Podcasts about forward operating base

Thanksgiving gatherings and football games have us in the mood for food! So, we're serving up the story of Army veteran Andrew Arbogast, who went from flying combat missions to building Arbo's Cheese Dip into a national success. We start with some epic memories from inside the Apache cockpit- the world's most advanced attack helicopter. Arbogast also recalls enjoying care packages filled with meats and cheeses on a Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan, and how those moments eventually inspired him to take a chance on creating a business. He also explains how Bunker Labs, veteran business development programs, played a pivotal role in the explosive growth of Arbo's Cheese Dip. He shares how they provided the training and connections he needed to expand his home-based business into a cheese dip brand that's now available nationwide!Plus, we hear about his appearance at the 2023 CMA Awards, and his encounter with Country superstar Jelly Roll. Find Arbo's Cheese Dip at a retailer near you:https://www.arboscheesedip.com/ Are you a veteran looking to start a business? Check out the programs from Syracuse University's D'Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) and Bunker Labs:https://bunkerlabs.org/ To reach CBS Eye on Veterans Host, Phil Briggsphil@connectingvets.com Follow on social:@philbriggsVet@EyeOnVeteransSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Oberservation Post North – ein harmlos klingender Name, ein trügerischer. Er wird dem Einsatz im staubigen Bergland in der Provinz Baghlan, Nordafghanistan, nicht gerecht. Als temporäre Forward Operating Base angelegt, wird der OP North im Frühjahr 2010 Ausgangspunkt für heftige Kämpfe gegen die Taliban. Er wird drei Jahre lang gehalten. Oberstleutnant Matthias Reichel ist stellvertretender Kommandeur der Quick Reaction Force 5, der sogenannten Task Force Baghlan. Sein Auftrag: das Highway Triangle freikämpfen. Der Knotenpunkt zwischen Mazar-e-Sharif, Kunduz und Kabul ist von strategischer Bedeutung, sichern offene Straßen doch die Versorgung Nordafghanistans über den Hindukusch. Auch die Versorgung der Feldlager der Bundeswehr.   Zusammen mit Jared Sembritzki führt Matthias das Gebirgsjägerbataillon 231 in den OP North und ins Gefecht. Weitab der befestigten Feldlager graben sich die Soldaten in die Hügellandschaft ein und kämpfen sechs Monate lang gegen Staub, Hitze und einen Feind, der nichts unversucht lässt, um die Internationale Schutztruppe wieder in ihre Lager zurückzudrängen. Matthias erzählt die Geschichte des OP North aus der Sicht eines Kommandeurs und Soldaten. Der OP North macht da keinen Unterschied. Leben im Felde, kämpfen im Staub – Der Kampf um Baghlan. Ein Gespräch mit dem Gebirgsjäger Oberstleutnant Matthias Reichel. PS: Von den Erlebnissen zu erzählen, nimmt Matthias ganz in Anspruch. Ihm ist es aber wichtig zu betonen, dass er auch an seine Soldatinnen denkt, wenn er nur von „den Soldaten“ spricht. Der OP North nahm auch auf Geschlechter keine Rücksicht.   Wenn du persönlich mit Matthias ins Gespräch kommen willst, findest du ihn hier in den sozialen Medien: Instagram: kik_matthias_und_bonny Facebook: matthias.reichel.148   Den Podcast mit Sönke Neitzel „Militärhistorie und Mythos“ findest du hier: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5oWrBaPWL0tYt2LCcXCnJ8?si=iCTj2nnwSQGn0bMa96LZ9w   Und mich erreichst du wie gewohnt über meine Homepage ⁠⁠www.wolf-gregis.de⁠ und in den sozialen Medien: Instagram: ⁠⁠wolf_gregis⁠⁠        LinkedIn: ⁠wolf-gregis    Facebook: ⁠Autor.Wolf.Gregis⁠⁠     TikTok: ⁠⁠@wolf_gregis⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠@wolf_gregis⁠⁠   Teile und bewerte diesen Podcast auch gern, damit der weiße Fleck OP North auch aus den Köpfen verschwindet. Niemand sonst kann das tun: It's up to us. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wolf-gregis/message

