questions with CSM Raymond Harris, the Command Sergeant Major of Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), the command responsible for ACFT/AFT and H2F. Command Sgt. Maj. Raymond S. Harris assumed the responsibilities as Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Eustis, Virginia on Sept 29, 2023.He enlisted into the Army on March 20, 1996, as an Infantryman. He attended One-Station Unit Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He has served as a rifleman, machine gunner, automatic rifleman, Bradley gunner, team leader, squad leader, platoon sergeant, first sergeant, and command sergeantmajor.Some highlights from his extensive bio:He has served in infantry battalions across Fort Riley, Vilseck Germany, Fort Cavazos, Fort Benning, Hawaii, and Fort Campbell. He was a member of The Old Guard. His Brigade and higher level assignments have been with 165th Infantry Brigade at Fort Jackson so basic training, 3rd SFAB, 1st Infantry Division, and V Corps. He has deployed in support of the Kosovo Campaign, Operations Enduring Freedom Cuba and Afghanistan, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation EADR (European Assure, Deter, and Reinforce) ISO Ukraine. CSM Harris is a graduate of all levels of the NCO Education System, U. S. Army Sergeants Major Academy Class 64.His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star Medal with one OLC, Meritorious Service Medal, and all of the campaign medals and chest candy badges you would expect based on his assignments and deployments. CSM Harris is married and has two children.

Marines, Marathons, and Meaning: The Legacy of Col. Hank Donigan In this week's Team Neer Quit podcast, Marcus and Melanie speak with Retired Colonel Hank Donigan—a Marine whose life reads like a battle-hardened adventure novel. From his early days jumping out of airplanes at Fort Benning to leading troops through intense combat in Lebanon, Grenada, and Iraq, Col. Donigan has lived a life of sacrifice, courage, and service. A graduate of the Naval Academy and a 30-year Marine Corps veteran, Donigan shares the emotional and physical toll of war, including his own battle with PTSD and traumatic brain injury. Yet, rather than slowing down, he has turned pain into purpose—running marathons nearly every week and using each mile to raise awareness and funds for wounded service members through the Semper Fi & America's Fund. With $85,000 raised in 2023 alone, he stands as the nation's top individual fundraiser for the cause. At 68 years old and 46 marathons deep in a single year, Hank embodies resilience, leadership, and hope. In this episode, hear how staying in shape became both a coping mechanism and a mission to inspire others—and why, if given the chance, he'd proudly come back and do it all again as a United States Marine. Col. Donigan shares his experiences with: ·         Surviving combat in Lebanon and the aftermath of the Beirut barracks bombing ·         The healing power of running and his marathons ·         Raising funds for wounded warriors and their families ·         Leadership, legacy, and living with purpose post-service  In This Episode You Will Hear: • We need to do a better job with American history, and make our kids aware of, and proud of our heritage. (1:47) • I wanted to go where the action was, and was sent to Okinawa to serve battalion force Marines. (11:54) • The Marine Corps made me a runner. (20:36) • I had a grandfather who ran the Boston Marathon in 1916, so I always had this dream of running in it. (22:11) • I was the first Marine Corps finisher [of the Boston Marathon]. (24:24) • Everybody wants to be the popular guy; the likeable guy. But there are some things that your inexperienced troops don't know, and you have to be the hard guy – a bit of a prick. But if you're not willing to do that and you let things slide, people are gonna get hurt and you're not gonna bring everybody home. (31:31) • There was a group of engineers that were out playing football. All of a sudden, the first round came in, and one of the marines hit the deck and his helmet rolled off. The next round came in and a piece of shrapnel took the top of his head off. (32:47) • “Nice guys kill Marines” is something I live by and continue to teach. (33:42) • I learned how critical fitness was to leadership and combat leadership. (35:47) • Marcus, three's things about you, being a SEAL and being a sailor that will be with you till the day you die. (37:45) • I've been able to take veterans in need, and connect them with case workers with a fund and see them get immediate assistance. (41:19) • Walking is good. If you can get 10,000 steps a day, that really adds up to something good for your health. (45:50) Support Hank   - thefund.org https://runsignup.com/Race/47358/Donate/rpy06X1vBee5NBTB Support TNQ   - IG: team_neverquit , marcusluttrell , melanieluttrell , huntero13   -  https://www.patreon.com/teamneverquit Sponsors:    - WARFARE IN THEATERS APRIL 11th Watch Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JER0Fkyy3tw First Look Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3DWuqiAUKg&t=3s    -   - PXGapparel.com/TNQ   - bruntworkwear.com/TNQ    - Selectquote.com/TNQ    - Groundnews.com/TNQ    - You can find Cremo's new line of antiperspirants and deodorants at Target or Target.com    - selectquote.com/TNQ    - shipsticks.com/TNQ    - Navyfederal.org           - Robinhood.com/gold    - strawberry.me/TNQ    - stopboxusa.com {TNQ}    - ghostbed.com/TNQ [TNQ]   -  kalshi.com/TNQ   -  joinbilt.com/TNQ    - Tonal.com [TNQ]   - greenlight.com/TNQ   - PDSDebt.com/TNQ   - drinkAG1.com/TNQ   - Shadyrays.com [TNQ]   - qualialife.com/TNQ [TNQ]   - Hims.com/TNQ   - Shopify.com/TNQ   - Aura.com/TNQ   - Policygenius.com   - TAKELEAN.com [TNQ]   - usejoymode.com [TNQ]

Terry Lord is a retired U.S. Attorney and seasoned criminal justice reform advocate. A Vietnam War veteran, he earned his undergraduate degree in History from Southern Methodist University and his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. As a commissioned Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, he served three years in the Infantry Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He served as the Resident Legal Advisor in Romania, was the Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and served as a federal prosecutor in Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; and Las Vegas, Nevada. Terry lives in Houston, Texas.

The best podcast for military veterans, police officers, firefighters, and first responders preparing for veteran transition and life after service. Helping you plan and implement strategies to prepare for your transition into civilian life. In this episode, former Army Soldier Travis Lane shares a candid and compelling look at his journey—from struggling young adult to military veteran, and ultimately to business leader and advocate for veteran transition success. Raised in a hardworking blue-collar family in Norwich, Connecticut, Travis grew up chasing basketball dreams and navigating early adulthood without much direction or mentorship. After years of bouncing between seasonal jobs and short-term wins, he sought structure and enlisted in the Army at age 30—later than most, but ready for change. Basic training at Fort Benning and life as a Cavalry Scout gave Travis more than military skills. It gave him perspective. He thrived as a leader but saw through the institution's limits. He realized quickly that a military career wouldn't provide the autonomy, wealth-building potential, or long-term control he wanted. So, he chose not to reenlist. Post-service, Travis made bold, strategic moves—leveraging his benefits, earning an MBA, and founding The Nucleus Company, a veteran-led organization that empowers military veterans to define and design their futures. His mission is clear: help others make informed decisions about education, finances, and careers beyond the uniform. Travis's story is a blueprint for life after service—equal parts grit, growth, and guidance. For any veteran considering a career change, for any service member wondering what comes next, this conversation is a must-listen.CONNECT WITH THE PODCAST:IG: WEBSITE: LinkedIn: SIGN-UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER:QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS:CONNECT WITH TRAVIS LANESPONSORS:Brothers & Arms USAGet 20% off your purchaseLink: https://brothersandarms.comPromo Code: Transition20Trident CoffeeGet 15% off your purchaseLink: https://tridentcoffee.comPromo Code: TDP15Human Performance TRTGet 30% off your purchaseWeb: https://hptrt.com/Promo Code: TDP

In our news wrap Wednesday, the Trump administration sued Maine for allowing transgender athletes to play in women's sports, California is suing the Trump administration over the president's sweeping tariff policy, a military base in Georgia returned to its old name for Fort Benning and a new CDC study says depression has become more common among U.S. adults and adolescents over the past decade. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

On the Wednesday April 16th edition of Georgia Today: Three people are arrested at a chaotic town hall meeting for Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene; The Army restores the name of Fort Benning; And we speak with a Georgia doctor who says removing fluoride from drinking water, as some conservatives want, would be bad for children.

In this episode, Steve travels to Columbus, Georgia, home of the U.S. Army's Fort Benning to attend the graduation of his granddaughter from the Army Advanced Infantry Training school.  He recounts his visit to the National Infantry Museum and the impact it had as it reminded him that his father completed basic training at Fort Benning in 1939 prior to WWII.  The account of Steve's trip to Fort Benning provides a perfect segue into the episode's purpose, the recognition of all the volunteers that make possible hundreds of events that are enjoyed by so many. In the episode, Steve recalls several standout members of the Volunteer Army, many who have gone to their heavenly rewards.  Listeners will recognize many of these standouts but will be reminded that anyone that sweeps the floor, flips the burgers, or manages the paperwork at a club is a soldier in the army and is valuable to the very last woman or man. We would like to thank those who support this podcast.  Special thanks to Alpha Dog Nutrition and Double U Hunting Supply for sponsoring this episode.  Want to learn more about Alpha Dog Nutrition? Check out the links belowhttps://www.dusupply.com/alphadogwww.dusupply.comhttps://alphadognutrition.com/

In this episode, Steve travels to Columbus, Georgia, home of the U.S. Army's Fort Benning to attend the graduation of his granddaughter from the Army Advanced Infantry Training school.  He recounts his visit to the National Infantry Museum and the impact it had as it reminded him that his father completed basic training at Fort Benning in 1939 prior to WWII.  The account of Steve's trip to Fort Benning provides a perfect segue into the episode's purpose, the recognition of all the volunteers that make possible hundreds of events that are enjoyed by so many. In the episode, Steve recalls several standout members of the Volunteer Army, many who have gone to their heavenly rewards.  Listeners will recognize many of these standouts but will be reminded that anyone that sweeps the floor, flips the burgers, or manages the paperwork at a club is a soldier in the army and is valuable to the very last woman or man. We would like to thank those who support this podcast.  Special thanks to Alpha Dog Nutrition and Double U Hunting Supply for sponsoring this episode.  Want to learn more about Alpha Dog Nutrition? Check out the links belowhttps://www.dusupply.com/alphadogwww.dusupply.comhttps://alphadognutrition.com/

In this episode, Steve travels to Columbus, Georgia, home of the U.S. Army's Fort Benning to attend the graduation of his granddaughter from the Army Advanced Infantry Training school. He recounts his visit to the National Infantry Museum and the impact it had as it reminded him that his father completed basic training at Fort Benning in 1939 prior to WWII.   The account of Steve's trip to Fort Benning provides a perfect segue into the episode's purpose, the recognition of all the volunteers that make possible hundreds of events that are enjoyed by so many.  In the episode, Steve recalls several standout members of the Volunteer Army, many who have gone to their heavenly rewards. Listeners will recognize many of these standouts but will be reminded that anyone that sweeps the floor, flips the burgers, or manages the paperwork at a club is a soldier in the army and is valuable to the very last woman or man.  We would like to thank those who support this podcast. Special thanks to Alpha Dog Nutrition and Double U Hunting Supply for sponsoring this episode. Want to learn more about Alpha Dog Nutrition? Check out the links below https://www.dusupply.com/alphadog www.dusupply.com https://alphadognutrition.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Steve travels to Columbus, Georgia, home of the U.S. Army's Fort Benning to attend the graduation of his granddaughter from the Army Advanced Infantry Training school.  He recounts his visit to the National Infantry Museum and the impact it had as it reminded him that his father completed basic training at Fort Benning in 1939 prior to WWII.  The account of Steve's trip to Fort Benning provides a perfect segue into the episode's purpose, the recognition of all the volunteers that make possible hundreds of events that are enjoyed by so many. In the episode, Steve recalls several standout members of the Volunteer Army, many who have gone to their heavenly rewards.  Listeners will recognize many of these standouts but will be reminded that anyone that sweeps the floor, flips the burgers, or manages the paperwork at a club is a soldier in the army and is valuable to the very last woman or man.  We would like to thank those who support this podcast. Special thanks to Alpha Dog Nutrition and Double U Hunting Supply for sponsoring this episode. Want to learn more about Alpha Dog Nutrition? Check out the links belowhttps://www.dusupply.com/alphadogwww.dusupply.comhttps://alphadognutrition.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@DoubleUHuntingSupply/podcasts

In this episode, Steve travels to Columbus, Georgia, home of the U.S. Army's Fort Benning to attend the graduation of his granddaughter from the Army Advanced Infantry Training school.  He recounts his visit to the National Infantry Museum and the impact it had as it reminded him that his father completed basic training at Fort Benning in 1939 prior to WWII.  The account of Steve's trip to Fort Benning provides a perfect segue into the episode's purpose, the recognition of all the volunteers that make possible hundreds of events that are enjoyed by so many. In the episode, Steve recalls several standout members of the Volunteer Army, many who have gone to their heavenly rewards.  Listeners will recognize many of these standouts but will be reminded that anyone that sweeps the floor, flips the burgers, or manages the paperwork at a club is a soldier in the army and is valuable to the very last woman or man. 

Always a joy to have Melita Easters - executive director at the Georgia WIN List - on the show, and today was no exception. As of this episode posting she's interviewing author Elaine Weiss, whose latest book, "Spell Freedom," looks back at the underground schools that built the civil rights movement, The discussion is one previously scheduled at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. Jennifer Schuessler first reported on this and two otther book event cancellations in late February for the New York Times, "raising questions about whether leadership changes at the National Archives and Records Administration were affecting programming at the 13 presidential libraries it oversees."So a speaking event for books on civil rights, homelessness and climate change have no home at the Carter Presidential Library under the Trump presidency. The National Archives chalked it up to "facing staff cuts," with fuure Carter Library events "now needs approval from Washington for all programming."Whatever the case, the broad and thorough "reach" of the Trump administration into every nook-and-cranny of federal governance is obviously concerning. Weiss' book is notable in that - as we speak - Trump and his Department of Education head is seeking to dismantle the federal agency altogether - which puts more power at the state level. What could go wrong except the return of "Lost Cause" history curriculum like that taught to current GOP Senate leaders like Marsha Blackburn and Lindsey Graham?Well Melita and I discussed the Carter Library / National Archives concern, along with a host of other topics (as we usually do). She's rightfully proud of previous WIN Leadership Academy products like Senator Kim Jackson, who managed to craft productive legislation to address homelessness (unlike that of Houston Gaines, who sought to score political points and exacerbate the problem in larger cities). We talk Lucy McBath, Stacy Abrams & so much more.PLUS: The AJC's Patricia Murphy and Jeremy Redmon both dive into the renaming of "Fort Benning" near Columbus, Georgia, and how clumsily Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth manages to dishonor the man and family he chose to rename the base (simply because he shared a last name with a 'mediocre' Confederate general and secessionist slave owner) and the Army veteran and wife whose names were previously affixed to the base.

State Senator Elena Parent - someone who's been on this show on two occasions; someone I'm awful fond of, politically - didn't have her best moment on a live Instagram Q&A with a trans parent and constituent recently.With me to discuss, another trans parent and activist, Clare Schexnyder., founder/CEO of Oh Baby! Fitness. It's not that I don't get what Sen. Parent is saying - that the party's defending of trans rights' issues at every turn is unpopular and thus, they ought not defend every area under right wing attack (notably sports participation and medical care while in prison) - it's that this posture has more to do with the party's inability to speak plainly to voters that personal and civil rights aren't supposed to BE up for debate (“mind your damned business,” anyone?) and that the Constitution clearly protects the rights of the imprisoned needing medical care, too.She's a lawyer; she knows this. I'm hoping this moment will sharpen her for bigger opportunities that may lay ahead for her, but her interview gaffes were a hard listen. I don't see an Elena Parent pivoting towards a moderate/centrist future route, but Third Way Democrats sure seem intent to push the party itself (againnnnn) back to the center, after a recent (err) "retreat." They want to get “out of elite circles and into real communities” like ... gun shows" ... "while simultaneously urging the party to “move away from the dominance of small-dollar donors." They contradict themselves.Even worse, it seems they're more than eager to draw in the "big tent" and willingly leave "fringe" folks outside of it, because that'll somehow secure more votes? This air of exclusionism from the supposed "left" is a dangerous trend to see evidence of. All so unnecessary if they party would just get better - Elena Parent included - at messaging their platform and values. ------There's nothing DOGE-y about spending untold millions changing military base names just to undo the erasure of Confederate troop/leader names, especially when all that's being done is scoring cheap MAGA points at the expense of those who'd been honored by the name changes in the first place, but it's PEAK MAGA!That's the case as this time, Fort Moore (name for Hal & Julie Moore) was renamed Fort Benning - only a different "Benning" since it's currently against the law to name anything federal after Confederate militarymen or leaders. For now, anyway."Those who advocate for changing the name to honor a person solely because they happen to be named 'Benning' ignore the values and character of Hal and Julie Moore as well as their courage, competency, and dedication to the nation and Army families." - Steve Moore, son of Hal & Julie Moore, whose name for two years were affixed to that of the west Georgia Army base now (as before) named Fort Benning.

Magical technologies surround humans in the developed world. It's taken for granted that on-demand electricity, stocked grocery stores with food from around the world, communication that enables anyone with a smart phone to broadcast their lives globally, and various modes of safe, cheap transportation are the norm. Someone living just a century earlier would find today's world unrecognizable. Yet, these changes are minor compared to the possible changes to come. Artificial intelligence is in its infancy and already its transformative powers are easy to feel. Space exploration, space mining, and space tourism will go from novel to ordinary in the coming decades. Fusion energy and quantum computing will likely go from theoretical to practical in a couple generations. Medical research will extend life like never before and potentially suspend the aging process while robots and other technologies will do the work that has often filled people with meaning. In short, the changes that humanity has experienced are nothing compared to the changes that are to come. As these changes arrive, people are bound to gravitate toward the things they know in order to cope. Relationships and faith will become more important than they are now. Real leadership that offers solutions and helps people navigate rapid change will grow in importance and so will individual and organizational resilience. In an AI world where unprecedented longevity is possible, finding one's purpose becomes of paramount importance. In this interview, Chaplain (Colonel) Karen Meeker joins the show to discuss all these topics. She talks about the importance of finding one's purpose and how to go about finding it. She describes her work helping military leadership navigate the challenges in the aftermath of battle and she gives her perspective on the differences between resilience and perseverance. Chaplain Meeker goes on to share her insight on what the future of faith might look like, suggesting that the next pope could come from the continent of Africa and saying missionaries might one day originate from Africa and be sent to developed countries. She ends the conversation by discussing the mistakes humans are making today that the people of 2075 will look back at in disbelief. Chaplain (Colonel) Karen Meeker is a US Army Colonel and the Command Chaplain of US Africa Command. Raised in rural Pennsylvania, she received calls to serve God and the US military when she was growing up. Chaplain Meeker holds a Master Parachutist badge and was named Pathfinder School and Officer Honor Graduate at Basic Airborne School in Fort Benning, GA. She is also the first woman chaplain to serve in Special Operations and the first woman chaplain jumpmaster. Chaplain Meeker enjoys serving Soldiers and their Families through worship, preaching, discipleship, outreach, and also enjoys competing in an occasional endurance event. In 2020, Chaplain Meeker was inducted into the US Army Women's Foundation Hall of Fame.

