Podcasts about infantry officer

In this episode, U.S. Army Maj. Kyle Schulz, a recent graduate from NPS Defense Analysis program, joins Trident Room Podcast host U.S. Army Maj. Eric Czaja for a discussion on his path to service, career trajectory leading up to his studies at NPS, and a deep dive into his research exploring sustainable agriculture in the Philippines, and how sustainable agricultural practices support a whole of government approach to advancing the Resistance Operating Concept, strengthening resilience and resistance through food security and economic stability. Maj. Schulz completed undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received his commission as a Signal Officer through Officer Candidate School, and spent the first few years of his career supporting Psychological Operations at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. After successfully completing the Civil Affairs Qualification Course he has served as a Team Leader, Company Civil Military Operations Chief, and HHC Commander within the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade and the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. He completed his master's degree in Defense Analysis, as well as a certificate in Applied Cyber Operations at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in December 2024. NPS Trident Room Podcast host U.S. Army Maj. Eric Czaja commissioned from Marquette University in 2011 as an Infantry Officer. After serving in 2nd ID at Fort Lewis, Wash., Czaja attended Special Forces Assessment and selection. After completing the Special Forces Qualification Course, Czaja was an Operation Detachment Alpha Team Leader in 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Czaja graduated from NPS in 2024, and is currently assigned to NPS as a research faculty member in the NPS Department of Defense Analysis.

Siegfried Sassoon was born on 8 September 1886 in Kent. His father was part of a Jewish merchant family, originally from Iran and India, and his mother part of the artistic Thorneycroft family. Sassoon studied at Cambridge University but left without a degree. He then lived the life of a country gentleman, hunting and playing cricket while also publishing small volumes of poetry.In May 1915, Sassoon was commissioned into the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and went to France. He impressed many with his bravery in the front line and was given the nickname 'Mad Jack' for his near-suicidal exploits. He was decorated twice. His brother Hamo was killed in November 1915 at Gallipoli.In the summer of 1916, Sassoon was sent to England to recover from fever. He went back to the front, but was wounded in April 1917 and returned home. Meetings with several prominent pacifists, including Bertrand Russell, had reinforced his growing disillusionment with the war and in June 1917 he wrote a letter that was published in the Times in which he said that the war was being deliberately and unnecessarily prolonged by the government. As a decorated war hero and published poet, this caused public outrage. It was only his friend and fellow poet, Robert Graves, who prevented him from being court-martialled by convincing the authorities that Sassoon had shell-shock. He was sent to Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh for treatment. Here he met, and greatly influenced, Wilfred Owen. Both men returned to the front where Owen was killed in 1918. Sassoon was posted to Palestine and then returned to France, where he was again wounded, spending the remainder of the war in England. Many of his war poems were published in 'The Old Huntsman' (1917) and 'Counter-Attack' (1918).After the war Sassoon spent a brief period as literary editor of the Daily Herald before going to the United States, travelling the length and breadth of the country on a speaking tour. He then started writing the near-autobiographical novel 'Memoirs of a Fox-hunting Man' (1928). It was an immediate success, and was followed by others including 'Memoirs of an Infantry Officer' (1930) and 'Sherston's Progress' (1936). Sassoon had a number of homosexual affairs but in 1933 surprised many of his friends by marrying Hester Gatty. They had a son, George, but the marriage broke down after World War Two.He continued to write both prose and poetry. In 1957, he was received into the Catholic church. He died on 1 September 1967.-bio via BBC This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe

Where have you learned leadership?  On the farm? In a day job? Inherited perhaps?  For most, NONE have learned the vital art and science of leadership.  It is a learned skill. One we can all commit to and master.   One we all need to be successful in life and business, and in succeeding in the pursuit of a family farm that can transcend generations…  It is a privilege to introduce Paul Ainsworth, Managing Partner of Lincoln Institute to you in this episode - one that speaks deeply to the heart of leadership, resilience, and the power of community.  Over 15 years, and after a decorated career in the Australian Army, Paul has helped shape leaders in the veterinary and agricultural industries. A graduate of the Australian Defence Force Academy and the Royal Military College Duntroon, Paul served as an Infantry Officer with international deployments across five foreign countries, culminating in a role as a military observer in the Middle East.   His leadership journey continued beyond the Army, first as the inaugural Director of ALDI Foods in Australia and then, as CEO and Board Chairman of Australia's fastest-growing company in the energy sector.   Now, as the Founding Principal of the Lincoln Institute, Paul is dedicated to equipping veterinary and agricultural professionals with the leadership, management, and communication skills they need to thrive.   Leadership is more than just making decisions. It's about connection. It's about knowing when to step forward and when to step back. It's about building a team that isn't just technically strong but also aligned, empowered, and accountable.  Here Are Some of The Key Leadership Lessons from This Episode:  How self-aware are you as a leader? How you think you come across isn't always how you do. Where might there be a gap between your intent and your impact?    Who's in your corner? Isolation is the enemy—whether you're a vet, a farmer, or a business owner. Who do you lean on? How are you building a strong support network?    Are you pushing yourself and your team to grow? Real learning happens outside the comfort zone. Where are you playing it too safe?    Are you empowering or micromanaging? Move from telling to coaching. Teach the standard, then trust your people to own it.    Do your people know what's expected—before there's a problem? The best way to avoid hard conversations is to set clear expectations from the start.     Are you creating clarity or confusion? Strong teams don't need coddling—they need to know where they stand, what success looks like, and how to get there.  We are delighted that our FOA Platinum Mastermind & Alumni Members have access to the Lincoln Institute Emerging Leaders Programs. For more information about FOA's programs and our connection with Lincoln, book a Complimentary Coaching Call here.  Paul and his team at Lincoln Institute have been working alongside farm owners, veterinarians, and business leaders for years—helping them not just lead, but lead well.   This is a conversation about what really makes a difference in leadership—the moments that test us, the decisions that define us.  A sincere thanks to Paul for joining us in this conversation. Your knowledge, wisdom and insights are so valuable and transferrable.     Sincerely,     Jeremy Hutchings and The Farm Owners Academy Team    

In this episode we talk to Richard Martin, president of Alcera Consulting in Montreal, Canada.Alcera is a strategic advisory firm specializing in exploiting change to build individual and organizational resilience, ensuring market dominance and excellence in public governance. Richard spent almost 26 years in the Canadian military, of which 20 years as an Infantry Officer including operational command in Bosnia and staff appointments in Kuwait, national headquarters, and the Directorate of Army Training.He is the author of Brilliant Manoeuvres: How to Use Military Wisdom to Win Business Battles. He is also the developer of Worldview Warfare and Strategic Epistemology, a groundbreaking methodology that focuses on understanding beliefs, values, and strategy in a world of conflict, competition, and cooperation.This conversation was recorded on 24th February 2025 to mark the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sean Loosen is a New Jersey native who graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a B.S. in Economics and Systems Engineering, and later served as an Infantry Officer in the U.S. Army, including a deployment to Iraq. After his military service, he worked in sales leadership roles in Rochester, NY, […]

Sean Loosen is a New Jersey native who graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a B.S. in Economics and Systems Engineering, and later served as an Infantry Officer in the U.S. Army, including a deployment to Iraq. After his military service, he worked in sales leadership roles in Rochester, NY, […] The post From Service To CEO: A Veteran’s Journey appeared first on Business RadioX ®.