When I worked at the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province, I was largely based at the Forward Operating Base in Lashkar Gah - the main city of Helmand. There, amid the dust and noise of an active military campaign, there was a small, beautifully tended garden inside the base. I'm going to be honest and say that I was too preoccupied with my own job ever to ask myself who was responsible for its upkeep- even as I enjoyed that little slice of tranquility and beauty almost every day. Had I stopped to find out, I would have learned that the gardener was Shaista Gul, a local Afghan citizen whose hard work created a beautiful garden in the most unlikely place. By talking on this job, Shaista, and the thousands of Afghans, many of them interpreters, that served Britain during its involvement in the NATO mission, became enemies of the Taliban, facing constant threats, and worse, including murder. After the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, some lucky Afghans were able to escape on evacuation flights from Kabul. But most were left behind and thousands made their way to Pakistan, including many that had been assured of resettlement in the UK. This month, the government of Pakistan has decided to expel all undocumented Afghans in the country believed to be around 1.5 million people. Of these, around 2,000 have been accepted as eligible to come to Britain in recognition of their past service with our forces. But thanks to a cost-saving policy made by Rishi Sunak last year, these people were kept in Pakistan in preference to bringing them to the UK where the migration system is under acute strain. Now these people, who risked their lives serving our country, find themselves threatened with being returned to Afghanistan by the Pakistani government. The story of Britain's treatment of those Afghans that worked with us during our involvement in that country is the subject of Larisa Brown's book, the Gardener of Lashkar Gah. Larisa is a defence correspondent, currently with The Times and previously working for the Daily Mail. She joined me, just as Pakistan was preparing to start its campaign of expulsions, to talk about Shaista Gul and the wider history of Britain's betrayal of its Afghan friends.You can find Larisa's book here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/gardener-of-lashkar-gah-9781399411028/ I am on https://arthursnell.substack.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is it like to airdrop cargo into a Forward Operating Base in the middle of a firefight? How does it feel to find out you're going to an active warzone? What is it like to regularly be exposed to rocket attacks? What's it like to attend dozens of repatriation ceremonies?For Mike, all these things became part of normal life as he went through his 7 tours in Afghanistan. Mike has flown cargo all around the world, has instructed students (including me!) to get their wings in the RCAF, and taught instructors how to do their jobs. Mike has definitely been there and done that.Mike will share his adventures in Afghanistan as well as his struggles to process those experiences; he'll tell us about how Remembrance Day has changed for him over the years as a result of his time in Afghanistan, and much more in this episode of The Pilot Project Podcast. 

Leaving a Forward Operating Base can have its challenges. Safety and security a top concern. So when a route clearance team heads out on an escort mission, they ensure coalition forces and local civilians are kept out of harm's way. Petty Officer 2nd Class Santos Huante has more. Includes sound bites from 1st Lt. Ryan Becker, Platoon Leader, Spc. Donald Kuhlman, Wrecker Operator and Sgt. Jason Larsan, Medic.

In 2013, FOB Ghazni was hit with a surprise attack from the Taliban.  Due to the supreme courage of US special operators and soldiers, members of the Polish Army and Special Forces and Afghan police, the base was taken back.  In the aftermath, the battle claimed the life of 1 US Army soldier and several Aghan police.  However, the death toll was much greater for the Taliban and they learned that day to think again before attempting another take-over.  

In 2013, FOB Ghazni was hit with a surprise attack from the Taliban.  Due to the supreme courage of US special operators and soldiers, members of the Polish Army and Special Forces and Afghan police, the base was taken back.  In the aftermath, the battle claimed the life of 1 US Army soldier and several Aghan police.  However, the death toll was much greater for the Taliban and they learned that day to think again before attempting another take-over.  

With the focus finally intensifying on what amounts to a Chinese Communist Party biological attack against the world, another of its ominous threats to this country remains largely unaddressed. Prominent Texas financier Kyle Bass told Epoch Times TV last week that the purchase of 200 square miles of his state by a retired People's Liberation Army general is a national security threat. This land a) is near the Mexican border; b) is 10 miles from a sensitive U.S. Air Force base; c) will supposedly become a wind-farm that will tie into the state and national electric grids and d) will reportedly have a 10,000-foot runway. Any one of these features in unfriendly hands would be dangerous. In combination, they are simply intolerable.    Tell your elected representatives that Morning Star Ranch must not become a new Chinese Communist Party threat to America. Pass it on.