From dodging Atlanta traffic to landing sweet courtesy car upgrades (hello, BHM Millionair FBO's Mercedes), Ben breaks down how flying personal aircraft can transform business travel. While Ted needs "a grandmother in every town" thanks to sport pilot restrictions, and Brian ponders partnership puzzles, Ben proves that sometimes the best business tool is a Cessna. "I would pay $200 to be in a time machine any day of the week," he notes, though maybe skip the time machine demos with clients - one passenger's "dashboard painting" experience suggests some business meetings are better kept on terra firma. Join the crew for a hilarious yet practical look at mixing business with GA, where the real luxury isn't the courtesy car, it's skipping I-285 traffic.Mentioned on the show:* EP24 - Everything About Flying Clubs with Drew Myers from AOPA: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/midlifepilotpodcast/episodes/EP24---Everything-About-Flying-Clubs-with-Drew-Myers-from-AOPA-e1ou9h1/a-a8laq3o* Brian's new video, "Flying Sideways: When Aviation Truth Meets Internet Expertise | A Visit to the Swift Museum": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73LnW1e0UbQ* Lake Lanier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Lanier* Ft. Moore (previously Fort Benning): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Moore* BHM Million Air: https://www.millionair.com/locations/bhm/* Wendover Productions: The Economics of Private Jets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYPrH4xANpU* The Economics of Everyday Things- Private Jets: https://freakonomics.com/podcast/private-jets/Support the show on Patreon: www.midlifepilotpocast.com