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

Need financing for your next investment property? Visit: https://www.academyfund.com/ ____ Gabe Smith is a leadership strategist and organizational development expert who blends military discipline, pastoral insight, and business acumen to drive transformational growth. As the founder of Altitude Consulting, LLC, he coaches leaders to navigate challenges and achieve strategic clarity. A West Point graduate and Ranger-qualified Infantry Officer, Gabe served eight years in the Army, including leading operations in Mosul, Iraq, and during the 9/11 Pentagon response. Post-military, he held leadership roles at Forest Hill Church, Mesa Global, and New City Church, managing budgets and driving organizational growth. Gabe also co-founded the nonprofit East Mountain in South Africa and Pangea, focusing on leadership development. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, he is dedicated to helping leaders clarify purpose and create lasting impact. In this episode of the SABM podcast, Scott chats with Gabe about: The Vision Behind Altitude Consulting: Transforming Leadership with Purpose Gabe's Journey: From Army Infantry Officer to leadership strategist and coach. Defining Moments: How military and pastoral experiences shaped his coaching philosophy. Innovative Methods: Leadership lessons inspired by French culinary fundamentals. Collaborative Ventures: Partnering with his wife Janet in real estate and developing unique methodologies with Nicole Eunice. Purpose-Driven Focus: Helping leaders and entrepreneurs achieve clarity and growth. Looking Ahead: Expanding Altitude Consulting's impact on purpose-driven leadership. Timestamps: 01:10 Gabe's Entrepreneurial Journey 02:06 Janet's Real Estate Ventures 04:27 The Birth of Altitude Consulting 05:37 Gabe's Coaching Philosophy 10:51 From Infantry to Chaplaincy 14:47 Leadership Development in South Africa 17:20 Future Goals and Challenges 24:07 How You Can Help Connect with Gabe LinkedIn Altitude Consulting If you found value in today's episode, don't keep it to yourself—share it with a colleague or friend who could benefit. And if you're a Service Academy graduate ready to elevate your business, we'd love for you to join our community and get started today. Make sure you never miss an episode—subscribe now and help support the show: Apple Podcasts Spotify Leave us a 5-star review! A special thank you to Gabe Smith for joining me this week. Until next time! -Scott Mackes, USNA '01  

Today we sit down with Joseph Zolper from the Road Home Program. Joseph discusses his military transition and how he overestimated how easy it would be. After landing a job, he found himself trying to fill a void that could only be filled through helping veterans. He eventually found the Road Home Program and all the stars aligned. Listen in as he talks about their program and the amazing impact and results they are having helping those in our veteran community.Joseph Zolper grew up in suburban Chicago, earned a BS from Illinois State University, and was commissioned from Army ROTC as an Infantry Officer in 2015. He served with 4ID, out of Fort Carson, CO, and deployed to Afghanistan in 2018-19, earning a Bronze Star and Combat Infantryman Badge. Following his military service, Joseph worked as an Operations Manager at Amazon, leading a Military Employee Resource Group. This passion for supporting the military community brought him back to Chicago to the Road Home Program, where he is the Manager of Veteran Outreach & Networking. At Road Home, he continues his service to the military community by bringing needed mental healthcare to veterans, service members, and their families.#vetsos #vetsospodcast #military #militarylife #transitioningmilitary #militarytransition #militaryspouses #militaryspouse #militaryfamily #militaryfamilies #militarycommunity #militarysupport #militaryveterans #vets #veterans #veteran #veterantransition #transitioningveterans #veteranservices #honorveterans #veteranswife #supportourveterans #veteransupport #veteransusa #veteranshelpingveterans #careerchange #transitioningservicemembers #linkedin #sof #coastguard #navy #spaceforce #marines #army #nationalguard #airforce #usmc #usmcr #us #usa #education #podcast #entertainment

How do we make technology more accessible to our frontline manufacturing workforce? In this episode of Workforce 4.0, your host Ann Wyatt sits down with the Founder of Team Engine, Carlos Del Pozo as they talk shop on the importance of enabling and empowering your frontline workforce through technology. As the Founder of a small business and former military veteran, Carlos and Ann take a deep dive into the challenges between operational and HR leadership in recruiting and retaining talent, how AI can improve HR technology and the ultimate importance of creating a sustainable frontline workforce. This insightful conversation also sheds some light on re-shoring of American manufacturing, the future of blue-collar work and the multifaceted approach needed to address labor shortages.In This Episode:-06:05: The Importance of Workforce Development-11:10: Challenges in Recruiting and Retaining Talent-17:21: The Role of Technology in HR and Workforce Management-24:04: Leadership Lessons from the Military-28:39: Future Predictions for Technology and Workforce-37:57: Closing Thoughts and Contact InformationMore About Carlos Del Pozo:Carlos del Pozo is a co-founder of Team Engine, a text-first software platform that helps companies in industries with a distributed workforce (such as landscaping, construction and manufacturing) grow and retain their teams. Prior to founding Team Engine, Carlos served as an Infantry Officer in the US Army and grew up in a small business family in San Diego. He lives in Boulder, Colorado. To learn more about Carlos, connect with him here.The Future of Work (and this Episode) Is Brought To You By Secchi:Secchi is a revolutionary workforce engagement tool created for organizations to make data-driven frontline decisions in real-time. By measuring and combining multiple people-related lead indicators, Secchi provides in-the-moment visibility into individual frontline employee performance, team performance, engagement/turnover risks, and positive employee behaviors all while removing the traditional barriers of administrative burden on leaders. To learn more about Secchi, check them out here.