This episode is sponsored by Blue Star Families. The Military Family Lifestyle Survey is open until June 6th, 2021. Head over to BlueStarFam.org/survey2021 to take the survey today. You could win one of five $100 gift cards. Penny Lee Deere began her military service in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) and served in Desert Storm/Desert Shield. Her career spans 20 years, from 1975 -1995. It was interesting to hear her experience having begun her service as part of the WAC and then transferring over to the US Army in 1978. She also shared a number of stories of her time during Desert Storm. The interview ended with her sharing about the work she does to give back to Veterans and how it helped her in her healing journey.Currently, she resides in Albany NY. She credits “the Arts”, as saving her life. She is a multi-media artist, writer, and photographer. You can learn more about her at mindbodysoulbypenny.com.Add podcast infoFrom Women's Army Corps to Operation Desert StormPenny graduated from a class of thirty-six and was told she was not college material. With the other option of becoming a farmer's wife, she decided to join the military with the plan that if she joined the military she would serve for twenty years. Initially, she looked into the Marine Corps but picked the Army instead. She began her career in the Women's Army Corps and was one of the first women platoons to have a male drill instructor as integration was beginning. In 1978, the Women Army Corps disbanded and she became a member of the US Army.She spent twelve years of her twenty-year career overseas in Germany and she started her career as a Postmaster and then transferred to become an Army Intel Analyst to help ensure she would get promoted. She ended up getting promoted from her previous job while she was at training to become an Intel Analyst but she was excited about the change in careers.Desert StormShe was in Germany when Iraq invaded Kuwait in the summer of 1990 and they began preparing to deploy for Desert Shield. All the paperwork and arrangements were in place. She was a single mom and her children 4 and 7 were set to fly back to the states when she deployed. She ended up leaving for Desert Shield in November and came home in May. One story she told was she remembers getting to talk to her daughter once. Her daughter had seen the announcement on the television that the war was over. And she wanted to know when her mom was coming home. It was a challenge to be separated from her children but she was thankful for her parent's support.She shared some memories from her deployment as well. She talks about a story of getting lost in the blackout Forward Operating Base and deciding to stop and sleep in the next open tent she found. It happened to be the Dining Facility and the cooks didn't understand why she was there are 4 am. She also talked about an incident in guard duty that almost led to a friendly fire incident.After the warThe military downsized after Desert Storm and she helped her unit close up the base she was at in Germany and then went to Georgia where her unit had been reassigned. She left the military after twenty years of service in 1995 but did not identify as a veteran. She went to the VA in 2003 to get help for some of the medical/mental issues she was dealing with. And through that slowly became part of the veteran community. She used art to help her find healing and then the VA closed the programs. She went to the local American Legion asking for space to hold an art class. They gave her space and then when they saw she was doing added her program to their chapter.Giving back through artShe continues to work to help other veterans through Art. With COVID they began working through zoom to share different stories verbally. And this summer Art from her post is going to be displayed at the Women Memorial in DC.Connect with Penny:Mindbodysoulbypenny.comMentioned in this Episode:Help Heal VeteransRelated Podcast Episodes:Advocacy with MOAAServing during Desert Storm - Episode 57The Challenges Faced by Single Moms - Episode 46Check out the full transcript here.  Thank you to my Patreon Sponsor Col Level and above:Kevin Barba, Adriana Keefe, Lorraine DiazThank you Patreon members for your support. Want early access to episodes, ad-free content, and one on one mentorship advice? Become a Patreon member today! Click here.    