I want to introduce you to our guest this time, Fred Dummar. I met Fred through Susy Flory who helped me write Thunder Dog. Fred is taking a class from Susy on writing and is well along with his first book. I look forward to hearing about its publishing sometime in 2025.   Fred hails from a VERY small town in Central Nevada. After high school Fred went to the University of Nevada in Reno. While at University, Fred joined the Nevada National Guard which helped him pay his way through school and which also set him on a path of discovery about himself and the world. After college Fred joined the U.S. army in 1990. He was accepted into the Special Forces in 1994 and served in various locations around the world and held ranks from Captain through Colonel.   Fred and I talk a fair amount about leadership and how his view of that subject grew and changed over the years. He retired from the military in 2015. He continues to be incredibly active serving in a variety of roles in both the for profit and nonprofit arenas.   I love Fred's leadership style and philosophy. I hope you will as well. Fred has lots of insights that I believe you will find helpful in whatever you are doing.       About the Guest:   Colonel (Retired) Fred Dummar was born and raised in the remote town of Gabbs, Nevada. He enlisted in the Nevada National Guard in 1986 and served as a medic while attending the University of Nevada. He was commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the U.S. Army in April 1990.   Fred was selected for Special Forces in 1994 and went on to command at every level in Special Forces from Captain to Colonel. He trained and deployed in many countries, including Panama, Venezuela, Guyana, Nigeria, Zambia, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Most notably, Col Dummar participated in the liberation of Kurdish Northern Iraq in 2003, assisting elements of the Kurdish Peshmerga (resistance fighters) with the initial liberation of Mosul.   Colonel Dummar's last tour in uniform was as the Commander of the Advisory Group for Afghan Special Forces from May 2014 to June 2015. Immediately after retiring, he returned to Afghanistan as a defense contractor to lead the Afghan Army Special Operations Command and Special Mission Wing training programs until May 2017.   Beginning in 2007 and continuing until 2018, Fred guided his friend, who was blinded in Iraq, through 40 Marathons, several Ultra marathons, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, running with the bulls in Pamplona, and a traverse of the Sahara Desert to raise funds and awareness for Special Forces Soldiers. He personally ran numerous Ultramarathons, including 23 separate 100-mile runs and over a hundred races from 50 miles to marathon.   Fred graduated from the U.S. Army Command and Staff College and the U.S. Army War College with master's degrees in military art and science, strategy, and policy. He is currently pursuing a Doctoral Degree in Organizational Psychology and Leadership.   Since retiring from the Army in 2015, Fred has led in nonprofit organizations from the Board of Directors with the Special Forces Charitable Trust (2015-2022) as the Chief of Staff for Task Force Dunkirk during the evacuation of Afghan Allies in August 2021, as a leadership fellow with Mission 43 supporting Idaho's Veterans (2020-2023), and as a freshwater advocate with Waterboys with trips to East Africa in 2017 and 2019 to assist in funding wells for remote tribes.   Fred has led in the civilian sector as the Senior Vice President of Legacy Education, also known as Rich Dad Education, from 2017-2018 and as the startup CEO for Infinity Education from 2021-2022, bringing integrity and compassion to Real Estate Education. Fred continues investing in Real Estate as a partner in Slate Mountain Homes, Idaho and trains new investors to find, rehab, and flip manufactured homes with Alpine Capital Solutions.   Fred is married to Rebecca Dummar, and they reside in Idaho Falls, Idaho, with three of their children, John, Leah, and Anna. Their daughter Alana attends the University of Michigan.   Ways to connect with Fred:   Here is a link to my webpage - https://guidetohuman.com/ Here is a link to my Substack where I write - https://guidetohuman.substack.com/   About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hi everyone, and welcome to another edition of unstoppable mindset where inclusion diversity and the unexpected meet, but it's more fun to talk about unexpected than inclusion or diversity, although it is relevant to talk about both of those. And our guest today is Fred Dummar. It is pronounced dummar or dumar. Dummar, dummar, see, I had to do that. So Fred is a person I met Gosh about seven or eight months ago through Susy Flory, who was my co author on thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust at ground zero. And Susy introduced us because Fred is writing a book. We're going to talk about that a bunch today, and we'll also talk about Fred's career and all sorts of other things like that. But we've had some fascinating discussions, and now we finally get to record a podcast, so I'm glad to do that. So Fred Dummar, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Fred Dummar ** 02:22 Yeah, no. Thanks for having me. Michael, yeah, we've had some some interesting discussions about everything unstoppable mind and blindness and diversity. And yeah, it's good to be on here.   Michael Hingson ** 02:34 Yeah. And one of the things I know that you have done is ran with a blind marathoner, and I'm anxious to hear about that, as well as what an ultra marathon is. We'll get to that, however. But why don't we start by you may be talking a little bit about kind of the early freight growing up and all that you grew up in, in Nevada, in a in a kind of remote place. So I'm going to just leave it to you to talk about all   Fred Dummar ** 02:57 that. Yeah, Michael, so, and actually, that's part of my, part of my story that I'm writing about. Because, you know, obviously, where we're from forms a large basis of how we sometimes interact with the world. And I came from a very remote town in Nevada. It's dying, by the way. I'm not sure how long that town will be with us, but, yeah, being from a small town where, you know, graduating class was 13 kids, and it's an hour to the closest place that you could watch a movie or get fast food, those types of things, it's definitely a different type of childhood, and much one, much more grounded in self reliance and doing activities that you can make up yourself, right? Instead of being looking for others to entertain you.   Michael Hingson ** 03:50 Yeah, I hear you. So what was it like growing up in a small town? I grew up in Palmdale, California, so it was definitely larger than where you grew up, we had a fairly decent sized High School senior graduating class. It wasn't 13, but what was it like growing up in that kind of environment?   Fred Dummar ** 04:12 Yeah, it was. It was one where you know, not only did you know everybody, everybody else knew you, and so you could pretty much count on anyone in the town for for assistance or, or, you know, if, I guess, if you were on the house for not, not assistance, so, but no, it was. It was a great place to have many, many, many friends from there. But it was, certainly was an adjustment, because I think growing up, there are our sort of outlook on life for us, you know, certainly from the people that that ran our high school and the other adults, most people were seen as, you know, your life after high school would be going to work at one of. The mines, or going to work on one of the, you know, family cattle ranch or something like that. So making the jump from there to, you know, even a few hours away to Reno, you know, to start at the University of Nevada, that was a big it's a big jump from for me, and because the school is so small, I ended up graduating from high school when I was 16, so I barely had a driver's license, and now I am several hours away and Reno, Nevada, going to the university. And, you know, quite an adjustment for me.   Michael Hingson ** 05:32 It's interesting. A few days ago, I had the opportunity to do a podcast episode with someone who's very much involved and knows a lot about bullying and so on, and just listening to you talk, it would seem like you probably didn't have a whole lot of the bully type mentality, because everyone was so close, and everyone kind of interacted with each other, so probably that sort of stuff wasn't tolerated very well. Yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 05:59 it was, it was more so outsiders. I mean, kids that had grown up there all sort of, you know, knew where they were or weren't in the pecking order. Things and things sort of stayed kind of steady stasis, without a lot of bullying. But yeah, new kids coming in. That's where you would see for me, from my recollection of growing up to that's where, you know, I remember that type of behavior coming out when, when you know, a new kid would come into the town,   Michael Hingson ** 06:31 was it mainly from the new kids or from the kids who are already there?   Fred Dummar ** 06:34 From the kids? Sometimes it was the integration, right? Some people integrate into new environments better than others. And you know, generally, no problems for those folks. But some, you know, it takes a bit more. And in a place like that, if you're you know, if you're seen as different, so you know to your theory on or your you know the topics you cover on diversity and inclusion. Sometimes when you're the one that that looks different or acts different in an environment like that, you definitely stick out, and then you become the target of of bullying.   Michael Hingson ** 07:10 What? What happens that changes that for a kid? Then, you know, so you're you're different or in one way or another. But what happens that gets kids accepted? Or do they?   Fred Dummar ** 07:21 Yeah, I don't know. I think, I think it's learning to embrace just who you are and doing your own thing. I think if you know, if you're trying to force yourself into an environment that doesn't want to accept you, I'm not sure that that's ever an easy battle for anyone. But just being yourself and doing your own thing. I think that's, that's the way to go, and that's certainly, you know, what I learned through my life was I wasn't one of the kids that planned on staying there and working in the mind, and I wasn't, you know, my family was, you know, at that point, my mom and dad owned the, the only grocery store in town, and I certainly wasn't going back to run the family business. So, you know, look, looking for a way, you know, for something else to do outside of that small town was certainly number one on my agenda, getting out of there. So being myself and and learning to adapt, or, as you know the saying goes, right, learning to be instead of being a fish in a small pond, learning to be a fish in a much larger pond,   Michael Hingson ** 08:27 yeah, well, and there's, there's a lot of growth that has to take place for that to occur, but it's understandable. So you graduated at 16, and then what did you do after   Fred Dummar ** 08:38 my uh, freshman year at college, which I funded by, you know, sort of Miss, Miss misleading people or lying about my age so that I could get a job at 16 and working construction and as an apprentice electrician. And that funded my my freshman year of college. But, you know, as as as my freshman year was dragging on, I was wondering, you know, hey, how I was going to continue to fund my, you know, continued universe my stay at the university, because I did not want to go, you know, back back back home, sort of defeated, defeated by that. So I started looking into various military branches of military service, and that's when it happened upon the National Guard, Nevada National Guard, and so I joined the National Guard. And right after, you know, I think it was five days after I turned 17, so as soon as I could, I signed up, and that summer after my freshman year, I left for training for the National Guard. Missed first semester of my sophomore year, but then came back and continued on with my university studies using, you know, my the educational benefits that came from being in the National Guard.   Michael Hingson ** 09:55 So you're in the National Guard, but that wasn't a full time thing, so you were able to go back and. Continue education. Yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 10:01 it was, you know, it's a typical one weekend a month, one weekend a month for duty. Typically, we would go in on a Friday night, spend Saturday and Sunday for duty. So we get a, you know, small check for that. And then we were also allowed to draw, you know, the GI Bill and the state of Nevada had a program at the time where you didn't get paid upfront for your classes, but at the end of every semester, you could take your final report card and for every class, for every credit that you had a C or higher, they would reimburse you. So yeah, so they were essentially paying my tuition, and then, you know, small stipend every month from the GI Bill. And then, you know, my National Guard check, so and in the 80s, you know, when I was going to school, that that was enough to keep, you know, define my education. And where did you go to school? At the University of Nevada in   Michael Hingson ** 10:59 Reno, in Reno, okay, yeah, so, so you kind of have ended up really liking Reno, huh?   Fred Dummar ** 11:07 Yeah, I, yeah. I became sort of home city. Obviously, no one would ever really know where. You know, if I would have mentioned that I grew up in a town called gaps, most people would, you know, not, not really understand. I sometimes, if they're, you know, press and say, hey, you know, where are you really? Because, you know, often say, Hey, I went to school in Reno. If they say, where did you grow up? I'll, you know, it's a longer conversation. I'll be like, okay, so if you put your finger, like, right in the middle of Nevada, in the absolute middle of nowhere, that's where I grew up.   Michael Hingson ** 11:40 Well, you know, people need to recognize and accept people for who they are, and that doesn't always happen, which is never fun, but Yeah, gotta do what you can do, yes, well, so Reno, on the other hand, is a is a much larger town, and probably you're, a whole lot more comfortable there than you than you were in Gabs, but that's okay. So yeah, so you went to the university. You got a bachelor's, yep, and then what did you do?   Fred Dummar ** 12:11 Yeah. Well, so along the way, while I was in the National Guard, you know, being a medic, right? I was convinced by a lieutenant that met me. I was actually doing the physical, because it was one of the things our section did when I was first in, you know, we gave the medical physicals, and this lieutenant said, you know, you should come transfer our unit. The unit was an infantry unit, and I became their only medic. And so that was much better than working in a medical section for a helicopter unit where I'd been and and the lieutenants, you know, said that I should consider joining ROTC, since I was already going to the university. So I did in my junior year, started the Reserve Officer Training Corps there at the University of Nevada. And so when I graduated college in the winter of 89 I accepted a commission into the army. So then a few months later, I was, I was off on my my Grand Army adventure,   Michael Hingson ** 13:11 alright, and then what did you do?   Fred Dummar ** 13:15 So, yeah, that was, you know, because it was an infantry Lieutenant went to Fort Benning, Georgia, and I believe now the army calls it fort Moore, but yeah, I trained there for about a year, doing all of the tasks necessary to become an infantry officer. And then I went down to Panama, when the US still had forces in the country of Panama. And I spent two and a half years down there was that past mariega, yeah, right after, because I had graduated from college in December of 89 while operation just caused to get rid of Noriega was happening. So year after my infantry training, I sort of ended up in Panama, and sort of as at the time, thinking it was bad luck, you know, because if you're in the army, you know, you want to, kind of want to go where things are happening. So I'm in Panama the year after the invasion, while Saddam Hussein is invading Kuwait, and everyone else is rushing to the desert, and I'm sitting in the jungle. So, you know, as a as a young person, you start to think, you know, oh, you know, hey, I'm missing. I'm missing the big war. I should be at the war, you know. So that was an interesting take, not what I would have now, but you know, as a young man,   Michael Hingson ** 14:31 what caused you to revise that view, though? Or time,   Fred Dummar ** 14:37 yeah, yeah. Just, just time. And, you know, later in life, you know, after, uh, serving combat rotations in Iraq and Afghanistan, I realized it wasn't something one needed to rush towards,   Michael Hingson ** 14:48 really quite so bad, where you were, yeah. So,   Fred Dummar ** 14:52 yeah, I spent a couple years in Panama, then I came back to Fort Benning, uh, Fort Moore, and worked at the Army's Airborne School. So. Uh, you know, the place that teaches people how to jump out of airplanes. And I did that for for a year. So it's, it's really fun because watching, you know, watching people go through the process of of training to jump out of an aircraft, and then sort of their very first time on an aircraft might takes off, and you can see the, you know, sort of the realization that they're not going to land with the plane for the first time in their life. You know, they're they're not going to be in the plane when it lands. That's always, you know, it's always a good time. And then, of course, when you know, then there's another realization, moment when the doors pop open right, and the doors, doors on the aircraft are opened so the jump masters can start making checks, you know, and out, yeah, and they're looking, you know, their eyes get larger and larger, you know, as as preparations for the jump. You know, when they're stood up and they're hooked up inside the aircraft, and then finally, you know, told to exit. Yeah, it's interesting. And during the time when I worked there, that's when I was eligible, because I was a senior lieutenant at that time, that I could apply to become a Green Beret. I could go through special forces training if I was selected. So I left from Fort Benning, I went up to Fort Bragg, now fort liberty, and went through the selection, Special Forces Assessment, selection, and was selected to become a Special Forces soldiers that I went to Fort Bragg, you know, spent the year or so becoming qualified to be a special forces team leader, and then the next I spent the next 20 years of my Army career in various units at at Fort liberty, and third Special Forces Group, Special Forces Command, seven Special Forces Group, Special Operations recruiting, just, you know, bouncing around in different assignments and then, but obviously during that time, 911, happened, and you know, was on the initial invasion in 2003 up in, up into the north. We were flying in from Romania, you know, before the war started. And so being there during that phase of the Iraq combat in Iraq, and then going to Afghanistan and and spending multiple, multiple tours and multiple years in Afghanistan. So, so   Michael Hingson ** 17:25 did you do much jumping out of airplanes?   Fred Dummar ** 17:29 Yeah, in combat, no. But over the years, yeah, I accumulated quite a few jumps. Because what, you know, every, every unit I was ever assigned to while I was in the army was always one that was, you know, airborne, which are, you know, the designation for units that jump out of airplanes. So   Michael Hingson ** 17:47 have to, yeah, yeah. Well, you're a pretty level headed kind of guy. What was it like the first time you jumped? I mean, you described what it looked like to other people. Do you think that was basically the same for you, or did you, yeah, kind of a thicker skin,   Fred Dummar ** 18:01 yeah, no, no, I think, I think that's why I was able to, you know, in large measure, that's how a lot of us are able to have empathy, right? If we've, if we've, if we've been through it, and we are able to access the memory of, okay, what was it like when I was doing it? It allows us to be, you know, more compassionate to the people that are going through it at that moment for the first time, but yeah, I can remember being in the plane, and then you know, that realization is like, hey, you know, in the pit of your stomach, I'm not, I'm not landing with this plane. And then, you know, the doors opening up, you're like, you know, kind of hey, those, I don't know what the gates of hell look like, but right now, that's that's in my mind, what, what they would look like, you know, and then going out the first time, and and then I think the second time might have been worse, because it was the anticipation of, oh, wait a minute, we're doing that again. And by the but if you do five jumps to qualify before you're given your parachute as badge, so I think by the third one, I'd come to terms with, with, with dealing and managing. You know, you know the fear of it, of leaving an airplane. And people you know often ask, you know when, when you're older and you're past the 100 jump mark, you know it's like, still, is there still fear and like, I think, I think, if there's not, I mean, then you know, there's probably something wrong with you, but, but it's not, it's nowhere near you know how it is when you know your First learning and your first learning to trust yourself and trust the equipment and trust the process. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 19:45 what you're learning a little bit along the way is to how to control fear. And you mentioned my book earlier, the one that's coming out live like a guide dog, which is all about trying to teach people to control fear, because we have so many things happen to. Us, or we think about so many things, that we develop so many fears consciously or not, that when something does unexpectedly happen to us, especially something that isn't necessarily a positive thing, we just automatically go into a fear reaction mode. And the the reality is it doesn't need to be that way you can learn to control fear, which is what we talk about in live like a guide dog, because it's important that people recognize you can learn to control fear. I would never say, Don't be afraid. Yeah, but I think you can learn to control fear, and by doing so, then you use that fear to help guide you and give you the the the the tools to really be able to move forward and focus. But most people don't really spend much time doing that. They don't learn introspection. They don't learn how to to slow down and analyze and develop that mind muscle so that later you can analyze incredibly quickly.   Fred Dummar ** 21:06 Yeah, we in the army, we call that stress inoculation, good description, you know, it's, you know, once you're, once you're, you've learned to deal with stress, or deal with, you know, stressful, fearful things. Then, you know, the next time you're you're better equipped. And that fear and that stress can be, you know, can be continually amped up. I used to laugh when I was doing Special Forces recruiting, because the you know, it would require a special physical for candidates to go get a special physical before they could come to training. And one of the boxes we would joke about was, I have no fear of heights or enclosed spaces. No everybody has those fears, is whether you can, you can manage those fears and deal with. You know, things are very uncomfortable. Well, that's   Michael Hingson ** 22:05 really it. It's all about managing. And so I'm sure that they want you to check no, that you don't have those fears when you're when you're going through. But at the same time, what you're hopefully really saying is you can manage it. Yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 22:20 that you can manage and that's why I was saying, that's why I would always laugh, because of course, everyone has those fears and but learning to deal with them and and how you deal with them, and that that's, you know, one of the things I discuss in one of the chapters of the book I'm writing is, is, you know when fear, when fear comes to You, you know, how do you deal with it and how do you overcome it? I think people are more and more recognizing you know that there are techniques through stress inoculation, you know, things like that. They'll teach you how you can overcome fear. And you know simple breathing techniques to you know, slow down your breathing and engage your brain, not just your brain stem, right? When you breathe, it fast, your brain stem is in charge, not your brain and yeah, and think your way through things, rather than just reacting as a, you know, as a frightened animal,   Michael Hingson ** 23:19 right? And it's one of the things that that, as I discuss in the book, and I talk to people about now a lot, that although I didn't realize it for many years, after September 11, I had developed a mindset on that day that said, You know what to do, because I had spent a lot of time learning what to do, how to deal with emergencies, what the rules were, and all that, and all of that just kicked in on September 11, which is as good as it could get.   Fred Dummar ** 23:45 Yeah. Well, Michael, you have a you have a distinct advantage. You had a distinct advantage a couple of them, but, but one being, you know, because you already live in a world without light in your sight, you're not dependent on that. And so another, when other people are, you know, in, you know, when I'm reading the book, I'm nodding my head knowingly, you know, as you're talking about being in the stairwell and other people being frightened, and you're just like, this is okay. This is an average, I mean, maybe unusual circumstances, but an average day for me,   Michael Hingson ** 24:21 yeah. But they side of it is, I know lots of blind people who would be just as much in fear as anyone else. It's the fact is, of course, we didn't know what was going on. Yes, September 11, a   Fred Dummar ** 24:35 bit of ignorance is bliss, right? Yeah. And   Michael Hingson ** 24:38 that was true for everyone. I had a great imagination. I could tell you that I imagine things that could happen that were a whole lot worse than in a sense, what did, but I, but I like science fiction and horror, so I learned how to imagine well, but the fact is that it isn't so much being blind that's an advantage, really. Really was the preparation. And so the result was that I had done that. And you know, of course, the airplane hit 18 floors above us on the other side of the building. So the reality is going down the stairs. None of us knew what happened. We figured out an airplane hit the building because we started smelling the fumes from burning jet fuel. But by the same token, that was all we knew. We didn't even know that tower two had been hit until, well, much later, when we got outside, colleagues saw David Frank, my colleague saw tower two was on fire, but we still didn't know what it was from. So yeah, the the fact is that blindness may or may not really be an advantage, but preparation certainly was, yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 25:43 how you reacted, how you reacted to being blind. Because, yeah, you can just, just like anything, right? You can react in in several different ways, and how you acted, how you built your life around,   Michael Hingson ** 25:54 sure. And most people, of course, just rely on reading signs. And so they also have the fear, what if I can't read the signs. What if there's smoke and all that? And again, they they build fears rather than doing the smart thing, which is just to learn what to do in the case of an emergency when you're in a building like that. But you know, it is part of what what we do talk about, and it is, it is pretty important that people start to learn a little bit more that they can control fear. I mean, we have in our in our whole world, politicians who just do nothing but promote fear, and that's unfortunate, because we all buy into it, rather than stepping back and go, Wait a minute. It doesn't need to be that way.   Fred Dummar ** 26:37 Yeah, I think the other thing, like you talked about your your preparation and training. And I always that was one of the way ways, or one of the things that brought me to ultra marathoning, you know, after my initial training in Special Forces, was, you know, if you're, if you're going to push your capacity to see, you know what you're what you're really capable of, or build, you know, build additional reserves. So, you know, if you are counted on to do something extraordinary or in extenuating circumstances, what do you really have, you know, yeah, how far can you really push yourself? And so it really brought me into the sport of ultra running, where, you know, the distances, or those distances that exceed a marathon. So a marathon being, you know, 26 miles, yeah. So the first ultra marathon is a 50k because, you know, Marathon is 42 so eight kilometers farther. And then the next, general, you know, length is 50 miles. And then there's some other, you know, 100k which is 62 miles. And then, kind of the, although, you know, now we see, see races longer, but kind of the the longest distance being 100 mile race and so, and the gold standard in 100 mile racing being, you know, for most, most courses, every course being different, but for most courses, is to finish under 24 hours, so within one one day, but to keep moving for one, you know, one entire day while, you know, while fueling yourself and and, and some people say, Well, you Know, wow, that pace doesn't seem that fast. Troy   Michael Hingson ** 28:22 yourself then and see, yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 28:24 and, like a lot of things, it doesn't, it doesn't exactly seem fast until you're factoring in, okay, but you're still gonna have to stop at some point to you, you know, relieve yourself, and you're gonna have to, you know, walk while you eat. And, you know, there's hills to climb and all these other sorts of obstacles. So, yeah, finishing under 24 hours is, you know, sort of the, you know, the standard, I guess, for the people want to achieve. And anyway, yeah, I became, for a bit there, became addicted to it. And then, so when I met Ivan, my friend, who you were talking about, who, who was, was blinded in in Iraq in 2006 when I met him, he had already been injured, and I realized that he really wanted to run marathons. He'd run one, and had to use, like, several different guides, right? You know, there were different people jumping in and out, and it really wasn't an ideal situation for him and he and he also needed someone who who wanted to do that, who would be a reliable training partner, right? Because it's not like, okay, you know, you might be able to find people that show up on marathon day. Want to run the marathon, or a few people, but, you know, day in, day out, to be training. And so I was like, Hey, this is one of those things that ends up in your path, right, that you can, maybe you can walk around it, but, but for me, when I, you know, when I saw. I was like, Okay, this was, this was something that, you know, for whatever reason, is on my path. I meant to do it. I meant to be the guy that does this. And so, yeah, we started training together. And, you know, ended up running 40 plus marathons together, you know, from London, Chicago, you know, every, every the Marine Corps Marathon, just everywhere. And, you know, summiting Mount Kilimanjaro and running with the bulls together. And then our last race was, it's often referred to as, you know, the world's toughest foot race. It's the marathon to Saab, and it's a, it's a distance race of 150 some miles across the Sahara Desert. And they break it up into stages. So on different days, some days, you run 30 miles. Some days, you know, 26 one day is a 50. I think we were at 53 miles on one of the days. But anyway, and you start the you start that race with whatever you're going to eat and whatever you're going to need, you know, in terms of gear on your back. And the only thing that's provided to you during the race is water. So, and that was our kind of, you know, he's like, I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to run, and so I just want to do that before I stop. I stopped, right? So, but anyway, yeah, so that was how I ended up meeting my friend Ivan, and, you know, over the course of a decade and a half, we did all of these, you know, what some people think are incredibly dumb things, but, you know, sort of embracing the discomfort of training and competing to, you know, to make ourselves better, you know? Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 31:44 so while you were in the military, I know you mentioned earlier something about doing some work in as a medic. Did you do that most of your time? Were you specializing in that? Or what?   Fred Dummar ** 31:54 No, no, that was only when I early on, when I was a soldier, I was a medic, and then when I was commissioned, I was commissioned, I was commissioned as an infantry officer, and then, and then, when it became Special Forces, you know, the officer is, sort of has, has no specialty other than leading the team. The team has medics and weapons guys and engineers and communicators and all that. But, you know, the officers sort of assigned as the as the planning the planning agent, you know, the to lead the team, rather than have any of the specialties,   Michael Hingson ** 32:30 right? And you participated long enough that you rose to the rank of colonel. Yeah, yeah, my participation   Fred Dummar ** 32:38 trophy was attaining the rank of colonel. And I would often tell people the arm don't think the army doesn't have a sense of humor. I was promoted to Colonel on April 1, so April Fool's days when, when I was promoted? And yeah, and I, after almost 30 years in uniform, retired in 2015 so I don't know that I would have went that long. But you know, they're about the middle of my career, from 1986 to 2015 you know 911 happened, and for me, it wasn't, it wasn't really a choice to to leave. Then, you know, it was like, Okay, we, you know, we have to do this. These Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, my my very last, my last year in in uniform. I was in Afghanistan as an advisor to the Afghan commandos. And when I returned from that tour, you know, was told that, hey, I had to, I had to finally leave Fort Bragg after 20 years and and either go to, you know, the Pentagon or another headquarters. And that's when I decided to retire. Because it was like, okay, you know, if, if the wars don't need me anymore, then I, I can go home and do other things. Yeah, I can do other things. If the wars don't need me, you know, then I can probably hang it up. So   Michael Hingson ** 34:11 when did you get married? So   Fred Dummar ** 34:15 over the course of my Army career, I was divorced twice. Yeah, it's just not an easy No, it's not. It's just not an easy lifestyle. I'm not making any excuses for my own failings in that regard. But, you know, it is, it is, I think, easier to become emotionally detached from someone, especially, you know, as in my case, I think I often put the army, first, the army, my soldiers, the mission, you know, as the first on my mind. And you know, for someone else, you know that to be a pretty strong person, to sit in the back seat during that so. And I did not have any children and then, but after I retired, when went through my second and four. I met someone. And so, yeah, we were married in in 2020, and so I had a, I was able, you know, after not having children, my first son was born when I was 50. So I have a son who's, you know, four, four years old, four going on five. And then we decided that, you know, he should have someone to be with. So we were going to have a second child. And my wife had twins, so I have twin, three year old girls. So, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 35:37 you're going to do it. You might as well go all the way, huh?   Fred Dummar ** 35:40 Yeah, and and, and I haven't, and I adopted Rebecca's older, the child that she that she had. And so now we have four children, Alana being much older, she's already finished for freshman year at the University of Michigan, and this get ready to go back to Ann Arbor and continue her studies and and then we have, you know, the small pack of humans that are still here in their pre, pre kindergarten phase. So   Michael Hingson ** 36:10 she is a a Wolverine fan, and there will ever be an Ohio State Buckeye,   Fred Dummar ** 36:18 yeah, something like that. Yeah, that rivalry is pretty intense. And, you know, never being part of a school that was, you know, in that, in that division, you know, not really realizing, well, you know, watching college football, I kind of understand the rival, all the rivalries. But once she started going to Michigan, and, you know, attending a football game there myself. And then, unfortunately, you know, we were able to go to the Rose Bowl this year, which, you know, when Michigan played Alabama. So we were able to go to that together. So, yeah, it was, it's interesting to learn that dynamic. And like, I tell her, it's like, never, never take for granted being part of a big school like that without those sorts of traditions. Absolutely.   Michael Hingson ** 37:06 Yeah, I went to UC Irvine, so we didn't really have a lot with with football, but my wife did her graduate work at USC, and I always like to listen to USC football games. I judge a lot about sports teams by the announcers they hire, I gotta say. And so we've been always so blessed out here in California, although I think that announcing isn't quite what it used to be, but we had good announcers that announced for USC out here on I think it was originally on Kx, and then it went to other stations. But anyway, when we got married, the wedding started late because a bunch of people were sitting out in their cars waiting for the end of the USC Notre Dame game. And so the wedding was 15 minutes late starting because everybody was waiting to see who was going to win the game. And I am quite pleased to say that we won, and God was on our side, as opposed to Notre Dame. And, yeah, the marriage lasted 40 years, so until she, she passed away in 2022 but I love to tell people that, you know, God clearly was on our side, especially when I tell that to my Notre Dame friends,   Fred Dummar ** 38:15 yeah, the touch touchdown, Jesus wasn't, wasn't there for them, not   Michael Hingson ** 38:19 that day. Yeah, but, but, you know, and there's college football is, is in a lot of ways, I just think so much more fun, or it has been than professional. But, you know, now a lot more money is getting into it, which is unfortunate too. Yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 38:37 I think that's caused some of the you know, teams re evaluate what they what they do happen, how they operate. And I think it's forced some of the older coaches to leave the game, yeah, because it's not the game they recognize, so not   Michael Hingson ** 38:53 what they had well. So you've been to a variety of different places. You've been a leader. And I think it's pretty clear that you really still are, but how did all the the different experiences, the different places that you went to, and all the the experiences that you participated in, how does that affect and shape your leadership style?   Fred Dummar ** 39:19 Yeah, Michael, you know, I think one of the first things, right, if you when your surface looking, and some people never go below the surface. So when you talk about things like diversity and inclusion, the things, the things that they will think about that make people divert diverse are not generally what I think about. Because, you know, when you look below the surface, you see a lot of commonalities in the human experience. You know, from my time living, living in Panama and operating in Central and South America, some countries in the in the you know, the Caribbean when I was first in special operations, and then. Obviously, I went and did some time in in Africa, some peacekeeping operations in Nigeria, some other exercises down in the south, southern countries in Africa, and then my time in Iraq and Afghanistan. People, you know, they're they come in different colors. They they have different their path to God or the universe or the higher power that they recognize that the cultural artifacts that they use may may look different, but you know, they're generally pointing if you if you can step aside from your own preconceived notions about things, you can see that they're they're just different signposts to the same God, right to the same, to the same, power to the same, to the same things, and people want the same things, you know, for their families, you know, for for security and prosperity, and you know that that sort of thing. So it's, that's where I, kind of, you know, came to my leadership philosophy, which is pretty easy to remember. It's just lead, lead with love. And you know, if you use, and I haven't tell people, doesn't really matter what denomination you are. If you read, you know, the Gospels of the New Testament purely as a leadership guide. You know it's, it's hard to find a a better leadership example than than what, what Jesus was was doing, you know, the way he was serving others the way he was leading. It's, it's, it's pretty powerful, pretty powerful stuff. And you know, even, even at the end, right during the Last Supper, when he tells people, you know, who, who's the most important is the most important person, the person sitting at the table getting ready to eat, or the person serving, you know. And of course, you as humans, you know, is based on our, you know, the way we think about the world. We think the most important person is, you know, not only the person sitting at the table, but the person at the nicest table, or the head of the table, and not the person serving. And so that was something I tried to embrace during my time in the military, and what I try and embrace now is, you know, being the person that serves others and using your position. You know, if you if, if and when you are promoted or asked to lead that, you approach it from a position of, you know, what? What can I do from this position to help other people and and just be compassionate to their actual circumstances. And that doesn't mean, you know, when people, people hear me say that they're, you know, they think, Well, that's pretty how does that reconcile with you being a Green Beret and being around, you know, a bunch of you know, meat eating savages, you know, how do you how do you reconcile that and like, well, leading with care and compassion doesn't mean you know that I'm coddling anyone, because I'm certainly not coddling anyone you know. You know, I demand high performance for myself and from from people in those positions like that. You know, when I was a member of a special forces organization, but not everybody's supposed to be doing that. And so I think recognizing the circumstances and the people and what the organization's supposed to do or and how it can care for people, I think those are things that became really, really important to me   Michael Hingson ** 43:33 well. And I think you raised some really valid points. The reality is that September 11, for example, was not a religious war, a religious event. It was a bunch of thugs who wanted to have their way with the world. But most people who truly practice the Islamic faith are the same as the rest of us, and they and they seek God just like we do, like Jewish people do and others do, and we've got to keep that in mind, but it's, it's so hard, because we mostly don't step back and evaluate that and realize that those 19 people on those four airplanes are just a bunch of thugs, pure and simple.   Fred Dummar ** 44:15 Yeah, that, yeah, that, and, and the organizations they represent, right? You know, they're, they're, they're, and they're not the only ones, right? People from of all faiths have harnessed, you know,   Michael Hingson ** 44:30 their various back to the Crusades, yeah, you know, you know, their   Fred Dummar ** 44:33 various religions have harnessed themselves up to, you know, to sway people to to hate, or to, you know, to engage in combat or whatever. So yeah, to to lump that all in. I think our, some of our responses, and then also some of the way people think, has really led it led us to a more a more divided we're. Well, then you know that are more inclusive and and you know, thinking of ourselves as one we we think of ourselves as, you know, many and different, and sometimes things that we think would bring us together or help us make things more fair, like, you know, talking about diversity and inclusion, if we aren't really thinking about what we're trying to do and what that looks like, we can end up making the world more divided and less inclusive.   Michael Hingson ** 45:34 And unfortunately, we're seeing way too much of that, and it isn't helping to do that. And hopefully at some point we'll, we'll figure that out, or we'll realize that maybe it's a little bit better, or can be a little bit better than we think. Yeah, and I know you in 2003 did a lot to help the Kurds in northern Iraq, right?   Fred Dummar ** 45:55 Yeah, that was primarily, you know, my, my experience in Iraq was, you know, before the 2003 invasion, I was in Romania with my special forces company. And, yeah, we flew into northern Iraq and linked up with a group of Kurds and from where they were at and primarily our mission, you know, at that point, nobody really knew what Saddam might do when the main offensive of, you know, conventional army, conventional Marine Corps, British, you know, other allies, started from the south towards Baghdad. What would Saddam do? Would he, you know, send his forces in the north against the Kurds to create a destabilizing effect, you know, one both killing Kurds, but causing Kurds to flee to Syria and Iran, and, you know, probably most importantly for people that were planning to Turkey, you know, to further destabilize the region. So obviously, out of a desire to protect, help protect the Kurds and help stop or prevent something like that from happening. You know, we went in a couple weeks before the actual ground war started, we were in place with the Kurds and started organizing them to to defend themselves. And do you know, take back the land that they considered theirs, because, after, you know, Desert Storm, the you know, the 90s, the 90s war against Iraq, Saddam had pushed into Kurdish territory and established, you know, what he referred to as a, you know, his, his buffer zone. And then, you know, the US had been forcing a, you know, a no fly zone up in the Kurdish areas, but the Kurds had still never been allowed to go back to some of the cities that they considered theirs. So, you know, when we got in there with them, we were able to get, you know, move currents that have been forced out of those towns moved back into their towns and and our particular sector we we cleared down to Mosul Iraq, which, you know, people in the Bible will recognize As as the city of Nineveh. Or maybe not know that, but yeah, so we were, I was able to go drive through the, you know, the biblical, the some of the remains of the, you know, city of Nineveh as we got to Mosul. And then once we were there, that was sort of when, you know, we stole the Kurdish allies that, hey, you guys can go back to go back home, and then at that point us, we're only there a few days before us conventional forces. Now this is a couple months into the war, but us conventional forces made their way up there, and, you know, started doing stabilizing the city, and it was probably best to get the Kurdish militia out of there at that point, for things between the Kurds and the Arabs continue to deteriorate. So yeah, but it was a it was a great experience for me being with the Kurds and helping them, you know, sort of move through and retake towns that they had historically lived in. And, you know, along the way we passed and were able to clear Assyrian monastery that's on one of the mountains on the route to Mosul. So some, definitely, some history along the way, history lessons along the way. I   Michael Hingson ** 49:38 had the pleasure of going to Israel last year in August, okay? And spent a day in Jerusalem, so we got to go to the Western Wall and so on. And I really appreciated, and do appreciate, the history and just the awesomeness of of being there and touching the the temple and the wall that's been there for so long. And, you know, there is so much history over there that I really wish people would more appreciate and and on all sides, would figure out how they could become better at working with each other. One of these days, there's going to have to be peace, or it's going to really get a whole lot worse, very quickly,   Fred Dummar ** 50:21 yeah, for sure. Yeah, it was. It was interesting, though, when we were there, obviously watching the various groups of, you know, Syrians, Kurds, Arabs and others that had various claims to different parts of Mosul and different parts of the area around it. So it's fascinating, you know, to watch history try and unwind itself from some of the decisions that were made. You know, post World War Two, when lines were being drawn in the desert to create countries and and the ramifications of that? Yeah. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 51:06 you certainly have a perspective that's built on a lot of knowledge and being there, which I think is great on the other hand, well, not on the other hand. But then you left the military that that had to be a major change in terms of what you had been doing and what you were used to after almost 30 years. What's it like when you decide to make that kind of a major change and then, in your case, go back into civilian life? Yeah. So   Fred Dummar ** 51:38 my first, my first step, wasn't that far away from the military. And I started referring it. Referred to my first job as sort of an addiction clinic, because I went, I went to work as a house, yeah, I went to work as a contractor, or, you know, defense contractor. I went back to Afghanistan for about a year and a half running training programs for some of the Afghan special operations forces. So, you know, it was, it was really, you know, there was, if I, if I was a heroin addict, you know, I was in the methadone clinic, you know, trying to, trying to get off of it. And then, yeah, I realized, you know, kind of needed to go home. And my marriage, you know, dissolved, and so it's like, Hey, I probably time to, like, go home and have, you know, a different kind of life. And I moved into a civilian job with a friend, a friend at the time, who was doing investment training around the world. And he's like, Hey, we, you know, I know you're, you will travel. There's a lot of people that, when I talk to him about travel, it's involved with our business, you know, they don't, don't really want to do that. And he's like, but I know, you know, from where you're at. And he's like, hey, I'll buy, buy a ticket. Fly to Hong Kong, see what our business is about. So I went there and learned about the investment training they were doing in Hong Kong and throughout Southeast Asia. And then they had an office in Johannesburg, and, you know, one in London, Canada and the US and doing all this training. And so for about a year, little over a year, I worked in that business and and learned, you know, the various things that they were doing. You know how they were teaching people to invest in real estate and stocks and that sort of thing. Started doing it myself less, as I wish I would have known earlier in my life, but started doing that, and then when I left that company, that's a lot of what I've been doing. I've taken some smaller jobs and smaller contract projects. But by and large, that's basically what I've been doing since then, is, you know, working in real estate investing or real estate projects   Michael Hingson ** 53:50 and continuing to hone your leadership skills. Yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 53:54 yeah. Well, you know, I kept continue to work with or a couple of, you know, jobs where I was helping people start up businesses, you know, as either in CEO role or in an operations role to help help them start their businesses. So I did some of that which, which is always fun. It's great working with new talent and establishing procedures and helping people grow that way. So that was, that was really fun. And then got to be part of a couple of nonprofits, Special Forces, Charitable Trust, probably my longest stint. I did that for, you know, about seven or eight years on the board of directors, you know, running, helping to develop activities and programs to support our Special Forces veteran. So, yeah, it was, it's been, it's been fun. And then obviously having a new family and spending a lot of time in my role as a dad has been probably the most rewarding.   Michael Hingson ** 54:53 Yeah, I bet. And that is, that's always so much fun, and you get to help bring some. New people along into the world and hopefully help to make a difference that way. And on top of that, you continue to study. You're getting a PhD. You mentioned it earlier, but you're getting a PhD in organizational psychology and leadership. There we go with the leadership again.   Fred Dummar ** 55:14 Yeah, you know, it's, it's fun, because, you know, when I do get the opportunity to speak at events. I move around and speak at different events. I know you do a lot of speaking. You probably do much more than I do, but the events I do speak at, I want to make sure that sometimes being a practitioner of something doesn't always mean that you have the exact language or the academic credentials to go along with being a practitioner. And I've been a practitioner of leadership for so many years, but now studying it and applying, you know, one working towards an academic credential in this says, Hey, this, this guy knows what he's talking about. But then also having, you know, the the latest developments. And studies on leading people effectively and and how people are doing it wrong, and how you can help them. I think it's, it's been, it's been, been a great journey to be on as well, especially keeping my mind active in in all things leadership and helping organizations do it better.   Michael Hingson ** 56:21 Well, you, you have been a leader for a long time, but now you're studying it. Would you say that you're also discovering new things along the way? And you know, I guess what I'm getting at is, of course, none of us are ever so much an expert that we can't afford to learn more things. Oh   Fred Dummar ** 56:39 yeah, for sure, both, both learning new things, learning why I might have done things wrong based on, you know, studies, you know, like, okay, you know, if you if you have this type of personality, you might do this wrong, or things I was doing right, but not exactly, knowing all of, You know all of the mechanisms that were going into why I was making that decision. But you know, when you look at the psychology behind it, and you look at organizational structure structures, you look at cultural artifacts within organizations, then you can start to you start to unwind why teams do what they do, why leaders are developed, the way they're developed, and why people make certain decisions. And, yeah, it's been fascinating, you know, and then also looking back, as you said, back at things that you did, decisions that you made, and what you know, what you could have done better as you as you look that, through that, and how you can help someone else, and that's also really helped me further, you know, synthesize down this way that I look at at leading people with with love and compassion and why it's so important to be that servant type of leader, you know, not just a transformational leader that's trying to transform an organization to move that, but then, you know, how do you serve and care for the care for the people that are that are going to be part of that transformation?   Michael Hingson ** 58:10 Yeah, because if you are just looking at it from the standpoint of being a transformational leader, I'm going to change this organization that that doesn't really work. And I think that the most important aspect is being a servant leader, is being a person who serves, because that also opens you up to learning along the way and learning how to serve better.   Fred Dummar ** 58:34 Yeah. And you know, as I learned in the many organizations that I was part of over, you know, my time in Special Forces is, you know, just because, you know, alluding, you know, we were discussing roles, and I was saying, you know, this officer's role to often, to plan and to lead, but that other people are the experts. And that's something you know. The sooner you embrace that fact, the faster, the faster you become effective, and the more effective you are when you realize that understanding the people and and caring and serving them, and then getting their their best performance and understanding what they know and what they can do, and where you need to put them to maximize their potential, then those things start to become the most important thing that you're doing, how you know, how people play against each other, who works well with who? How that works, how that betters the organization. Those are all, all all things that are fascinating, you know, to me, and things that kept me up at night, trying to figure out, you know, how to how to be more efficient, how to take better care of people, while, you know, getting, not only getting the best out of them, but them, realizing they were giving their best and being happy and proud of what they. Were doing   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:01 and getting the best out of you as well.   Fred Dummar ** 1:00:03 Yeah, yeah, that, yeah, bringing the best out of them is bringing the best out of me, right?   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:08 So you've gotten work also in the nonprofit sector. You're continuing to do that, yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 1:00:13 yeah, yeah. Now, after leaving this Special Forces Charitable Trust, I realized, you know, after I'd moved out to Idaho, where I live now that I wasn't as connected to the regiment as I'd been my first retired and I was still kind of in the North Carolina area or but after moving out here, you know, just felt like that. I probably there were other guys more recently retired, knew more of the things that needed to be done. So stepping down from that organization. And then, obviously, one of the other things that happened was, you know, the the rapid withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the fall of Afghanistan, and I found myself with many other Afghan veterans, sort of, you know, both wondering, you know what it all meant, why? You know, and then, but then also what we can do. You know, not dwelling too long. I know, you know, poor me. You know what? You know. Why did I go? What did it mean? But more so, hey, you know, we had a bunch of people that we made promises to, a bunch of people that follow alongside America, some certainly, you know, in the interest of Afghanistan. But there were also many, many of the especially on the Afghan Special Operations sides, that were not always necessarily doing things at the behest of the Afghan government, but operating with US forces on things that the US wanted to do, but then, you know, we're sort of left hanging when during the withdrawal. So, you know, working alongside other veterans to try and get as many of those people out during the withdrawal and then. But so now I work with an operation or a organization called Operation recovery that is still following these families, following these cases, people that are either still in Afghanistan, some in hiding, some in other countries, illegally, but trying to help them resolve visa issues and either get to Canada or the United States or someplace in Europe, just someplace safe for them and their family, away from the from the Taliban. And so that's been it, and it's, it's hard work, you know, because the in work like that, we're trying to make government bureaucracies realize that they should be issuing visas or allowing people to move, it's not always a rapid process. So feels like, and, you know, and I'm not pointing fingers as if anyone should still, you know, be completely focused on Afghanistan. But you know, other things happen. You know, Ukraine, the war in Ukraine draws attention away. You know, the war in Israel. You know, hurricanes, storms, everything that's going on. You know, Assassination comes. You know, assassination attempts, you know, all of that stuff diverts people's you know, draws people attend. You know their attention to that. And I'm not sure many people, you know, they support the troops. And you know, you often hear them, you know, you know, thanking troops for their service. And the only response I can have to that, you know, for for for years, I struggled with how to respond to that. When someone would say, Thank you for your service, you know, just Okay, thank you. You know, I don't know, thanks for your support, but you know, I heard a good response, and I've been using it since, and it's like, America's worth it. So,   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:54 yeah, on top of everything else that you do, you've also been dabbling or going into real estate a little bit, yeah,   Fred Dummar ** 1:04:01 yeah. So that's, that's a lot of what I've been doing, you know, for because, you know, providing for your family, right? So, yeah, I started doing some investment real estate, and out here, got a partner, we did, worked on a couple of mobile home parts, larger projects. And I still, once a week, I still teach a clas

Meet Our GuestsAllison Rainboth grew up in Glendale, CA, just 10 minutes from the Rose Bowl (where she learned to drive in the parking lot!). She pursued graduate studies in biology at UCLA before moving to Wisconsin in 1992. Today, she and her husband are passionate about maintaining their historic home, and she shares her space with three beloved cats.Vickie Coleman, the oldest of three girls and an admitted Army brat, was born at Fort Benning, GA. Her childhood was filled with travel, living in Germany and attending four different high schools. She earned her undergraduate degree in textiles and clothing from the University of Tennessee and later completed a Master of Science in vocational education from the University of Kentucky. She now runs Bluegrass Quilt Appraisal, LLC in Lexington, KY, and shares her home with two tuxedo cats.Both Vickie and Allison are accomplished quilters, educators, and passionate advocates for preserving quilt history.Episode Highlights(2:15) How did Vickie and Allison first learn to sew? Their stories may surprise you!(5:52) What led them to become quilt appraisers? Allison shares her journey first.(8:51) Thinking about becoming a quilt appraiser? Here's what it takes.(10:59) Why should you always look for a certified appraiser?(12:00) The essential skills of an appraiser—hint: dedication is key!(14:26) How did Vickie and Allison meet? It all started at the Midwest Fabric Study Group.(14:50) What do they look for when appraising a quilt? A deep dive into the appraisal process.(18:41)Appraisal vs. consultation—what's the difference? Vickie explains.(19:09) How do Vickie and Allison approach appraisals differently?(22:56) The art and science of fabric dating—what clues do appraisers look for?(24:41) What excites them most about quilt appraisal?(27:14) The biggest challenges they face in their work—some may surprise you!(29:42) Fun stories from the field: their most memorable appraisals.(33:36) What are the most expensive quilts they've ever seen? Value isn't just about money!(38:00) A quilt with pieces dating back to the War of 1812—hear the incredible story.(42:02) Found an old quilt? STOP storing it in a cedar chest! Here's how to properly preserve it.(47:20) How have quilters used their craft for secret communication? Learn about quilt histories and resources like The Quilt Index (Michigan State University) and the International Quilt Museum (Nebraska).(52:33) What's next for Vickie and Allison? Their quilting dreams and future projects.(54:22) Who's the most famous quilter today? Allison's pick: Bisa Butler (Check out Sew & So Podcast Episode #1!).Connect with Our GuestsVickie Coleman: bluegrassquiltappraisal@gmail.comAllison Rainboth: arainboth@gmail.comSubscribe & Listen: Don't miss future episodes! Follow Sew & So Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. Be sure to subscribe to, review and rate this podcast on your favorite platform…and visit our website sewandsopodcast.com for more information about today's and all of our Guests.

In this episode, host Kent Hance welcomes Senator Phil Gramm, a former senator and economist, to discuss his book, "The Myth of American Inequality." The conversation highlights their shared experiences in Congress and focuses on Gramm's critique of government statistics on income inequality and poverty. Gramm argues that the narrative of the rich getting richer while the poor get poorer is misleading, presenting data to support his claims. He emphasizes the importance of accurate data in shaping public policy and advocates for work requirements in government assistance programs to promote self-sufficiency. Timestamps by PodSqueezeIntroduction of Senator Gramm (00:00:04)   The speaker introduces Senator Phil Gramm, highlighting their friendship and shared congressional experiences. Senator Gramm's Background (00:01:21)   Gramm discusses his origins in Fort Benning, Georgia, and his academic background in economics. Overview of "The Myth of American Inequality" (00:02:03)   Gramm introduces his new book, challenging the narrative of growing income inequality in America. Government Statistics on Poverty (00:02:27)   Gramm critiques government statistics, showing discrepancies in poverty rates despite increased welfare spending. Transfer Payments and Income Reporting (00:04:25)   Discussion on how the Census Bureau underreports transfer payments, skewing income inequality statistics. Real Income Inequality Statistics (00:06:05)   Gramm presents revised statistics showing income inequality is not as severe as reported. Poverty Rate Misconceptions (00:07:49)   He argues that the actual poverty rate is significantly lower than commonly believed. Economic Mobility in America (00:08:47)   Gramm emphasizes that most children from poor families improve their economic status as adults. Living Standards Comparison (00:09:26)   He compares modern lower-income Americans' living standards to those of historical kings. Wealth and Opportunity Perspective (00:10:28)   Discussion on how wealth accumulation by individuals does not detract from others' wealth. Envy and Economic Perspectives (00:10:49)   The speakers discuss the societal issues of envy and how it affects perceptions of wealth. The Role of Government Assistance (00:13:30)   Gramm argues that government assistance programs often fail to reach those truly in need. Welfare Reform Insights (00:15:52)   He proposes extending work requirements to all means-tested programs to encourage employment. Job Market Discrepancies (00:16:28)   Discussion on the mismatch between job openings and unemployment rates in the current economy. Personal Responsibility and Opportunity (00:17:21)   Gramm shares personal anecdotes emphasizing the importance of hard work and opportunity. Need for Accurate Data (00:18:03)   He stresses the importance of accurate data in informing public debate on economic policies. Government Transfers and Income Distribution (00:19:40)   Gramm discusses the significant amount of money transferred to needy individuals in America. Book Collaboration and Insights (00:20:03)   Gramm mentions his co-authors and their contributions to the book's findings. Critique of Income Tax Reporting (00:23:24)   He critiques how tax data is reported, emphasizing the importance of context in income discussions. Discussion on Taxation and Billionaires (00:25:12)   Senator Gramm critiques the misconception that taxing billionaires can significantly fund government needs. Middle-Income Tax Burden (00:26:14)   Speaker 1 highlights how middle-income earners, not billionaires, bear most of the tax burden. Clinton's Tax Increase (00:26:50)   Discussion on the tax increase under Clinton, affecting middle-income Americans, not just the wealthy. Job Creation vs. Government Benefits (00:27:45)   Speaker 1 shares experiences of losing workers to unemployment benefits that paid more than construction jobs. The Myth of American Inequality (00:30:11)   Speaker 1 emphasizes the book's argument against the narrative of growing inequality in America. Capitalism vs. Socialism (00:30:32)   Comparison of North and South Korea illustrates the benefits of capitalism over socialism. Reagan Budget Cuts Discussion (00:32:09)   Plans to discuss Reagan's budget and tax cuts in a future episode. Funny Anecdote about Locked Keys (00:32:41)   A humorous story about Speaker 1 locking his keys in the car at the White House.

Send us a textMichael Vesalero, an army veteran, artist, and poet, shares a moving and deeply personal story that opens the door to understanding the often-hidden struggles of military life and its aftermath. Growing up in upstate New York after being born in West Palm Beach, Michael's journey from a youth spent in challenging circumstances to his enlistment in the army at 18 sets a powerful narrative of resilience. His vivid recollections of basic training at Fort Benning and subsequent deployment with the "Ghost Battalion" and "Shocker Platoon" reveal the harsh realities of military service, painted with honesty and raw emotion.Listeners gain an intimate glimpse into the duality of combat experiences, with stories that range from night missions in perilous terrains to the emotional rollercoaster of camaraderie and loss. Michael doesn't shy away from addressing the profound mental health challenges he faced, including surviving the 2009 Fort Hood shooting and the struggles of reintegration into civilian life. His candid discussion highlights the critical need for support systems for veterans, drawing attention to the importance of addressing PTSD and mental health stigma within military culture.As the conversation unfolds, Michael underscores the healing power of creative expression, sharing how poetry and art have been lifelines in his journey towards recovery. He advocates passionately for greater recognition of art therapy as a therapeutic tool for veterans, while also presenting his heartfelt Christmas poem that reflects on positivity, family, and tradition. This episode promises an enlightening exploration of the transformative impact of storytelling and creativity, wrapped in a message of hope and healing for those who have served.