We are back with another episode of the Undeniable Level Up Podcast.  Last week we discussed extreme ownership.  We heard an amazing speech from former Navy Seal Jocko Willink, who hosts an amazing podcast.  It was actually one of the first podcasts that I ever listened too.  We will provide a link in the show notes if you want to go and check him out. Today, we are going to talk about the rules.  And why rules are for stupid people.  Dr. House from the television show, "House" is fond of saying, "Rules are just helpful guidelines for stupid people…". Q: Would you agree with Dr. House?So I was first exposed to the "Rules are for stupid people" philosophy when I was deployed to Afghanistan during my first tour, between 2008 and 2009.  I deployed there as part of an advisory MiTT Team.   Our call sign was Vampires and I was Vampire 4.  We were known as Team Vampires.  We were deployed to the Paktika Province, a small outpost called Forward Operating Base, or FOB Bermel.  For my Vampire brothers out there that may be tuning in, I miss you guys!  There are bonds that are forged in combat that can't be broken by time or distance. The mission of a MiTT team is to serve as combat advisors to Afghan and Iraqi combat troops so that they can continue the counterinsurgency mission long after we are gone.  Our job was to "build an Army".  The only problem is that this is a mission typically reserved for Special Operations units.  These are typically heavily resourced teams with priority support that allow them to operate independent and with disregard of the battlefield owner's control.  MiTT teams on the other hand were severely under-resourced, lacked any type of priority and often fumbled throughout the battlefield space struggling to reach higher echelon leadership.  We were often outside of commz, unable to gain air support and riding solo throughout some of the most treacherous geography that Afghanistan has to offer.    When we traveled, we often traveled with two MRAPs, three U.S. Soldiers per MRAP; a driver, a tank commander, or T.C., typically the highest ranking person in the vehicle and then the Gunner.  Oh yeah, and an Afghan Interpreter.    The team was rank heavy with mostly Captains and Senior enlisted non-commissioned officers and few junior Soldiers for a total of six to 200 - 400 Afghan Soldiers in Hilux Pickup trucks.   Our team leader was a Major, and on our team, that was MAJ Mike.  This dude was fearless when it came to moving with the Afghans.   There was a mission that we were on once where an Afghan commander, enraged for whatever reason, began to beat one of his Soldiers with the butt of his AK47, pulling him out fo the back of the Hilux Pickup.  We were in the middle of a convoy at the time, we hadn't gotten our MRAPs yet, so we re in armored Humvees, and I was on the .50 Cal machine gun when MAJ Mike jumps out and rushes over to stop the commander from beating his Soldier to death.  I tried to stop him, but he wasn't having it.  The whole time I had the .50 cal trained on the Afghans knowing that if they responded aggressively toward Mike that it would turn into Custer's last stand.   Fortunately for us, Mike was able to de-escalate the situation, being the phenomenal diplomat that he is.I say all of that and share that story to set the tone for what happened when I challenged one of MAJ Mike's decisions.  I can't remember the context of the discussion.  I just remember telling him, "We can't do that, it's against the rules," to which he responded, "Rules are for stupid people!"   Now, let that sink in, the same way I did, when I first heard it.   Q: What do you think about small pearl of wisdom? Ray A. Davis says, "Following all the rules leaves a completed checklist.  Following your heart achieves a completed you." (Discuss the quote) As I returned from my first deployment to Afghanistan, I had been doing some consulting there on contracts for the local contractors that were building roads, guard towers and buildings on our small outpost for free.  They would bring me government proposals and ask me to interpret them so that they can submit bids.   When I redeployed back to the U.S., I began getting emails from these same contractors, asking if I could take some time to assist them with these proposals.  This was the point at which my first official business was born.  JLM Consulting provided consulting on government contracts for Afghan Construction Contractors.  My services were free, and I was only compensated when the contractor was awarded a contract that I had consulted on and helped prepare.  This made me a lot of money, very quickly. "Rules are for stupid people,"  is equivalent to "legal opportunism".  This is the act of circumnavigating the law.  Operating in the gray areas between what is black and white.  Sometimes this can be a moral sticky ground.  When someone is using this philosophy to live their lives, they aren't breaking the rules, they are just bending them to a point where it is advantageous.   Q: Have you ever had to bend a rule to capitalize on a situation?  In an article titled, "Why Entrepreneurs Say Rules Shouldn't Apply To Them", author, Derek Ludlow states that entrepreneurs are "prone to breaking or ignoring the rules".  He calls out both Uber and AirBNB for using rule breaking for creating their multi-billion dollar companies. Uber has been sued by multiple cab companies and taxi commissions around the world, saying that they do not follow the rules that apply to Taxi Cabs.  I know recently in California the state ruled that Uber was misclassifying their drivers as independent contractors instead of as employees in order to avoid increased costs due to benefit requirements.   Additionally, AirBNB has received complaints from hotels for not having to pay hotel tax fees, which drive up costs for hotels versus AirBNBs.    Q: Do you believe that entrepreneurs should be exempt from rules or be allowed to bend rules in order to drive innovation? In the cannabis industry, we have federal regulations that still make cannabis an illegal substance, but states have approved both medicinal and recreational use.  Oregon just recently opened the flood gates to almost all illegal drugs to include heroin.   Q: Should businesses be profiting from a business structure that has traditionally resulted in criminal punishment? What about the fact that these laws often targeted minority communities, but the entry into most of these markets are so difficult that most of those victimized by these rules, cannot participate in them legally. Q: Do you operate from a "Seek forgiveness, not permission", or are you a permission seeker when it comes to your entrepreneurial spirit? Q: What rules should never be bent or broken from a business or entrepreneurial perspective? The following three (3) CEOs are known for being rule breakers:  Jenny Fleiss - CEO of Jetblack, a dress rental business raised over $200M in venture capital…WITHOUT A BUSINESS PLAN! Jeff Raider - CEO of Harry's men's grooming product. They started in 2013 with NO CAPITAL AND NO FACTORIES and grew their business as the demand grew. Payal Kadakia - CEO of Classpass launched a her company, a platform that allows members to book fitness classes…BEFORE SHE HAD THE PLATFORM BUILT.  The following three (3) companies got ahead by breaking rules:  AirBNB - In order to grow supply for their service, they turned to Craigslist, contacting people who had listed their homes for rent and asked them to list on AirBNB. TOMS - A shoe seller sold shoes from a residential apartment, hiding it from his landlady. Dropbox - Sold their product before they were done building it to test out the market demand.  Read: Dan Pierce, from Single Dad Laughing says, “Most rules are made by people with no authority who want to control and limit you from reaching your true potential. Ignore them, break their rules, and wave at them as you soar past them to greatness.” It's time to level up and stop allowing yourself to be constrained by the boxes that have been designed to keep business owners, entrepreneurs and leaders from reaching greatness. Anyone who has achieved significant success, has done so by bending and occasionally breaking a rule or two.  How do you call yourself an out-of-the-box thinker, if you've always been to afraid to get out of the box. If you're ready to start breaking some rules and getting ahead, I encourage you to read the book, "How to Succeed in Business By Breaking All the Rules, A Plan for Entrepreneurs", by Dan S. Kennedy.  This book gives you the understanding of how to become comfortable in the gray in order to climb out of the red and stay in the black. It's time to stop letting rules, limit your ability to achieve success."How to Succeed in Business By Breaking All the Rules, A Plan for Entrepreneurs", by Dan S. Kennedy - https://amzn.to/3cg3f1DThe Jocko Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jocko-podcast/id1070322219 ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