Welcome to the ninety-fifth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit Show! I am your host Mark Hasara, former KC-135 pilot and Airplane Nerd! I'm really excited to bring this episode to you! Air Mobility Command's Command Chief Master Sergeant Jamie Newman and I met at the Airlift Tanker Association convention in Dallas earlier this year. Coming up through the Air Force Security Police ranks, Command Chief Newman was not only selected to become an elite Air Force Phoenix Raven, but go through the Army's grueling Ranger School returning later as an instructor at Fort Benning! Command Chief Newman shares with us his leadership lessons at the cutting edge of battle from the land, sea, or air. A note of gratitude to all of you as the ‪@MarkHasara‬ YouTube page passed 201k subscribers last night and views of my podcast and shorts are now over 145 million views since we started on 2 February 2024!  Support the Lessons from the Cockpit show by subscribing to the @markhasara YouTube channel or better yet, join my Patreon group at the All Ranks Club. Membership ranges from free to $50 a month. Those of you joining at the Designated Driver ($15) and By The Bar ($50) tiers enjoy virtual Bar Night Live and Q&A sessions via Zoom, your questions go to the top of the list, and each month receive one of ten seven inch stickers, a profile drawing of a famous aircraft you can peel off and stick to any flat surface like a water bottle or laptop. The link to join the All Ranks Club on Patreon is: https://www.patreon.com/lessonsfromthecockpit/gift You can see all ten stickers on the All Ranks Club Discord channel, my daily journal on aviation at: https://discord.com/channels/1285369634329202840/1288163956246057071 If you want to financially support the Lessons from the Cockpit show by just contributing to help keep us going the PayPal link is: https://paypal.me/MRHSolutionsLLC?locale.x=en_US Or on Venmo at https://account.venmo.com/u/Mark-Hasara Thank you for making this channel what it is! I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  

Welcome to the ninety-fifth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit Show! I am your host Mark Hasara, former KC-135 pilot and Airplane Nerd! I'm really excited to bring this episode to you! Air Mobility Command's Command Chief Master Sergeant Jamie Newman and I met at the Airlift Tanker Association convention in Dallas earlier this year. Coming up through the Air Force Security Police ranks, Command Chief Newman was not only selected to become an elite Air Force Phoenix Raven, but go through the Army's grueling Ranger School returning later as an instructor at Fort Benning! Command Chief Newman shares with us his leadership lessons at the cutting edge of battle from the land, sea, or air. A note of gratitude to all of you as the ‪@MarkHasara‬ YouTube page passed 201k subscribers last night and views of my podcast and shorts are now over 145 million views since we started on 2 February 2024!  Support the Lessons from the Cockpit show by subscribing to the @markhasara YouTube channel or better yet, join my Patreon group at the All Ranks Club. Membership ranges from free to $50 a month. Those of you joining at the Designated Driver ($15) and By The Bar ($50) tiers enjoy virtual Bar Night Live and Q&A sessions via Zoom, your questions go to the top of the list, and each month receive one of ten seven inch stickers, a profile drawing of a famous aircraft you can peel off and stick to any flat surface like a water bottle or laptop. The link to join the All Ranks Club on Patreon is: https://www.patreon.com/lessonsfromthecockpit/gift You can see all ten stickers on the All Ranks Club Discord channel, my daily journal on aviation at: https://discord.com/channels/1285369634329202840/1288163956246057071 If you want to financially support the Lessons from the Cockpit show by just contributing to help keep us going the PayPal link is: https://paypal.me/MRHSolutionsLLC?locale.x=en_US Or on Venmo at https://account.venmo.com/u/Mark-Hasara Thank you for making this channel what it is! I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  

Redefining Mindsets and Building Community In this week's Team Never Quit Podcast, Marcus and Melanie's guest is Earl Granville, a true testament to resilience, leadership, and the power of positive mindset. Earl shares his transformative journey from trauma to triumph, offering listeners insights into how to redefine their own mindset to create the space for positive shifts in life. He discusses stepping out of your comfort zone, becoming the leader you are meant to be, and the critical importance of building and maintaining a healthy community. Earl's story is nothing short of inspiring. Just two weeks into basic training at Fort Benning, GA, with his twin brother Joe, the tragic events of 9/11 unfolded, marking a pivotal moment in his life. Earl went on to serve nine years as an Infantryman in the Army National Guard, with multiple deployments to Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. During his final tour, Earl lost his left leg below the knee due to a roadside bomb, and tragically, he also lost two of his teammates, Major Scott Hagerty and Specialist Derek Holland, on that same day. After the loss of his limb in combat and the passing of his brother Joe, who took his own life while serving on active duty, Earl discovered the power of a positive mindset and became a passionate advocate for mental health, physical fitness, and resilience. He continues his journey as a public speaker, traveling the country to share his story and motivate others to overcome challenges. In addition to speaking, Earl works with several non-profits like Operation Enduring Warrior, the Oscar Mike Foundation, and WarriorStrong, all of which help wounded veterans and law enforcement officers stay physically active post-injury. Earl's efforts have earned him numerous awards, including the 2018 Attorney General Heart So Big Award, the Junior Chamber International (JCI USA) TOYA Award, and the 2018 Daughters of the American Revolution Veterans Volunteer Award. He retired as a Staff Sergeant with multiple honors, including the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Infantryman Badge. Tune in to hear how Earl Granville's story of overcoming adversity and his commitment to positive change can inspire you to face your own challenges with resilience, build stronger connections, and lead a life of purpose. In This Episode You Will Hear: • One good thing about these conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan is that we've had a lot of people in their 20s and 30s that were losing limbs that causes technology to be boosted. (3:48) • The amputee's best friend is your Allen wrench. (7:03) • [At] NYPD, the culture today is like the modern day Vietnam veteran. (21:09) • Joining the military made it about me. What can I get out of this? Sure – free college. But going to Iraq, I became an NCO, put in charge of people. I realized this isn't about me, it's about us. (37:27) • There's pride that people take when tragedy happens. It's what the community does to honor those who aren't here anymore. (42:52) • I remember going over the headset talking to my guys like “Damn, it's beautiful here, look at this green grass. Who's water the grass in Afghanistan?” The next thing I remember, I saw nothing but black. (65:52) • I was ejected out of my Humvee and I wasn't wearing mu gunner's harness which probably saved my life, because the roof peeled back like a tuna can. (70:04) • Everything happened right in my situation. I really do feel that way. What do I have to complain about? (70:20) • Afghans don't have the will to fight. (76:26) • Have you ever met an Afghan or an Iraqi with an Iraqi flag or an Afghan flag tattoo? (76:43) • I went under for surgery on my hip, and I woke up in Germany, with a nurse pulling a breathing tube out of my throat. (79:02) • Joe [my twin brother] seeing me in this state, says to me: “I shoulda just gone with you. (84:23) • It's not forever. I'm gonna get my independence back. I'm gonna be walking again, cause it's not forever. (96:08) • While on active duty, my twin brother, Staff Sergeant Joe Granville, takes his own life. (97:57) • How do I get this second chance at life, and Joe [my twin brother] take his away? (98:08) • Not every mental health situation with an armed forces service member is PTSD related. (109:00) • The big thing people need is purpose – military or not. (110:29) • I found this passion of physical fitness once again thanks to being introduced to Crossfit. (120:41) • People you surround yourself with, I truly believe, makes who you are. (125:15) Socials: - Website: earlgranville.org - IG: Earlgranville - Enduringwarrior.org - Oscar mike foundation Oscarmike.org - warriorstrongink - IG: team_neverquit , marcusluttrell , melanieluttrell , huntero13 -  https://www.patreon.com/teamneverquit Sponsors:    - Navyfederal.org           - GoodRX.com/TNQ   -  kalshi.com/TNQ    - PXG.com/TNQ   -  joinbilt.com/TNQ    - Tonal.com [TNQ]   - greenlight.com/TNQ   - PDSDebt.com/TNQ   - drinkAG1.com/TNQ    - ghostbed.com/TNQ [TNQ]   - Shadyrays.com [TNQ]   - qualialife.com/TNQ [TNQ]   - Hims.com/TNQ   - Shopify.com/TNQ   - Aura.com/TNQ   - Moink.com/TNQ   - Policygenius.com   - TAKELEAN.com [TNQ]   - usejoymode.com [TNQ]   - Shhtape.com [TNQ]

In our episode with LTG Gilland we mentioned Shawn "Big Tires Rollin" Robertson as a future guest, and now he's here! Shawn is a paragon of fitness (consistent ACFT 600s, 2nd place in the European bodybuilding championship) who is also passionate about organizational psychology. He joined us for this conversation about the role of fitness in leader development and how leaders can enhance the performance culture of their organizations. MAJ Shawn Robertson is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. He is married to his lovely wife, Maj Jordan Robertson (USAF) and they have three sons – Ezekiel (6), Ishvi (4), and Zachariah (2). Shawn was enlisted as an 88M before commissioning via the Green to Gold program through the University of Hawaii where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Psychology. MAJ Robertson also holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University and a Master of Arts in Defense and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. Upon completion of the Military Intelligence Basic Officer Leaders Course, he was assigned to the 173RD Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) at Vicenza, Italy. While there, he served as the Assistant Battalion Intelligence Officer for the 1st Battalion, 503RD Infantry Regiment (Airborne), HUMINT and SIGINT Platoon Leader in the Military Intelligence Company, and deployed with 1ST Battalion, 75TH Ranger Regiment as an individual augmentee in support of Operation Freedom Sentinel in Afghanistan, serving as one of the Deputy J2s. Following attendance at the Infantry Captain's Career Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, and the Signals Intelligence/Electronic Warfare course at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, MAJ Robertson was assigned to the National Security Agency, where he served as the Technical Production Operations Officer in the Army Technical Control and Analysis Element, and as the Bravo Company Commander, leading the National Security Agency's Special Operations Detachment in support of combat operations. In our episode with LTG Gilland a few weeks ago we mentioned Shawn "Big Tires Rollin'" Robertson as a future guest, and now he's here! Shawn is passionate about organizational psychology and developing leaders, but he's also incredibly fit (consistent ACFT 600s, 2nd place in the European bodybuilding championship). He joined us in this conversation to discuss how fitness fits into leadership development, and how leaders can improve the performance culture in their organizations. After completion of graduate school and the United States Military Academy's (USMA) Eisenhower Leader Development Program, MAJ Robertson served as the Tactical Officer for a Cadet Company, where he focused on leadership and character development. MAJ Robertson also served as the Aide-de-Camp for the Commanding General and Superintendent of USMA. MAJ Robertson is now serving as a Commander in the United States Army Special Operations Command.

The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, MAJ Scott Hall discusses his paper: Enhancing Mounted Maneuver Operations by Setting Conditions of Advantage through Information Environment Effects Synchronization, which is getting published in Armor magazine in the Fall 2024 edition. Recording Date: 26 Sept 2024 Research Question: Scott Hall suggests interested students examine:  What are the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating Information Operations across all domains and services, and how can joint forces Information forces coordination and application be improved? How can the DIME (Diplomatic, Information, Military, Economic) framework be leveraged to achieve a more comprehensive and integrated approach to Information Operations? What role can artificial intelligence and machine learning play in processing vast amounts of data and identifying patterns and trends in Information Advantage Dimensions? Resources: Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned #166 John Agnello on Information Advantage Large Language Model Course of Action Analysis Dynamic Generative Large Language Model for Continuous Situational Awareness Stratagem: Deception and Surprise in War by Barton Whaley The Deceivers: Allied Military Deception in the Second World War by Thaddeus Holt Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War by P. W. Singer and August Cole Unrestricted Warfare by COL Qiao Liang and COL Wang Xiangsui Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio: MAJ Scott C. Hall is the U.S. Army Cyber (ARCYBER) G-39 Influence Branch and ARCYBER Trans-Regional Information Advantage Detachment (TIAD) Lead Information Advantage Planner, Fort Eisenhower, GA. His previous assignments include: U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command (USAREUR-AF) G-5 Plans Eastern Campaign Branch, Clay Kaserne, Wiesbaden, Germany, Squadron Executive Officer, 1st Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment, 316th Cavalry Brigade, Fort Benning, GA. National Training Center (NTC) Live Fire Combined Arms Battalion Lead "Dragon 11," Operations Group, NTC Combined Arms Battalion Company OC/T “Scorpion 11”, Operations Group NTC, Fort Irwin, CA., Troop Commander, Havoc Troop (HHT), 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd IBCT (Airborne), Grafenwöhr, Germany, Aide-de-Camp to the Deputy Commanding General – Maneuver, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX and Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan, Platoon Leader, 3rd Platoon, C Company (Tank), 2nd Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX and Baghdad, Iraq.  MAJ Hall's military education includes; US Army Cyber Operations Planner Course (COPC), Joint Cyber Operations Planner Course (JCOPC), Joint Information Operations Planner Course (JIOPC), US Army Space Cadre Basic Course, US Army Special Technical Operations Planner Course, Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) Special Operations Forces (SOF) Information Advantage and Intelligence Integration Course, JSOU SOF Influence and Operations in the Information Environment, Joint Military Deception Training Course (JMTC), US Army Theater Army Staff Course, Information Operations Officer Qualification Course, Command and General Staff College, US Air Force Joint Firepower Course, NTC OC/T Certification Course, US Army Jumpmaster Course, US Army Pathfinder Course, Maneuver Captains Career Course, Combative Level 1, US Army Airborne School, US Army Armor Officer Basic Course, and US Army Air Assault School.  MAJ Hall holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Project Management from Grand Canyon University and a bachelor's degree in Military History from Norwich University, VT. MAJ Hall's awards includes; a Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (3rd award), Army Commendation Medal (4th Award), Army Achievement Medal (3rd Award), Meritorious Unit Commendation (2nd Award), and NATO Medal – Afghanistan, the Combat Action Badge, Senior Rated Parachutist Badge, Army Space Badge, Pathfinder Badge, and Air Assault Badge. MAJ Hall also holds the German Silver Parachutist Badge and the Romanian Parachutist Badge and holds a Bronze Order of Saint George Medallion and an Order of Saint Maurice Medallion. About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain. For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org. Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Ep 89 – George Floyd's Murder Was A Hit I realized that the facts did not add up, especially when I learned that the two men knew each other and had worked together at the same nightclub. Listed below are my notes for the podcast. Please do your homework and see if you come to the same conclusion.   SUMMARY 1. George Floyd, a black man whose death Monday sparked ongoing protests, and Derek Chauvin, identified by local media as the officer who was videotaped kneeling on Floyd's neck for minutes shortly before his death, worked at the same nightclub  Maya Santamaria owned El Nuevo Rodeo Club in Minneapolis' south side until selling it just months ago, and confirmed to local media outlets that both Floyd and Chauvin worked security at the establishment. Chauvin worked outside the club while security guards, like Floyd, worked inside. They had overlapping shifts. They had to have known each other. El Nuevo Rodeo Club, where Chauvin and Floyd both worked, is just down the street from Minneapolis' Third Precinct.   2. Chauvin married a Hmong woman, and two other arresting officers are of Hmong descent.   3. Hmong Gangs are very active in the Northeast, including the gang Menace of Destruction (MOD). MOD is known for prostitution, drugs, and counterfeiting.   4. Despite having Chauvin as off-duty security outside the club, the police could never solve the crimes or connect the suspects to El Nuevo Rodeo Club activity.   5. In 2012, the FBI busted a drug ring that involved the Mexican gang La Familia (also known for drugs and counterfeiting) and the Hmong gang Menace of Destruction. The ring involved the selling of methamphetamine, a “Club Drug” being pushed by Mexican cartels.     EL NUEVO RODEO CLUB – MAY HAVE BEEN GROUND ZERO FOR COUNTERFEITING. Owned by Maya Santamaria, a singer, waitress, and music promoter with a degree in anthropology. The city is pushing to shut down the Rodeo. The nightclub's future lies in the hands of a judge who is deciding whether to recommend that the City Council yank its liquor license. In 2006, the club got slapped with fines for violating city code: It had hosted more people than the fire code allowed, had advertised as a nightclub when it was licensed as a restaurant/nightclub, and was Questioned about selling more alcohol than food (the liquor license requires that 60 percent of sales be food).   That December, city officials convened to determine whether El Nuevo Rodeo's liquor license should be renewed. Santamaria agreed to submit her food and alcohol receipts for the next year.   In April 2008, three people were shot outside of Denny's, right across the street from the nightclub. A story in the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger connected the shooting to nightclub patrons, though police were never able to prove it.   On November 14, 2008 there were multiple police calls associated with the nightclub.  Incidents ranged from shots fired (almost an officer-involved shooting), to several felony assaults (on patrons and staff), to numerous misdemeanors (obstructing, disorderly conduct, assault, theft   The city compiled its case against the nightclub: a stack of 28 police call reports from 2008 and six from 2009. The city attorney on the case described the business as having "an inordinately high number of incidents of criminal behavior."   DEREK CHAUVIN – MAY HAVE BEEN IN HMONG GANG Records show that the 44-year-old Chauvin initially studied cooking before taking courses in law enforcement and doing two stints in the Army as a military police officer in the late 1990s, serving at Fort Benning, Georgia, and in Germany.   Chauvin became a Minneapolis police officer in 2001. He had 17 complaints against him, including one for pulling a woman out of her car during a speeding stop.   He won two medals of valor, one in 2006 for being part of a group of officers who opened fire on a stabbing suspect who pointed a shotgun at them and another in 2008 for a domestic violence incident in which Chauvin broke down a bathroom door and shot a suspect in the stomach.   Married to Kellie Chauvin, a Laotian immigrant who became the first Hmong winner of the Mrs. Minnesota pageant.   In 2009, he single-handedly apprehended a group of gang members while working as an off-duty security guard at the El Nuevo Rodeo, a Minneapolis nightclub. (Chauvin shoots most suspects but apprehends an entire gang BY HIMSELF. This does not add up).   HMONG GANGS IN MINNEAPOLIS - MENACE OF DESTRUCTION" (MOD), FORMERLY KNOWN AS "MASTERS OF DESTRUCTION – LINKED TO “CLUB DRUGS” AND COUNTERFEITING is a Hmong street gang created in 1988. Today, it is active in every state, with a large Hmong community in California, the Midwestern United States, known for prostitution, money laundering, the distribution of narcotics, and counterfeiting.   A national drug ring based in Twin Cities was busted after months of surveillance and wiretaps in March 2012. The cartel La Familia smuggled millions of dollars worth of methamphetamine from Mexico to Minnesota. The drugs then went through a local member of the cartel and the Menace of Destruction gang.   La Familia is also known for counterfeiting. Eleven-year veteran and native Hmong speaker Tou Thao began as a community service officer and was the subject of six complaints.   No longer chiefly made by "cooks" in makeshift labs in the U.S., methamphetamine is now the domain of Mexican drug cartels that are mass-producing high-quality quantities of the drug and pushing it into markets where it was previously unknown.   While methamphetamine remains a street drug in many parts of the country, it functions as a “club drug” in the Northeast United States. While diffused to the Northeast, certain elements of the drug economy and networks of use have allowed it to retain its status as a club drug. Methamphetamine use has been found in a range of club subcultures, including electronic dance music clubs, raves, and circuit parties (Mansergh et al., 2001; McCaughan, Carlson, Falck, & Siegal, 2005; Yacoubian et al., 2004).    THE ARREST – LOOKED LIKE AN EXECUTION 46-year-old George Floyd was arrested on suspicion of forgery on May 25. Cellphone video of Floyd's May 25 arrest showed Chauvin placing his left knee on Floyd's neck with Lane holding Floyd's legs and Kueng holding his back while Thao stood between the officers and onlookers, according to charging documents.Join The Community Follow us on:Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/quantumAIradioTwitter (X) at @EventHo14339589Instagram at @EventHorizonEmail at mpeter1896@gmail.com   Subscribe To My Other Podcasts:Movie Reviews from the Edge - https://www.spreaker.com/show/movie-reviews-from-the-edgeThe Mark Peterson Show - https://www.spreaker.com/show/the_mark_peterson_show     Support the Show Did you know you can support the podcast by joining the Spreaker Supporter Club? For as little as $2.00 per month, you can help me grow the show and produce more episodes.  Go to the show page on Spreaker and click on the Supporter Club!     Buy My New Book I have a new book!  It is called Career Coaching Xs and Os: How To Master the Game of Career Development.  Transform your career trajectory with insider knowledge and actionable advice, all packed into one game-changing guide.     Get your copy on Amazon at https://a.co/d/f7irTMLSources:https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/05/29/george-floyd-and-derek-chauvin-worked-at-the-same-nightclub-but-may-not-have-known-each-other-owner-says/#4b6839a874d8   http://www.citypages.com/news/el-nuevo-rodeo-facing-possible-last-hurrah-on-lake-street-6724277   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menace_of_Destruction   https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiPhZfDwOzpAhVE2qwKHREYCrIQFjAAegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.revolvy.com%2Ffolder%2FAsian-American-gangs%2F390125&usg=AOvVaw3q4YSFhiCr7vDesPuYQh4l   https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=762861   https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/10/25/656192849/methamphetamine-roils-rural-towns-again-across-the-u-s https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4065782/   Recommended Reading Killing Uncle Sam: The Demise of the United States of America -https://www.amazon.com/dp/1645720047/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_hm62EbY0Y7FA9Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/event-horizon--2860481/support.

In this episode, Payton dives into the unknown when dozens of soldiers all witness strange lights followed by memory gaps and other strange occurrences. Links: linktr.ee/intothedarkpod Incident at Fort Benning by John Vasquez and Bruce Stephen Holms The Truth Denied - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIWgFTgeMak&list=PL5jxaxj_ufKTwZwPinnjPwJ5KRgY7GKTy&index=3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pII3uggqbU&list=PL5jxaxj_ufKTwZwPinnjPwJ5KRgY7GKTy&index=4   Fox 5 Atlanta - https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/jimmy-carter-ufo-sighting  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Steph and guest Rev. Graham Glover as they talk about the role of Christians in the civic realm, Christians and voting, and how Christians can influence government and civil issues beyond the polls.   Bio: Rev. Graham B. Glover is the Senior Pastor of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church and School in Gainesville, FL and a Chaplain (Major) in the US Army Reserve, where he is assigned to the Strategic Initiatives Group at the Office of the Chief of Chaplains in the Pentagon. Additionally, Rev. Glover serves as the Chaplain Fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute in Washington, DC.  A native of Gainesville, Glover received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion from the University of Florida. Afterwards, he went to work for his alma mater as a lobbyist, representing UF to the Florida Legislature. He began his studies at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO in 1998. While there, he spent a year studying at Westfield House and Cambridge University in Cambridge, England. He completed his vicarage at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Carbondale, IL. After receiving the Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary, Rev. Glover moved back to Gainesville to continue his graduate studies in Political Science at the University of Florida, where he received a Master of Arts degree. He was later called to be the pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Chiefland, FL. In January 2008, Glover joined the US Army as an Active Duty Chaplain, with assignments at Fort Stewart, Georgia; Schweinfurt, Germany; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii and at the Pentagon, where he served as the inaugural Government Affairs Officer for the Army Chief of Chaplains. Chaplain Glover deployed to Iraq from 2009-2010 in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.  Pastor Glover's wife, Alison, is also a native of Gainesville, and they have two children: HannahGrace and Graham, Jr. “Gray". Resources: Email us at friendsforlife@lcms.org LCMS Life, Health and Family Ministries: lcmslife.org For resources on the family: lcmslife.org/family Not all views expressed are necessarily those of the LCMS; please discuss any questions with your pastor.

In this chapter of Building the Brand, I cover my time from landing in Fort Benning, Georgia in October 2013, to arriving at Fort Hood, Texas in October 2014. I share how my severe eating disorder led me to fall in love with fitness and start Bare Performance Nutrition (BPN). I recount my Army ROTC experiences, graduating college, and the challenges faced during Ranger School. This chapter reflects on the importance of solitude, resilience, and the life lessons learned, paving the way for BPN's growth and my leadership approach. Chapters 00:00 Overcoming Personal Struggles 00:10 The Spark of Fitness and Nutrition 00:25 Military Journey Begins 00:50 Starting BPN: The Early Challenges 02:05 Reflecting on Chapter One 05:00 Arriving at Fort Benning 07:56 Lessons from Military Training 18:33 The Importance of Solitude 24:56 Preparing for Ranger School 32:55 Mastering Time Management 34:47 The Ranger School Challenge 39:48 Facing Setbacks and Resilience 50:45 Lessons in Leadership and Character 53:50 New Beginnings at Fort Hood 59:46 Going All In on BPN Strength, endurance, and wellness supplements to fuel your performance. SAVE 10% at BPN Supps: https://bit.ly/nickbare10audio FOLLOW: IG: https://www.instagram.com/thenickbarepodcast YT: youtube.com/@nickbarefitness

You're in for a treat on this episode as we welcome the inspiring Adria Gross to the show! Adria's transformational journey is nothing short of remarkable. After battling epilepsy at a young age and undergoing life-altering brain surgery, she reclaimed her life and now dedicates herself to helping others navigate the complex world of medical insurance. With over 30 years of experience, Adria is the President and CEO of MedWise Insurance Advocacy, where she advocates for those struggling with the confusing healthcare system. She's the co-author of "Solved! Curing Your Medical Insurance Problems" and "Multi Payer Medicine Nightmare Made in the USA", endorsed by Ralph Nader. Her most recent book, "Apparently DIFFERENT," was released in June 2024, and we dive into the insights and lessons from her powerful story. In this episode, Adria shares her deeply personal journey, how she turned her challenges into a lifelong mission, and the invaluable lessons she's learned along the way. We also talk about the transformative power of empathy, navigating relationships while facing health challenges, and the importance of understanding the ever-changing insurance landscape. In This Episode, You'll Learn: How Adria overcame her medical challenges and reclaimed her life. Insights from her latest book, "Apparently DIFFERENT." Practical advice for navigating the medical insurance system. The impact of major health events on how we are perceived by society. The healing power of empathy and understanding in the face of adversity. This episode is dedicated to 22 Too Many Veteran: Anthony Homnick Airbone Army Veteran Anthony Joseph Homnick, born June 23, 1983, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the beloved son of Priscilla Homnick. Anthony was a 2002 graduate of Berwick High School. In 2003, he joined the United States Army, 82nd Airborne Division, stationed at Fort Benning, GA, where he graduated BCT.In 2005, he deployed to Iraq in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Upon returning, he was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he did three tours, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the other in Afghanistan, retiring in 2013. He loved in-line skating as a teenager; he also loved drawing, fishing and lifting weights. Most of all, he loved his family and living life to the fullest. He loved his family, his wife and his 3 dogs. He especially loved his nieces and nephews, who he spoiled. He loved the Military just as much as he loved his family. He was also known for his glorious beard, of which he was very proud. He was a kind and gentle soul, who would do anything for anyone and never ask for anything in return. Anthony lost his battle with PTS, February 22, 2015. He was 31 years old.   ---------------------------------------------------- Adria can be reached at the following places https://www.medicalinsuranceadvocacy.com/ Facebook Instagram: @medwise_insurance_advocacy X: @gross84660   email: adria@medwisebilling.com   You can also get her books: Apparently DIFFERENT: The Struggle for Understanding, Acceptance, and Compassion Solved! Curing Your Medical Insurance Problems: Advice from MedWise Insurance Advocacy Multi-Payer Medicine Nightmare Made in the USA: ADVICE FROM MedWise INSURANCE ADVOCACY    ------------------------------------------------------------ Kerri can be found on Instagram: @running_with_the_rockstar Facebook: Every Run Has a Story   You can find Paul - The Rhode Runner in the following places: Twitter: @TheRhodeRunner Instagram: @TheRhodeRunner Facebook   Inspiring Journeys can be found on: InspiringJourneys.net Instagram: @InspiringJourneysPod Facebook   You can also download and subscribe to the Inspiring Journeys Podcast at: Apple Podcasts iHeartRadio Spotify

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the sixty-seventh episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience' and the third annual Large Scale Combat Operations Symposium. Hosted by CW2 Jerrad Rader, the Brigade Targeting Officer OCT for BDE Command & Control (BCT HQ) on behalf of the Commander of Operations Group. Today's guest is Brigade Targeting Officer for 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, CW3 James Crain.   The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division is an active Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the United States Army based at Fort Drum in New York. The brigade headquarters carries the lineage of the 10th Mountain Division's original headquarters company, and served as such in World War II, and in peacetime at Fort Riley, Fort Benning, and West Germany in the 1940s and 1950s. 1st BCT has numerous deployments to contingencies around the world in the 1990s and later in support of the Global War on Terrorism. They have the Hollywood call-sign of “Warriors” and the motto of “Find a way or make one.”   In this episode, we talk targeting cycle challenges, insights, and best practices for integrating and synchronizing joint fires from the perspective of two seasoned warrant officers. Fires are normally used in concert with maneuver, which helps shape the battlespace, setting conditions for decisive action. At the brigade echelon, this methodology focuses on the employment of fires within the brigade's deep-fight with the maneuver battalions focused on the brigade's close-fight. Another effective employment method is their use to support the brigade's close-fight, which incorporates the use of the maneuver battalions' mortars into the fires plan. Effective brigade fires during large-scale combat operations require the integration and synchronization of fire support with maneuver plans, leveraging joint fires, and maintaining clear command and control structures. A robust targeting process and decentralized execution allow for rapid and accurate fire missions. Logistical support ensures sustained operations, while counter-fire capabilities protect against enemy artillery. Continuous training and rehearsals are essential to maintaining proficiency and ensuring that brigade fires provide decisive, responsive firepower that supports the brigade's overall objectives on the battlefield.   Part of S07 “Joint Fires Discussions” series.   For additional information and insights from this episode, please check-out our Instagram page @the_jrtc_crucible_podcast   Be sure to follow us on social media to keep up with the latest warfighting TTPs learned through the crucible that is the Joint Readiness Training Center.   Follow us by going to: https://linktr.ee/jrtc and then selecting your preferred podcast format.   Again, we'd like to thank our guests for participating. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and review us wherever you listen or watch your podcasts — and be sure to stay tuned for more in the near future.   “The Crucible – The JRTC Experience” is a product of the Joint Readiness Training Center.

The FTGN Merch Store is Live!! Help Support the site with official FTGN Gear! General Scott Miller, U.S. Army Retired, returns to the show to reflect on a storied career spanning nearly four decades, offering candid insights on the key moments that shaped his leadership. In this episode, Joe and General Miller dive deep into foundational experiences that forged Miller's approach to command, sharing valuable lessons that apply whether you're leading in the military or the corporate world. Miller also shares poignant reflections on his transition to civilian life, highlighting the challenges and offering a stark warning to military leaders about the dangers they may face in the process. General Austin "Scott" Miller, assuming the role of Executive Chairman for Prairie Fire Nevada in January 2023, boasts a distinguished career spanning over 38 years in uniform. Graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1983, he retired from active duty in 2021, leaving an indelible mark on some of the world's most complex geopolitical landscapes.Throughout his tenure, General Miller, an Airborne-Ranger and Infantry officer, commanded at various levels, from leading a company in Korea to spearheading the TF Ranger assault force in Mogadishu during the infamous "Blackhawk Down" incident. His leadership extended to commanding the Joint Special Operations Command and culminated in serving as the final commander of NATO's Resolute Support Mission and United States Forces Afghanistan.A stalwart figure in the Global War on Terror, General Miller distinguished himself as one of the earliest Americans to engage in the pursuit of Usama Bin Laden and other high-value targets. His extensive combat experience includes commanding multiple Special Operation Task Forces across the Middle East and South Asia.Notably, as commanding general of the United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning in 2014, General Miller led efforts to integrate women into the prestigious U.S. Army Ranger School, a pivotal step forward in gender equality within the military.General Miller's accolades include two Combat Infantryman Badges, two Purple Hearts, the Silver Star and a remarkable 20 Overseas Service Bars, underscoring his unparalleled dedication with over a decade spent in combat zones. (Bio Courtesy of PrarieFire Nevada)Special thanks to this week's sponsors!Veteran-founded Adyton. Step into the next generation of equipment management with Log-E by Adyton. Whether you are doing monthly inventories or preparing for deployment, Log-E is your pocket property book, giving real-time visibility into equipment status and mission readiness. Learn more about how Log-E can revolutionize your property tracking process here!Exray a veteran-owned apparel brand elevating the custom gear experience. Exray provides free design services and creates dedicated web stores for unitsMy favorite coffee is veteran-owned Alpha Coffee and I've been drinking it every morning since 2020! They make 100% premium arabica coffee. Alpha has donated over 22k bags of coffee to deployed units and they offer a 10% discount for military veterans, first responders, nurses, and teachers! Try their coffee today. Once you taste the Alpha difference, you won't want to drink anything else!  Learn more here.   

When one half of a couple joins the military, the other does also, in a sense, by default. There can be a sense of abandonment, as well as a troubling intimation that the military will always come first. Military spouse Simone Gorrindo joins us to talk about her experience as captured in The Wives: A Memoir. Her book is an intimate and evocative account of the challenges that come with her husband's deployment. Initially resistant to the idea of military life, Gorrindo stuck with her boyfriend, Andrew, when he decided to join the Army. That meant leaving a vibrant life in Manhattan to a rented house near Fort Benning. In time, Andrew left with a special operations unit in Afghanistan. Gorrindo, who holds a master's degree in journalism and has a background in editing, felt the constraints of her new role. She found military culture to be one of dependency which, along with the oppressive heat of Georgia, the mundane routine of her days, and the abandonment of her professional life in New York City surrounded her in a curtain of isolation. Her company consisted primarily of other military wives, each dealing with the challenges of their husbands' deployments. These women, thrown together by circumstance, navigated a life filled with uncertainty, emotional strain, and the need for resilience. The uncertainty, anxiety, dependency all recalled Simone's childhood, one dominated by her mother's alcoholism. The sense of longing and stability, the desire for connection, pervades her account. Her own background flooded the foreground as she progresses in her pregnancy. Each deployment felt like a betrayal. The adrenaline and purpose that guided Andrew's life were absent in hers. As an Army wife, Simone was expected to be compliant and accommodating. The gulf between her and Andrew widened. Yet, Simone knew her job was to maintain the household and construct a sort of family stability, even as the Army spun plans of its own, of which she was left entirely unaware. When Andrew returned from a deployment, he had changed. But, she had changed also. In detailing her story with courageous candor, Simone Gorrindo gives us a opportunity to talk about the dilemmas and difficulties faced by military spouses. It sheds light on the emotional labor, the sense of isolation, and the resilience required to navigate life in the shadow of military deployment. Through her personal narrative, Gorrindo gives voice to the collective experiences of military wives, arguing for the recognition of their strength and the importance of their own transformations. We're grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event! #militaryhistory #veteran #interview #veterans #vet #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #virtualevents #virtual #zoom #zoomevents #liveevent #webinar #military #army #usarmy #navy #usnavy #marinecorps #marines #airforce #pilot #aviators #coastguard #nonprofit #501c3 #history  #militaryveterans #veteransstories #veteranshistory #veteraninterview #veteranshistoryproject #veteransoralhistory #veteranowned #militaryretirees #armyretirees #navyretirees #warstories #vietnam #vietnamwar #vietnamveterans #koreanwar #coldwar #greatestgeneration #wwii #ww2 #worldwarii #worldwar2 #war #americanhistory #oralhistory #podcast  #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #roundtable #breakfast #generation911 #happyhour

April Nicol is a public figure known for her advocacy in the Second Amendment world and as a badass operator ROZE in Call of Duty Modern Warfare. But that's just scratching the surface. April is an ER nurse, a wife, mother, social media, and Twitch personality, and a staunch supporter of our military veterans and first responders. She's also the face of Call of Duty Endowment's newest and only female operator, promoting a charity that helps veterans find high-quality jobs. She hosted the Ganey Cup at Fort Benning, a worldwide military competition, and is involved with Redcon1 and Gruntstyle, showcasing her leadership in our community. When she's not busy saving lives or supporting our troops, April enjoys traveling, working out, outdoor activities, and spending time with her family. So without further ado, let's dive into my conversation with the amazing April Nicol. 

The Army focuses on fitness, and they can teach us all some things. A week after Independence Day, there will be a big changing of the guard on Fort Moore. But before that, I went to the Army post in West Georgia for a workout with the outgoing Commanding General, before his next mission in his 32+ year military career. He also had a lot to say for this podcast, so go ahead and subscribe to it. (5:10) First, I give a recap of my 1 hour of exercises with the General on a humid early morning in Georgia - included pullups, planks for 90 seconds, lunges and squats with weight, running the stairs at Doughboy Stadium, and more. (11:04) Major General Curtis Buzzard talks about physical training (PT) being the most important thing soldiers do every day, the best way to train for combat. He and dozens of soon-to-be platoon leaders were alongside me for the PT. The MG enjoys discussing fitness! (14:57) Between pushups, the 54-year-old Buzzard called it an honor to lead this historic Army post through the change from Fort Benning to being named after Vietnam hero Lt. General Hal Moore and very active military wife Julie. MG Buzzard talks about the powerful atmosphere at Fort Moore. (17:18) We also talk about him continuing his career in the Army in an "uncertain world" with the goal of continuing to protect America's sons and daughters. I close the episode out in prayer. Thanks for listening to the #RunTheRace podcast! Also, write a quick review about it, on Apple podcasts. For more info and all past episodes, go to www.wtvm.com/podcast/.