On this episode of the Jason Cavness Experience I talk to Jared Wharton Founder and President at Forward Operating Base Brewery cavnessHR website: https://www.cavnessHR.com Jason's email: jasoncavness@cavnessHR.com   @cavnessHR   across social media @jasoncavnessHR across social media We talk about the following His company Forward Operating Base Brewery. How he is dealing with COVID-19 as a business owner. Some programs he has participated in as a business owner. What is a master brewer? Traveling in Europe while stationed there in the Army. His 11 year old daughter writing a book called “Strong, Bold, and Courageous: Words of Wisdom from a Fifth Grader From A to Z” Link to purchase is below: https://www.amazon.com/Strong-Bold-Courageous-Wisdom-Grader/dp/1691273007/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=MEADOW+WHARTON&qid=1596325569&sr=8-1 Jared's Bio I DIDN'T COME FROM THE BREWERY WORLD: the taproom, the events, the bottle releases, in fact, just a few years ago I was wearing an Army uniform.  Way back in 2002 I brewed my first beer with friends. It was horrible! We burned the bag the grains were steeping in, and messed up just about every step you could mess up. But we made beer! In 2011 while in Afghanistan I started envisioning a place our Military and Veteran community could recognize as a place for them. I had no idea of what I was signing up for but that seed planted then grew into a place where hundreds of people of all types of backgrounds would come weekly to have a beer and feel at home. Today you can find me working hard to make beer that honors our Military or trying to keep up with our 4 kids and my gorgeous vegetarian wife. A pitbull and a chihuahua and a reef aquarium as if we didn't have enough to occupy our time on top of starting a new business.  I'm probably sipping an IPA or trying to perfect my hotdog chili and dreaming of ways I can better serve our Veteran community.  Want to know what gets me up and out of bed bright and early every day? Taking the few resources we have and figuring out how I can be better. If FOB can be the place that reminds you we live in the greatest country in the world and celebrate those who defend this great nation then I'll consider it a success. We are just getting started.  Jared's Social Media Jared's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-wharton-a04a87113/ Company FB: https://www.facebook.com/FOBbrewing/ Company Website: https://www.fobbrewingcompany.com/ Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fobbrewing/ Jared's Advice A lot of people think, I've got a great idea for a business. But they've never really done what I call personal inventory of who they are. Meaning looking at me, look at all the giftings I have received. What are you? What are you constantly focusing on what's always on your heart? If your business isn't one of those things, then that is probably not a good business for you. Because if you're going into it just because you think it'd be a good business instead of something you're truly passionate about, and you have to be careful when you say, follow your passion. Because we can all follow our passion but might not make any business sense to do that. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Een proeftuin voor bedrijven en de landmacht om de ‘militaire basis van de toekomst’ te ontwikkelen. In het Fieldlab Smartbase in Ede zoekt de krijgsmacht samen met start-ups en het Midden- kleinbedrijf naar innovatieve en baanbrekende ideeën voor het kamp van de toekomst. Of het nu voor de Forward Operating Base met een kleine vooruitgeschoven eenheid, of een ‘Kamp Holland’, dat voor duizenden militairen als thuisbasis dient. Het bedrijfsleven en de landmacht zoeken samen naar oplossingen voor problemen in de categorieën logistiek, bescherming, water en energie.

Een proeftuin voor bedrijven en de landmacht om de ‘militaire basis van de toekomst' te ontwikkelen. In het Fieldlab Smartbase in Ede zoekt de krijgsmacht samen met start-ups en het Midden- kleinbedrijf naar innovatieve en baanbrekende ideeën voor het kamp van de toekomst. Of het nu voor de Forward Operating Base met een kleine vooruitgeschoven eenheid, of een ‘Kamp Holland', dat voor duizenden militairen als thuisbasis dient. Het bedrijfsleven en de landmacht zoeken samen naar oplossingen voor problemen in de categorieën logistiek, bescherming, water en energie.In het eerste seizoen van De Landmacht, De Landmacht Werkt Samen, onderzoeken we de samenwerking tussen de Koninklijke Landmacht en het bedrijfsleven. Van Robotica en Autonome Systemen tot de uitwisseling van personeel in het onderhoud van onze voertuigen.