Happiness Solved with Sandee Sgarlata. In this episode, Sandee interviews J.R. Martinez. From the battlefields of Iraq to the dance floor of ABC's “Dancing with the Stars”, J.R. Martinez has woven a remarkable tale of resilience and triumph. The Louisiana-born Army Iraq war veteran, and multifaceted talent has defied expectations at every turn, leaving an indelible mark on the worlds of entertainment, literature, and motivational speaking. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Martinez comes from a multicultural background – his mom, a resilient single parent originally from El Salvador, and his dad, of Mexican descent. In 2002, a young and idealistic Martinez embarked on military training in Fort Benning, Georgia, honing his skills as an 11-B Infantryman. In January of 2003, he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division and in March of that year, he was deployed to Iraq. Tragedy struck on April 5th, 2003, less than a month into his deployment. While driving in the outsides of Karbala, a roadside bomb engulfed his Humvee, trapping Martinez within, inflicting severe burns to more than 34% of his body and smoke inhalation. Evacuated to Germany and then San Antonio, he spent 34 months undergoing 33 surgeries, including skin grafts and cosmetic procedures. This harrowing ordeal, however, proved to be a crucible, forging his inner strength and igniting a new purpose. Amidst recovery, Martinez discovered his calling as a motivational speaker. Sharing his story with fellow burn survivors, he embarked on a global journey of inspiration, captivating audiences at military bases and speaking for esteemed organizations like Delta and Wells Fargo. He embraced the philosophy of "Adapt & OvercomeSM," a personal mantra that resonated with audiences worldwide. His commitment to giving back extended beyond speaking engagements. Organizations like Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors and Glasswing International found a passionate advocate in Martinez, reflecting his deep belief in community and gratitude. His dedication was recognized through numerous awards, including the Ivy Award for his work with veterans and the National Red Cross Spirit Award. In true Hollywood fashion, encouraged by a friend, he auditioned for "All My Children," landing a three-month role that blossomed into a three-year career, igniting his passion for acting. In 2011, he further captivated audiences on “Dancing with the Stars”, clinching the coveted mirror ball trophy alongside Karina Smirnoff. This triumph opened doors, expanding his platform and solidifying his connection with a loyal fan base. Never one to rest on his laurels, Martinez ventured into writing. His memoir, "Full of Heart: My Story of Survival, Strength, and Spirit," became a New York Times bestseller, proving the power of vulnerability and resonating with readers alike. His thirst for knowledge led him to pursue higher education, a milestone that marked him as the first in his family to attend college. Today, Martinez remains a sought-after motivational speaker, balancing his time between travel, veteran non-profits, acting engagements, fitness pursuits, and cherished moments with his wife, Diana, and their children. He continues to spread his message of resilience and optimism, inspiring audiences both on and off stage. Martinez's journey, though remarkable, is still in its early chapters, and the world eagerly awaits what this multifaceted hero will achieve next.   Sign up for the Happiness Solved Plus Exclusive Membership Site: http://HappinessSolved.Supercast.com   Connect with J.R.:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamjrmartinez  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamjrmartinez  Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamjrmartinez   Website: https://jrmartinez.com/    Connect with Sandee www.sandeesgarlata.com Podcast: www.happinesssolved.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/coachsandeesgarlata Twitter: www.twitter.com/sandeesgarlata Instagram: www.instagram.com/coachsandeesgarlata    

Patrick Bergy returnsAug 30, 2023Patrick Bergy returns to the Opperman Report with updates on the indictments; Patrick Bergy is no ordinary guest. An insider in politics and whistle blower, he has put himself in the crosshairs with all political hues, revealing information about Biden, Trump and others that those in the seats of power would rather remain unknown.With updates on the Hunter Biden laptop case, Trump, Patrick Byrne as the source for the Mara Lago search warrant, swimming pool leaks. Roger Stone and more!!!!Patrick Bergy is an Afghanistan veteran, author, and proud father of four children. His personal story has been featured in two Shadow Gate documentaries and PSYOP the Steal, by journalist Millie Weaver, who was arrested as she was uploading it. Patrick is also featured in an upcoming documentary by Nick Searcy, Deep Fake 1.6. In his first book, Victim of the Swamp; How the Deep-State Destroyed the 40-Year-Old Private, Patrick told his story of running for election supervisor in Florida, to his enlistment in the U.S. Army where he spent his 40th birthday doing the live fire, low crawl at Fort Benning, GA. He is currently doing speaking engagements and book signings to bring awareness to the treasonous fraud, waste and abuse by the Military Industrial Complex, Social Media Industrial Complex and Mainstream Media Industrial Complex.Books : Victim Of The Swamp; How The "Deep State" Destroyed The 40 Year Old Private Operation Shadowgate The American Awakening Operation Shadow-Gate The Hacking of Mankind's ShadowWebsite Freedomstream.tvTwitch PFC_bergyPrevious InterviewBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

Come Meet Randy Nantz he enlisted in the Army after 9/11/01, upon completing basic training in March of 2002, at Fort Benning, GA, he reported to 3rd Infantry Division located at Fort Stewart, GA. In January of 2003, he deployed to Kuwait to prepare for the initial invasion of Iraq. After the completion of that tour, he redeployed back home August 25, 2003.He then volunteered for and attended SFAS, Special Forces Assessment and Selection course in January of 2004, after getting selected, he continued to graduate successfully, Airborne, and the Special Forces Qualification Course, as a Communications Sergeant in March of 2006. At that time, SGT Nantz then reported to 5th Special Forces Group Airborne and deployed back to Iraq, in August 2006. On Dec. 22nd of 2006, while taking part in a small recon mission, in Baghdad Jadida, Baghdad, Iraq, an Explosively Formed Projectile (EFP), a devastating roadside bomb and shaped charge, struck his Humvee. Randy's body sustained 22% total body surface, 3rd-degree burns, considerable muscle tissue loss, and severe nerve damage. The nerve damage was severe enough, it ultimately led to a below the knee, left leg amputation. To date, he has undergone four amputations on the same leg because of multiple infections and difficulties. Late OCT 2017, he underwent surgery, to place a full thickness graft over a problem area, and so far it has been successful, and its prognosis is promising.

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the fifty-seventh episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.' Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today's guest is the Commanding General of the Maneuver Center of Excellence, MG Curtis Buzzard.   The Maneuver Center of Excellence was established in September 2011 when the US Army Armor Center and School moved from Ft. Knox, KY to Ft. Benning, GA (now Ft. Moore) in addition to the US Army Infantry Center and School. Fort Moore supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees on a daily basis. Established in 1918 as Camp Benning and in 1922 Camp Benning became Fort Benning. In 2023 the name was changed to honor LTG Hal Moore and his wife Julia Compton Moore.   In this episode we focus on training and leader development, an area that the Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE) specializes in as it offers over 60 courses, ranging from Basic Combat Training to Ranger School to the Maneuver Captain's Career Course (MCCC). We also discuss some of the modernization efforts being undertaken as the MCoE is the proponent for force modernization for brigade and below formations. Specifically discussed is the deliberate refocusing on brilliance of the basics of small unit tactics, seen especially during Infantry, armor, and cavalry soldiers' One Station Unit Training that combines basic training with advanced individual training for a twenty-two-week program. Over the last two years, MCoE has striven to incorporate emerging trends and technologies into their courses offered so that Soldiers and leaders alike are able to successfully fight and win any conflict that the US finds itself in tomorrow. This includes incorporating the employment of small UAS and basic EW capabilities into OSUT as well as having guest speakers from current ongoing conflicts at MCCC.   Part of S01 “The Leader's Laboratory” series.   For additional information and insights from this episode, please check-out our Instagram page @the_jrtc_crucible_podcast   Be sure to follow us on social media to keep up with the latest warfighting TTPs learned through the crucible that is the Joint Readiness Training Center.   Follow us by going to: https://linktr.ee/jrtc and then selecting your preferred podcast format.   Again, we'd like to thank our guests for participating. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and review us wherever you listen or watch your podcasts — and be sure to stay tuned for more in the near future.   “The Crucible – The JRTC Experience” is a product of the Joint Readiness Training Center.  

Explore the unique experiences of Jewish U.S. military veterans with Dave Warnock, U.S. Army Veteran, and Andrea Goldstein, U.S. Navy Veteran and Reservist. If you missed this conversation when it first aired for Veterans Day, here's your chance to honor Jewish American Heritage Month and pay tribute to those who serve our country.  Our guests share what inspired them to join the military, how their Jewish heritage played a significant role in shaping their service, and what advice they have for IDF soldiers fighting now against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Warnock and Goldstein are members of AJC's ACCESS Jewish Military Veterans Affinity Group, a space to convene young Jewish professionals who have served in the American military.  *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC.  Episode Lineup:  (0:40) Dave Warnock, Andrea Goldstein Show Notes: Learn more: What You Need to Know About the ICC and the Israel-Hamas War Listen to AJC's People of the Pod: Seven Months In: What Israelis Think About the War Against Hamas, Campus Antisemitism in America, and More What Does it Mean to be a Jewish American Hero? A Jewish American Heritage Month Conversation with AJC CEO Ted Deutch Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Episode Transcript: Manya Brachear Pashman: Earlier this month, during my conversation with AJC CEO Ted Deutch about Jewish American heroes and Jewish American Heritage Month, we paid tribute to those who serve our country in a multitude of ways – teachers, doctors, nurses. As we approach Memorial Day and the end of Jewish American Heritage Month, we thought it would be appropriate to re-broadcast an episode that aired last fall. Guest hosting is my colleague Dr. Dana Levinson Steiner, Director of ACCESS Global at AJC, where she oversees an international program to engage young professionals, including a number of Jewish military veterans. Dana, the mic is yours. Dana Levinson Steiner: Thanks, Manya. I'm so happy that we're here today. It was just over two years ago that we formed the ACCESS Jewish Military Veterans Affinity Group, which is a space for us to convene young Jewish professionals who had served in the American military. And here we are now recording our first People of the Pod podcast episode in honor of and commemorating Veterans Day.  With us today are: Dave Warnock, U.S. Army Veteran, joining us from his home in Seattle, Washington, and Andrea Goldstein, U.S. Navy Veteran and Reservist, who is based in Washington, D.C. Dave, Andrea, thanks for joining us today. Dave Warnock:   Happy to be here, Dana. Andrea Goldstein:   Yeah, I'm glad to be here.  Dana Levinson Steiner: To kick off the conversation, please tell us a little bit about your journey as an American Jewish military veteran. What inspired you to join the United States Armed Forces? Dave, let's start with you. Dave Warnock:   For me, there are two kind of main things when I look back on what propelled me to join the US Army. The first one was my great grandfather, Saul Fink. The family legend is like he emigrated over from the shtetl. His family settled in Harlem. And when he heard about what was going on in Texas at the time, and 1916 and 1914 with the Pancho Villa incursions, he felt so propelled by patriotism and love of America that he had to run away from home and enlist at 16 years old. Which he did. Joined the Horse Calvary, a proper Jewish cowboy chasing after Pancho Villa in New Mexico, in a forgotten war. And he made sort of a career out of the army. So that's the legend that he was propelled by patriotism, maybe hated the tenement, maybe just wanted to get out of Harlem, get some fresh air, see the American West, I don't know.  But his service propelled him forward in American society, through the US Army in a way that I think would have been unavailable to a lot of Jews at the time. It's not to say that it was an easy journey. He was certainly discriminated against; he shortened his name from Finkelstein to Fink for reasons that are not kind of lost to history. One joke is that it couldn't fit on the nametag. But through this service, he was elevated in society, he became an officer in World War I. He served through World War II and in the army of occupation in Germany. And his stature, sort of the patriarch of my family, loomed large. My middle name is Solomon, I'm named after him. So that kind of tradition was part of it. Another part was, I enlisted in 2004. So three years after 91/1 when I was a freshman in high school, and that terrorist attack really did propelled, cemented my decision to serve you know, if that didn't happen, I don't know what I would have done differently. But those are the two main reasons that propelled me to join. And I joined the Army and I volunteered for the infantry because I wanted to be a soldier.  Dana Levinson Steiner: In a lot of ways, it is our family that inspires us to make these kinds of decisions and we learn so much from our family history and our family lineage. Andrea, I'd love to hear a little bit more about your journey too and I'm curious if family played a role in your decision to join the Navy. Andrea Goldstein:   My family decision to do the military was much more related to growing up in the United States, growing up in New York at a time actually, probably when we didn't have the NYPD outside of synagogues. I didn't really think about being Jewish, at least in New York in the 90s. But my family came here in mostly two waves, most in the early 20th century, and then another wave right before the Holocaust, and found everything they were looking for. And depending on which wave, either second generation or third generation where a sense of precarity and being American was gone. We just were American Jews. And I am currently sitting in a home that has embroidery on the wall that was sent to my great-grandmother, by family members who ended up–who perished in the shoah. This country really gave us everything and I wanted to give back to that.  The value of tikkun olam is very central to everything that I do. And so serving my country and wearing the cloth of the nation to me felt like really the only way to do that.  9/11 was not a motivating factor for me, despite growing up in New York City and being in New York City on 9/11. My desire to serve in uniform predated that, in fact, 9/11 led me to really not so much reconsider, but really give even more thought to my military service, because I knew I would be serving in conflict zones, which, with the peacetime military of the 90s, that wasn't clear. But I ended up joining through an officer program. I didn't initially have any family support, because it was such a shocking choice. I had great-grandparents who'd served during World War Two great-uncles, but not from a military family at all. And what became very understood by my family, because it was, what was motivating me was, this desire to serve my country and wear the cloth of the nation, no matter what. Dana Levinson Steiner: I want to pivot a little bit, I want to get back to questions of Jewish identity in a moment. But when we're thinking about American Jews serving in the US armed forces, while there isn't a ton of data, the most recent-ish data suggests that just about 1% of the US armed forces, or the US military, is made up of American Jews. It's tiny, only 1%. And that 1% is of an already really small number of American Jews who already live in this country.  So, you know, thinking about this statistic and also acknowledging American history in serving in the military. What do we make of this small number? And what would you like to tell young American Jews who may be considering joining the military but may have doubts or concerns? Andrea Goldstein:   So there are a couple of things I would say to that. I would comment on that data–first of all, that's only commenting that that only includes self reported numbers because we don't collect demographic data on, it's seen as completely religious affiliation. The military does not collect demographics on Jews as being an ethnic group. So it's actually quite difficult to self-report your religion. So there's going to be an undercount, there are people who are Jewish, who may even practice privately, who are not reporting. And it also doesn't capture Jewish families.  So it doesn't capture the number of people who may be not Jewish themselves, but their partner and spouse is Jewish, and they're raising Jewish children, and they're observing Jewish holidays with their families. So there's a lot that we really don't know. What I would also say is, if you were to overlay where the military struggles to recruit from, with the parts of the country where most Jews live in the United States, you would see probably some very interesting geographic trends.  The military has become a family business. There has also been, there have been some comforts that the military has had in where they recruit from. And that typically is not New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Washington, DC. So in addition to being one of the very few Jews that I know, in the military, I think I know probably even fewer people from New York City, especially officers. Dana Levinson Steiner: Dave, I'm curious, your thoughts on some of these numbers? And also maybe what you would tell–you and I have talked about this before about wanting to really engage in conversation with young American Jews about this experience and what it can mean for them, you know, acknowledging this number a while not perfect, I would imagine it's not so massive. So tell us a little bit about what you think and also maybe what you would tell a young American Jew who might be considering enlisting. Dave Warnock:   Sure. First off, my mom was also very surprised when I joined, perplexed, flummoxed, aggrieved, perhaps she would have much rather me not join the army. But I just have to get that out there because she's certainly going to listen to this. Yeah, so, you know, I don't know where that number comes from, you know, the infantry's a different representation, I would say Jews were less than 1% of the infantry. But when I was at basic training, like for one station unit training, as they called it back then, after your red phase, like your hell phase, or whatever you want to call it, you are allowed to go to religious services on Sunday.  So I went to Jewish services on Sunday, because, you know, it is the army. And I want to do it, like in my basic training company, there were no other Jews. So the company's like 200 guys, and then when you go to religious services, they're all of a sudden, like, 200 guys, they're like, Oh, my God, why so many Jews all of a sudden in every company in Fort Benning, except for mine? And then I realized is because they serve Kiddush lunch and you could get snacky cakes after services. And it turns out there were like three actual Jews at the services. Andrea Goldstein:   I had a completely different experience in officer candidate school where we were allowed to leave on Friday nights. Dana Levinson Steiner: Oh, interesting. Dave, what was your experience?  Dave Warnock:   So again,, this is like 2005, things might have changed. But when you joined a Combat Arms significant you just went to one station unit training and it was a fairly intense experience. Think about Full Metal Jacket, whatever, people screaming at you, doing lots of push ups. And all your time is blocked out and accounted for. So you've trained on Saturdays and religious service time was Sunday morning. That's the time you got, so if you want to go to services, you  had to do that. Something to consider if you join certain aspects of the military is, religious accommodations will be difficult. You know, I served with guys who were vegetarian. And there's one vegetarian MRE. You ate that a lot, like our rations for the field. So you eat that vegetarian ration a lot. Get real used to it.  Certainly that is a consideration and it would be difficult to be religiously observant. In the infantry. I actually there was one guy in my company on the latter half of my service who was a religious Jew. And he basically got a lot of exceptions by his rabbi to serve. Because it was hard. The army would accommodate him to an extent, like, for example, we had to shave every day. And so he was allowed to use an electric razor. But it's something to consider if you are religious, that serving in the US military will be challenging.  But you know, I encourage people to consider it. I don't regret my service, it's difficult to imagine my adult life without it. I'd say, I'm proud of it, too. But it carries costs. You know, when I was 19, on my first tour in Iraq, I was wounded, it took me six months to recover and get back to the line. The, almost five years I was in, I rarely saw my family because I was stationed in Germany and deployed to Iraq twice. So I was overseas, essentially, for the entire time of my service. And that's something to consider, but this is all my perspective.  But the experiences you get, that will propel you forward in life in a way that I don't think you get through other things, certainly, when you're 18, or when I was. That being said, you know, a lot of soldiers in my unit did die in combat. A lot of guys, when they got out, they did struggle with PTSD and suicide. So it's not all sunshine and roses. But for me, it was the right decision. Andrea Goldstein: Military service is really incredible. My field does have more Jewish folks, especially in the reserves where I'm still serving. What's been very interesting is as an intelligence officer, the active duty component doesn't have a lot of Jewish people, but the reserve component, my last unit, we had enough people to have a minyan in a unit of 50 people. And I have found, similarly to just living in society. I mean, your exercises are not–you're going to have exercises that take place during Rosh Hashanah, you're going to be deployed around Christian holidays so that people can be home for Christmas. Maybe you'll be lucky if that's around Hanukkah.  But I've also found people to who I've worked with to be incredibly accommodating up until, up  to the extent that they can. So maybe I was going to be away for Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur. But people would change their shifts with me on watch so that I could run the service because I was the lay leader, or so that I could break my fast at the end of Yom Kippur war.  And I experienced people being really curious and asking a lot of really good, in good faith questions. And I've had incredible experiences that range from serving with a lot of incredible, not just our military, but partner militaries. The most rewarding was my time with NATO where I got to teach in Norway and Greece and in  Sweden and get to have these incredible experiences with people as the people who– actually the Germans all notice my last name, which was really interesting. And that's a whole other story. But you also see things you can't experience anywhere else. And it's not just the–I saw a meteor shower in the middle of the ocean, on my 26th birthday from the middle of a ship. Like there are certain experiences that you don't think about when you're going into the profession of arms. But you will get to experience these incredibly vibrant experiences just because you've, you've made this choice to go where no one else does. And so it's incredibly rewarding.  I've also found that as a millennial, I mean, there are some very realistic things about the economic environment that we graduated into. And because of my military service, I have no debt, and I own a home. I have a master's degree that the GI bill paid for. So there's some other things. Dana Levinson Steiner: You talked about sort of the things that you learned and the experience that you got as a young person. Dave tell us maybe a little about some of the more rewarding experiences or things were really profoundly important to you in your service. Dave Warnock:   I got out when I was 23. So 13 years ago now and memories once so vivid that I thought I would never forget him kind of faded away a little bit. One thing that I'll never forget, that was quite challenging, because after I was wounded, I was kind of serving in the rear just like in a limited duty capacity, like back in my garrison. And it was a tough tour, you know, lots of us got wounded, we had lots of members of our battalion killed. And I was asked by chain of command, as much as one can be asked in the military to escort a soldier's body back to his parents and to his burial in Arlington Cemetery. And I did that, and that was, I can't even describe just what that moment felt like to do that to be present there. It's kind of like a unit liaison. I didn't know the soldier, we were in different companies. But that was something I'll never forget. Actually escorting a soldier back to his parents.  Another memory I'll never forget is like, because I have a photo of it. And it's on the wall in our living room is, the photo of me and my fire team. I was a sergeant on my second tour. And so I led like a small unit of four guys. And I have a picture when we were leaving Iraq for the last time. And just that sense of accomplishment of, everyone came home safe from my team on that tour. And that's why it's hung up on my wall. It's you know, we're smiling. We're happy. We're leaving. Yeah, so those are two things that tend to stand out in my service.  Dana Levinson Steiner: So Andrea, you started off by saying that the value of tikkun olam, repairing the world is one of the things that really guides you. And what I want to ask both you and Dave is how has your identity as a Jew, also shaped your experience as a veteran, we talked a little bit about, you know, in the beginning about your experiences as Jews or maybe your family, being involved in the military not being involved, being surprised. But tell us a little bit about how your identity as a Jew has shaped your experience as a military veteran and as someone who served in our armed forces. Andrea Goldstein:   So I left active duty in 2016 and stayed in the reserves but left full time service because I felt like I had reached a ceiling on what I could really do for others and that be my full time job. I wanted to keep serving, I wanted to keep serving my country. But a lot of that actually had to do with the way that I saw a lot of my teammates being mistreated by systemic issues, whether they be cultural or policy. And I wanted to spend a lot more of my time actively putting putting more good into the world versus preventing bad things from happening. Because that's what you do in the military, especially if you're in intel, you try to stop the bad you don't do anything that actively promotes the good. And so I've spent the last seven years in my civilian career, either in nonprofit or public service, doing just that.  And about half of that time has been active either actively helping veterans, particularly women veterans, and people who have experienced sexual violence or other kinds of institutionalized harm, and currently serving members of the military. And I also firmly believe that our institutions need to live up to the ideals that we profess. And  I want our nation to represent the ideals that my family came here believing it had.  And so that's what I've been doing with my time. I spent two and a half years on the House Veterans Affairs Committee and helped write over 100 laws that particularly supported women veterans, members of the LGBTQ community, sexual trauma survivors, people living with PTSD, to help them get improved access to healthcare and benefits. And I'm also very proud that I've also had the opportunity to work with the IDF and provided some insight into the way that we've made some policy changes here in the US. Dana Levinson Steiner: Dave, tell us a little bit about your Jewish identity and how it plays into this experience. Dave Warnock:   Well, my unit was very diverse in many ways, not gender, because the unit was closed to, or  at the time that the MLS was close to females, so the unit was,  the job was all male. And, you know, part of the pipeline and being new and being a private is your identity is kind of like stripped away and melted down, you're built up as part of this team, your individualism is kind of knocked away. So when that process happens, you know, whatever is the more like forefront of your identity kind of consumes it. In a sense that, like, if you have a very pronounced southern accent, everyone's going to call you a country guy, or whatever. And if you're from New York, there's a guy from Queens, so like, everything about him became like, you're the New York guy.  And for me, it was like I was the Jew. Because that was the most forefront and center thing of my identity. Also, when you shave my head, I have a really big head. So it was all like, all my nicknames were either about having a big head or being a Jew. And then eventually, when I started to grow my hair back and settled more on the latter.  So it was always very central to my service, because that was me, I was like the company's guy who was Jewish. And that was not  meant in a derogatory term was more of like a statement of fact. And I think the only thing I really had to overcome was like, in 2005, when you're serving with people, like when I said it was diverse, you could be serving with people from all over the country, the US territories and guys from parts of the South I've never heard of, guys from the center of the country place have never been soldiers from Puerto Rico and Guam, like all over the world are serving in the US Army and then we have immigrant soldiers from, you know, Colombia, Nicaragua, Vietnam, like it was a very wide swath of representation and not very many of them had even met a Jew before.  So in a way I was like the first Jew a lot of them had ever met. And I think, you know, rewind back 2005. If you know anything about Jews you probably know like Woody Allen and  Jerry Seinfeld, which are exactly like pictures of guys you want in a foxhole with you. So I had to sort of maybe work a little harder to prove myself in the basic soldiering tasks, but like that didn't take very long. A lot of guys asked me questions about Judaism, because they genuinely didn't know. And I think one of the benefits of my service is, these guys take back their experiences with me, which I hope are positive, and then like, go back to wherever they're from. And they're like, if Judaism or Jews comes up, they're like, Hey, I served with a Jewish guy, he was pretty cool.  But I think that was very important to me, and why it's so important for Jews to continue military service, because you just meet people from all over the country that you never would have met before. And it broadened my experiences too, serving with those guys.  Dana Levinson Steiner: I think, hearing the story about how in many cases you might have been the first few that these folks have met is really important. I think in a lot of ways it helps to demystify, or in most important cases, maybe even act against antisemitic ideas or stereotypes. So I think that that's really important. And Dave, you and I have talked over the years, about how sort of the term of calling you a Jew was like a term of endearment. It wasn't in terms of a term of antisemitism. And in spending a lot of my time with this ACCESS Military Veterans Group, I've gotten to learn some of the interesting elements of how you communicate and what that can look like.  So I have just one more question for us. And I think it's really important to acknowledge this moment that we're in. On October 7, Israel experienced one of the most horrific tragedies in its 75 year history. It was and continues to be a horrific day for Israelis and the Jewish community around the world. As of today's recording, over 300 soldiers have been killed and tens of thousands have been called up for active and reserve duty.  So a question I have for both of you is, what is a message that you have, or that you can share, Jewish veteran to Jewish veteran. And I should even say just veteran to veteran because one of the amazing things about Israel is that there are many who serve in the IDF and who've been called up for reserve duty or who are in active duty who are not Jewish. They're a part of the Druze community. They're Arab Israelis. I think that's really what makes Israel such a remarkable country.  So tell us a little bit about perhaps your reactions to that day. And also a message that you have for your fellow soldiers in Israel. Andrea Goldstein:   I'm struggling to react because – the horror, rage, I'm just going to start crying on this podcast and not be able to actually give words. I was actually in touch on WhatsApp with several women who I've had the opportunity to work with who are veterans and reservists in the IDF. And there's definitely this kind of secret community of women around the world who have served in combat roles. Even if they weren't in combat, occupational specialties in their countries, where we know what we did, and our service has often gone unacknowledged and erased. And that service is also particularly called upon during the most desperate times, which we are in now. And the message that I have is we see you, we're with you and we want to run towards chaos with you.  Dana Levinson Steiner: Thank you so much, Andrea. Dave? Dave Warnock:   I mean, I can't say anything that hasn't already been said. You know, shock, anger. My wife and I are expecting our first child soon. And I didn't think we'd be having a daughter, be worried about like, I just thought, ignorantly, that these sorts of things were perhaps in the past. All I can say to those who are going to go serve is, keep your head on a swivel. Watch out for your battle buddy. All the things we used to say to each other then are still true now. Dana Levinson Steiner: Thank you. I think just knowing that you are in community with them, and that they have love and support is so powerful. And as I think both of you know, our ACCESS chapters are all over the world, including in Israel, where a huge number of our ACCESS leaders have been called up for active and reserve duty. So we're thinking of them in this moment.  And we're thinking of all soldiers as we approach Veterans Day, and we're so grateful for the two of you sharing your story with us and sharing your time with us and giving a voice to the more than 1%, we will hope, of American Jewish veterans and perhaps even encourage some folks who may have been thinking that this is something that's been on their mind. Maybe perhaps it might be the moment for them to lean into that into that journey as a Jewish member of our armed forces. So thank you both for joining us. Wishing you a restful and restorative weekend. And Shabbat Shalom. Dave Warnock:   Shabbat shalom, thank you.  Andrea Goldstein:   Thank you so much, shabbat shalom.

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

Physician Assistant and prior C&P examiner Leah Bucholz discusses about Paratroopers and Veteran's Disability.Leah is discussing the intersection of paratrooper activities and VA (Veterans Affairs) disability. She focuses on the specific injury patterns associated with paratrooper duties and the impact these have on VA disability claims. Leah shares her experience as a former paratrooper and medic, referencing her time at the Airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia, and serving in the 82nd Airborne Division and 101st Airborne Division. She emphasizes the various forces acting on the body during static line jumps, such as quick, intense landings, and the resulting risk of injuries to joints and bones. The video delves into literature reviews and articles that highlight the mechanical forces involved in military parachute operations and the common injuries resulting from them, particularly to the lower back, knees, hips, and in some cases, the head.

This is part one of a two-part discussion with internationally renowned expert of Mission Command, Dr. Jörg Muth, author of 'Command Culture' and lecturer for strategic leadership. Kevin and the doctor discuss the intricacies of US and German officer training during WW2. Character versus intellect in hiring? Do the smartest go to the front or to the rear? Who awards initiative versus sacrifice? If you are interested in leader education, you won't want to miss this discussion! Kevin praises the book as one of his most important books he uses in his leadership practice. He's not the only one singing Dr. Muth's praises:  Selected by General Raymond Odierno, 38th Army Chief of Staff, for the U.S. Army Chief of Staff's Professional Reading List, for "The Army Profession," 2012. Selected by Lieutenant General David Morrison, Chief of Army (Australia), for the Chief of Army's Reading List, 2012. Selected by General James F. Amos, Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, as required reading for all senior enlisted men and all Majors and Lieutenant Colonels, 2013.  Selected by Major General H.R. McMaster at the Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning, for the Leader Development Study Program, 2013. Winner of the Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award, 2012.

In this final part of his interview, Kim talks about the Battle of Anzio, earning the Distinguished Service Cross, and his feelings about the war.  – Young Oak Kim was born in Los Angeles to a Korean family in 1919. He tried enlisting prior to World War II, but was denied due to his race. When war finally broke out in Europe, Congress passed the Selective Training Service Act of 1940, requiring all men between the ages of 21 and 45, regardless of race, to register for the draft. Kim was among the first group of men allied up, and he entered the Army in January 1941. Racism, exacerbated by Japan's role in the war, was commonplace both in and out of the military. Despite proving himself to be an exceptional shooter during training, Kim was initially denied the opportunity to fight in the war because he had the “wrong color skin and wrong color eyes”. Eventually, Kim's skill was recognized by his superiors and he was elected for Officer Candidate School, graduating in February 1943. From there, Kim was assigned as the second platoon leader of Company B, 100th Infantry Battalion. The 100th was a racially segregated unit composed mostly of second generation Japanese Americans (known as Nisei) from Hawaii. Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the 100th was removed from Hawaii and sent to the mainland for training.  Kim and the 100th Infantry Battalion were sent to Italy in September of 1943. They fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino and the Battle of Anzio, and earned the nickname “The Purple Heart Battalion” due their high casualty rate. Kim was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for an incredible midnight infiltration mission, which he talks about in the next episode.  After leaving Italy, the 100th Infantry Battalion became part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, another segregated Nisei regiment, and sent to France. Kim was injured by enemy fire at Biffontaine, and was sent back to the US, later earning a Silver Star and the French Croix de Guerre for his actions in France. Germany surrendered before he was able to return. Kim left the Army following World War II, but when war broke out in Korea, he rejoined. He commanded a South Korean guerrilla unit, and was awarded another Silver Star for his actions there.  Kim left Korea in 1952. He then worked as an instructor at Fort Benning, and at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. He retired in 1972 at the rank of colonel as one of the most highly decorated Asian American soldiers in U.S. history with a total of 19 medals.  The 100th also made history, becoming one of the most highly decorated units of World War II. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this first part of his interview, COL Kim talks about joining the Army, serving as a Korean American in World War II, and the Battle of Monte Cassino – Young Oak Kim was born in Los Angeles to a Korean family in 1919. He tried enlisting prior to World War II, but was denied due to his race. When war finally broke out in Europe, Congress passed the Selective Training Service Act of 1940, requiring all men between the ages of 21 and 45, regardless of race, to register for the draft. Kim was among the first group of men allied up, and he entered the Army in January 1941. Racism, exacerbated by Japan's role in the war, was commonplace both in and out of the military. Despite proving himself to be an exceptional shooter during training, Kim was initially denied the opportunity to fight in the war because he had the “wrong color skin and wrong color eyes”. Eventually, Kim's skill was recognized by his superiors and he was elected for Officer Candidate School, graduating in February 1943. From there, Kim was assigned as the second platoon leader of Company B, 100th Infantry Battalion. The 100th was a racially segregated unit composed mostly of second generation Japanese Americans (known as Nisei) from Hawaii. Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the 100th was removed from Hawaii and sent to the mainland for training.  Kim and the 100th Infantry Battalion were sent to Italy in September of 1943. They fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino and the Battle of Anzio, and earned the nickname “The Purple Heart Battalion” due their high casualty rate. Kim was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for an incredible midnight infiltration mission, which he talks about in the next episode.  After leaving Italy, the 100th Infantry Battalion became part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, another segregated Nisei regiment, and sent to France. Kim was injured by enemy fire at Biffontaine, and was sent back to the US, later earning a Silver Star and the French Croix de Guerre for his actions in France. Germany surrendered before he was able to return. Kim left the Army following World War II, but when war broke out in Korea, he rejoined. He commanded a South Korean guerrilla unit, and was awarded another Silver Star for his actions there.  Kim left Korea in 1952. He then worked as an instructor at Fort Benning, and at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. He retired in 1972 at the rank of colonel as one of the most highly decorated Asian American soldiers in U.S. history with a total of 19 medals.  The 100th also made history, becoming one of the most highly decorated units of World War II.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

elitefts Limited Edition Apparel: https://www.elitefts.com/shop/apparel/limited-edition.html            Support and help the Podcast grow by Joining The Crew:  https://whop.com/tabletalkcrew/             In this 266th podcast episode of Dave Tate's Table Talk, Chris McGrail takes a seat. Chris McGrail is a 45-year-old former athlete from Staten Island, New York, with a diverse background in sports and a distinguished military career. He found his athletic calling in track and field, becoming a city champion in long jump and triple jump. McGrail's athletic journey led him to the United States Military Academy at West Point after high school, where an injury diverted his path from track to powerlifting. Graduating from West Point with degrees in Engineering Management and Mechanical Engineering, McGrail also became a certified Army Master Fitness Trainer. His military service took him to Fort Benning and into the heart of combat during the Iraq invasion in 2003, where his service earned him the Bronze Star and Presidential Unit Citation. The aftermath of war left him with PTSD and severe health challenges, but also fueled his success in powerlifting. With over 20 years as a strength coach and 24 years of competing in powerlifting, McGrail has coached soldiers and elite athletes, achieving significant success as an athlete himself, setting numerous records and winning gold medals. Despite medical setbacks and a warning from a surgeon that he would never lift again, McGrail defied the odds, continuing to compete at high levels and setting ambitious goals. Holding a Master of Science in Sport and Fitness and an MBA, his career includes roles in sports promotion and management, and he is currently the Utah State Chairman for the USPA. McGrail has directed national and world championship powerlifting meets and maintains a limited client roster for training due to his commitments as a father, husband, business owner, and advocate for using powerlifting to overcome PTSD. He is also an executive at a protein supplement company.     Connect with him on Instagram @strengthsage or via email at chrism@nitorperformance.com       ABOUT THE HOST   Dave Tate is the founder and co-owner of elitefts.com. He is the author of twenty books and has logged more than 40,000 hours of training and consulting. Dave is married to elitefts co-owner Traci Arnold-Tate, and they reside in London, Ohio, with their two sons. Personal Credo: Live, Learn, Pass on™.   Dave's IG: https://www.instagram.com/underthebar/?hl=en             SPONSORS       Discover NiTOR Protein!   The pinnacle of protein engineering designed to double your Muscle Protein Synthesis duration for unmatched gains. With the highest concentration of BCAAs, ultra bioavailability that blends seamlessly in just 4oz of water, and a unique mix of CoQ10 and B vitamins targeting recovery at its core, NiTOR stands out as the industry's first with a balanced amino acid profile. Experience faster recovery, significant gains, and no digestive discomfort.   Demand more from your protein. Visit NiTORperformance.com  and use code TABLETALK20 for an exclusive offer. https://nitorperformance.com/ Posted Thursday at 9:41am         elitefts   If you can put it in a gym bag or load weight on it, we have you covered.     https://www.elitefts.com/   Use Code TABLE TALK for 10% off your first elitefts order.       SUPPORT THE SHOW   All profits from elitefts Limited Edition Apparel, Table Talk Coffee, and Team elitefts Workouts, Programs, and Training eBooks support Dave Tate's Table Talk Podcast. Shop these elitefts items: https://www.elitefts.com/content/table-talk/      Support Dave Tate's Table Talk podcast by joining the crew.  https://whop.com/tabletalkcrew/      elitefts Shop: https://www.elitefts.com/      elitefts IG: https://www.instagram.com/elitefts/        SPONSORSHIP/PODCAST INQUIRIES   For sponsorships or business inquiries, reach out to tabletalkmedia@elitefts.net   For Podcast inquiries, please DM @elitefts on Instagram or email tabletalkguest@elitefts.net     #DDTTTP   #DTTTP   #ddttp

In Part Two of a now Three Part Series, Paul talks to Tyler Owens. They began Part Two by discussing what changed his mind to enter the military and joining ARMY ROTC at VMI his senior year. Tyler told Paul about the start of his military journey, a move to San Diego and how some blamed that move for his failed Army Physical Fitness Test (the last requirement needed to be commissioned as an Officer in the US Army). As you'll learn in this episode, there was a very good and scary reason Tyler didn't pass the test. He told Paul about the challenges of finally obtaining his commission, Infantry Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Benning and his unique US Army Ranger School experience. Tyler finished this episode by telling Paul about his wife and their story, including first meeting her when he was only nine years old. Part Three is coming and they will wrap up the series by talking about more of his Army career, his overseas deployment and what he's up to now.