With beers that have names like M4 American Blonde, Little Bird IPA and the FOBtoberfest any veteran would know they’re welcome at Forward Operating Base Brewing Company. Today on the Financial Operating Base, we’ll speak with Army veteran and founder Jarred Wharton. Jared can be reached at https://www.facebook.com/FOBbrewing/

Colt, Catherwood, and the 3/5 arrive at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan and make their way to Sangin under heavy fire. They learn about their Forward Operating Base, Inkerman and their Patrol Bases, Fires and Transformers.

From Communities Digital News: There are those who take uncertain steps on IED-ridden battlefields, take to contested waterways, and fly unguarded skies as dangerous threats lurk below. Protecting freedom is how over a million active-duty military men and women support their families. These Brothers in Arms fight and die, for each other, and for those who can’t fight for themselves. Since the Global War on Terror began on September 11, 2001, America’s warriors have faced evil on a heightened scale and risked life and limb to quell a hate-filled enemy who does not respect human life. It was the remarkable esprit de corps, the history and its intimacy as an organization that drew Lt. Col. Stephen Mount to the Marine Corps in 1996. Mount, severely wounded in Iraq, 2004, was given command June 30th, 2016, of Wounded Warrior Battalion-West (WWBn-W), located at Camp Pendleton Calif., now in its tenth year of operation. SAN DIEGO, 2017. Lt. Col. Stephen Mount at Wounded Warrior Battalion-West  Headquarters Complex, Camp Pendleton, Calif. Photo by Jeanne McKinney for CommDigiNews There, he is committed to the successful recovery of each Marine assigned to his care. “I try to be the kind of guy who absorbs the blows and then just figures it out,” said Mount. He chooses to not make drastic decisions right away and let things kind of simmer. “Let’s just figure this out together and go forward,” he tells his Marines. Absorbing the blows of active-duty service prefaced Mount’s first historic experiences as a UH-1N (Huey) pilot with Helicopter Marine Light Attack Squadron (HMLA)-169. His first deployment in 2001, as part of the Aviation Combat Element (ACE) with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), took him to Darwin, training with the Australians. After the twin towers and the Pentagon were hit and hijacked Flight 93 crashed into a Pennsylvania field, the 15th MEU was redirected to the Arabian Sea. “It was a very anxious and excitable kind of feeling that we were out in the Arabian Sea and the country had been attacked and more than likely we were going to do something about it.” He was on the flight deck of his ship, watching the first U.S. missile strikes launched in the first round of attacks. The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) conducts strike operations against Syria while in the Mediterranean Sea, April 7, 2017. U.S. Navy Photo Mount’s squadron was flown into the Afghanistan desert and had to scrape out a “pseudo desert airstrip”, that Mount said, “[had] some old abandoned buildings they probably used to run drugs out of.” By end of November 2001, that pseudo desert airstrip had a name: Camp Rhino, the first U.S. Forward Operating Base (FOB) established in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. They went in there with 1st Battalion, 1st Marines under Colonel Brett Bourne. “It wasn’t a Forward Operating Base in the traditional sense. They dug holes in the sand—that was our perimeter. Then we built ourselves fueling points.” Mount called flying into the middle of the desert in a foreign country and doing good things “fun times.” The first night he slept by the skid of his aircraft. “None of our aircraft have any gas. We don’t know what is going to happen. You’re a young man—that’s what you do … it was exciting.” A sense of finality prevailed. “I can’t get back to the ship until someone lands and gives me more gas,” said Mount. There was already fighting in the North which had fallen to the Taliban. Gas arrived on C-130’s and U.S. troops followed Hamid Karzai and his boys into Kandahar and then Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province, establishing an airfield at Kandahar. Mount explains, “The big offensive against the Taliban hadn’t started yet; not until we got there and Karzai could have some assurances that America is here to help you.” A future home for wounded warriors would come into play as the Global War on Terrorism kicked off. Operation Iraqi Freedom I, the initial invasion of Iraq, saw U.S. and Coalition Forces quickly defeat Suddam Hussein’s Army. Upheaval and more harrowing times ensued. During Operation Iraqi Freedom II, 2004, the U.S. sent troops in to support the newly-established Provisional Iraqi Government, trying to stabilize the country and protect Iraqi citizens, threatened by growing violence and complexity. The unpreparedness for the number of casualties and pace of operations going forward took a toll on the military healthcare system. For Mount and others deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, there was no centralized operation to care for the numbers of wounded warriors too well to be kept in-patient, but not well enough to go back to their units or deploy. A charismatic yet disenchanted Shiite Muslim cleric, Muqtada al­ Sadr, spread insurrection around Iraq, in opposition to the new government. His die-hard followers formed heavily-armed militias or al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army, who rained bullets and shrapnel on U.S. and Coalition forces. Al-Sadr’s militia was battered. A conditional truce was made with him for An Najaf and al-Kufa (his home territory) that restricted Coalition forces entry. Al-Sadr used fear and oppression to reinforce control and conducted assassinations, kidnappings, and torture of police and government officials. The militia would then hide where Coalition forces could not pursue them. Mount and his flight crew deployed with Colonel Anthony M. Haslam’s 11th MEU and Lt. Col. John L. Mayer’s Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines (1/4) in the summer of ‘04. The MEU took over the battlespace in and around An Najaf by August, in soaring desert temperatures and volatile instability. “There was an old holy cemetery [Wadi al-Salam],” said Mount, then a Captain. “They [al-Sadr’s militia] would use the crypts and catacombs to build smuggled weapons and launch attacks out to the Iraqi police forces.” Mount and his crew couldn’t fly over or attack the holy burial grounds or the Imam Ali Mosque. “There was a police station in Revolutionary Circle…they would lob mortars and shoot at us [every night]. By the time we’d get to our birds and fly over there, they’d [retreat] back to the cemetery,” said Mount. The night of August 3rd, enough was enough for MEU commanders. A Quick Reaction Force (QRF) and Combined Anti-Armor-Team (CAAT) were summoned to reinforce the police station. American forces came under attack on the main highway that runs by the cemetery, from where al-Sadr’s militia was positioned. Mount’s aircraft section suppressed the threat, allowing our forces to run through. Again, they were called out. “We spun up one Huey and two Cobras,” said Mount, who piloted the lead Huey with Co-pilot Drew Turner, Crew Chief Pat Burgess, and Gunner Lance Corporal Teodro Naranjo. Mount’s section circled, seeking to take out a mortar pit that an ‘observer’ had seen by an old gas station near the cemetery. He missed seeing it on the first “poke your head out, shoot, and get back,” attempt, but on a second circle, further out, the Huey’s number one engine and Mount got a fiery hit. “I clenched and reflexed, bringing our nose way up and lost all our air speed,” remembered Mount, crediting Turner for landing the battered helicopter right-side up instead of upside down, which would have killed them. A rifle round entered Mount’s left temple and went behind the bridge of his nose, in front of an eye through the socket and exited the right temple. “I remember Pat Burgess…dragging me off the skid behind some bricks – waiting there for the guys – a Corpsman ran up and jabbed with morphine.” “Captain Andrew Turner, ran into the [nearby medical] clinic and came out with an Iraqi physician. Mount had been holding a compress to his wound while trying to chamber a round in his pistol with his teeth. His crew chief, Staff Sergeant Patrick O. Burgess, finally gave him a needed hand in loading.”

Sorry we are late this week, but we've had our hands full... of METAL GEAR SOLID V. So, this week, here's another hour of review time, this time focused on the Forward Operating Base mechanic, along with other major multi-player-focused elements of this magnificent title. Back next week with a HUMONGOUS announcement! -BE SURE TO CHECK OUT our twitch livestream at: www.twitch.tv/skookiesprite -JOIN OUR DISCORD EXPERIMENT at: discord.gg/SVXy3Xa -Boldilocker's Livestream: https://dlive.tv/boldilocks

Connie Louie-Handelman joined the US Army at the age of 56 because she was disturbed by the high rates of PTSD and suicide among warriors... she wanted to make a difference.  Many US veterans still struggle with PTSD years after their service in the Middle Eastern wars. An Army psychologist, Connie Louie-Handelman, treated hundreds during a tour of duty in Afghanistan. She's written a vivid memoir entitled "The Hidden War: PTSD on the Front Lines – Memoirs of a Psychologist Treating Warriors at a Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan." Connie Louie-Handelman- Invisible Enemies After training, she was deployed at a forward operating base in the hot and dusty plains of Kandahar, Afghanistan. There she found soldiers fighting more than the enemies they encountered in the battlefield. The casualty rate from invisible enemies like anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and fear was high. When improvised explosive devices killed or wounded warriors near the base, she would journey "outside the wire" to units that were under attack. Besides their shattering experiences on the battlefield, Louie-Handelman eloquently describes the suffering of warriors locked in domestic tragedies, with spouses having affairs or wanting divorces, or children going astray. “I had to learn how to be a soldier, that was an experience.” – Connie Louie-Handelman Serving Those Outside the Wire Connie started her career as a psychologist as a clinic supervisor then a director for 8 ½ years and prior to that she was a police officer in San Francisco for 11 years.  She took a break and became familiar with the high rate of suicide in the military and saw that they would take for older health professionals. Connie applied and was accepted. “I signed up and was accepted at the age of 57, a year after going through all of the background checks and all the paperwork.” – Connie Louie-Handelman Trauma Management Psychologist were placed in the field to deal with soldiers sooner rather than later.  Soldiers KIA were able to process the feeling and have open dialogue in groups so the healing could start.  Connie would also be available after groups for individual counseling. “I think that was really helpful to be more up front and to catch it earlier so then it perhaps doesn’t blow up to be full PTSD.” – Connie Louie-Handelman To hear more from Connie Louie-Handelman and her experience, download this episode. Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star rating and review if you enjoyed the show. We would love to hear from you! Connie Louie-Handelman link: Author of "The Hidden War: PTSD on the Front Lines." Download Joe Crane’s Top 7 Paths to Freedom or get it on your mobile device. Text VETERAN to 38470.   Join the Veteran on the Move on Facebook! Check out Veteran on the Move on Facebook to connect with our guests! It’s a great place where you can stay in touch with other veterans who are transitioning to entrepreneurship.  Get updates and free gouge on the people, programs and resources to help you in your transition to entrepreneurship. Veteran On the Move podcast has published over 200 episodes. Our listeners have the opportunity to hear in-depth interviews conducted by host Joe Crane . The podcast features people, programs and resources to assist veterans in their transition to entrepreneurship.  As a result, Veteran On the Move has over 1,000,000 verified downloads through Stitcher Radio, Sound Cloud, itunes and RSS Feed Syndication making it one of the most popular Military Entrepreneur Shows on the Internet Today.  

Staff Sergeant Undaryl Allen of the Mississippi Army National Guard was deployed to Iraq in fall of 2004. In this episode, he shares his memories of that time in this interview conducted in May of 2006. Although trained as a mechanic, Allen’s first month was spent as a gunner on escort duty. He explains how his faith and his family helped him handle the stress of going out on patrol. As an army mechanic serving in Iraq, Allen worked on a variety of combat equipment. He recalls repairing vehicles in which his friends were injured or killed. While serving in Iraq, Allen was assigned to a Forward Operating Base near Bagdad. He describes how he and his tent-mates would pool their resources for “home cooked” meals. PODCAST EXTRA: Allen and his crew would occasionally be shelled by enemy forces while retrieving broken down vehicles, forcing them to run for cover. Looking back on those dangerous times, he finds humor in their mad scrambles to the bunker. PHOTO: Hannah Heishman, Pinterest

It's Wednesday, and Davey's off setting up a Forward Operating Base for Rob's Coup, so instead the Consiglieri, Aaron Murphy (@GalacticGargle) steps into co-hosting duties, and are also joined by the hilarious comedian and known cat aficionado, Laura Byrne (@LolsyByrne) to chat about the awful warm weather, Aaron's budding music career, and the drama surrounding the Han Solo film! They also talk about the incredible Baby Driver, Jon's battle with an interloping mouse, some awesome DnD stories, and cats! 

Ian Shoots a Steel Challenge match with a pistol that has the "shoulder thing that goes up" and Grant and Paul talk about their time in Tennessee. PLUS MORE MORE MORE!

Based on David Abrams' own experiences serving in Iraq and the diary he kept there, his new novel, “Fobbit,” takes us into the chaotic world of Baghdad's Forward Operating Base Triumph. The Forward Operating Base, or FOB, is like the back-office of the battlefield—where the grunts eat and sleep between missions, and where a lot of Army employees have what looks suspiciously like an office job. The FOB contains all the comforts of home, including Starbucks and Burger King, but there's also the unfortunate possibility that a mortar might hit you while you're drinking your Frappucino. A lot of what goes on at the FOB doesn't exactly fit the image of war that the army and the government feed us:

Production showcasing hybrid power systems for the Marine Corps, as part of the Expeditionary Forwarded Operating Base (ExFOB), run by the Expeditionary Energy Office (E2O). Hybrid power systems, combing smart controls, energy storage and solar PV with existing diesel generators, will redefine how the Marine Corps powers the future. The Marine Corps ExFOB process is designed to identify and evaluate commercial technologies that can increase the self-sufficiency of expeditionary forces. Produced by Kim Hardison.

Fobbit 'fä-bit, noun. Definition: A U.S. soldier stationed at a Forward Operating Base who avoids combat by remaining at the base, esp. during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-2011). Pejorative. In the satirical tradition of Catch-22 and M*A*S*H, Fobbit takes us into the chaotic world of Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base Triumph.