SIMON WLODARSKI, is a Senior Vice President at Bank of America and is a member of the U.S. State and Local Government Relations Team, overseeing State/Local Government Relations for the company in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Colorado. In this regional role with the company, Simon works on public policy issues impacting the financial services industry. In his leadership role with the company, he engages with public officials and banking industry leaders across the country.  Simon serves as the Bank's liaison with the National Council of State Legislators, a national trade association of state legislators.  He also serves as Vice Chair on the Executive Board of the Civic Federation, a non-profit organization advocating for responsible fiscal health of state and local government in Illinois. Prior to joining Bank of America, Simon served in the Administration of Pat Quinn, Governor of Illinois.  Simon began his public policy career supporting the Office of Management and Budget before serving as Chief of Staff of the Department of Veterans Affairs. In that capacity, Simon oversaw finance, human resources, operations and legislative affairs. Simon served in the United States Marine Corps, enlisting in 1995 as an infantry Marine. Transferring to the Reserves to attend college, Simon went on to pursue a commission in 2003, serving as an Infantry Officer during combat tours in Iraq.  Simon transferred to the Illinois National Guard in 2011, serving in Afghanistan as an advisor, as well as an embedded officer in the Polish Task Force.  Simon most recently served in Ukraine as an advisor, leading a multi-National NATO team working with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.  Amongst his awards, Simon is most proud to have earned the Army's Combat Infantryman's Badge and the Marine Combat Action Ribbon, and retired in December 2022 as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army National Guard. Simon was born in Chicago, Illinois, and currently lived in Arlington Heights with his wife and two sons.  He completed a BS in Engineering from Iowa State University and an MBA from Northern Illinois University.

We talk with Army veteran, Infantry Officer and former West Point hockey player Matt Schachman, who works on a unique team of veterans (and partners with Special Operations backgrounds) to lead mid-level businesses to massive growth.It was a big departure from leading platoons in Iraq and Afghanistan, so we begin with the lessons he learned leading troops in combat. But more than the usual war stories- Schachman reflects on a pivotal moment with an Iraqi police chief, and how he learned a vital lesson in leadership from working with those who hold a drastically different world view.Schachman shares more about his transition from the military to investment banking and the advice he received about ways to operate “at the tip of spear” in finance.We also learn how Cold Bore Capital is able to effectively take companies from mid-level revenue to multi million dollar earnings through their expertise in capital investment, business management and mergers-acquisitions.For any veteran considering scaling their business, or a career in finance, Matt is great resource.Find out more about Cold Bore Capital here:https://coldborecapital.com/our-story/Reach Matt Schachman here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-schachman-55719423/Check out Connecting Vets for more military news and veteran stories:https://www.audacy.com/connectingvetsConnect with CBS Eye on Veterans, Host, Phil Briggsphil@connectingvets.com Follow:@philbriggsVet@connectingvetsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

TO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONTENT: www.flyover.liveTO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONTENT: www.flyover.liveJoseph SweeneyJoseph SweeneyWEBSITE: https://www.sweeneyjb.com/WEBSITE: https://www.sweeneyjb.com/https://www.sweeneyjb.com/BOOK: https://a.co/d/b2zuwiO BOOK: https://a.co/d/b2zuwiOhttps://a.co/d/b2zuwiO Joseph B. Sweeney graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1987 and served as an Airborne Ranger-qualified Infantry Officer for six years. After his military service, he attended Vermont Law School and then joined the CIA National Security Law Honors Program. Over his 25-year CIA career, he rose to Senior Intelligence Service-4 and served as a legal advisor to six different units within the Directorate for Operations. Sweeney spent over a decade in the CIA's Litigation Division, eventually becoming its chief. His experience spans national security law and criminal cases involving classified information. With firsthand knowledge of espionage investigations, he provides a unique perspective on the complexities of national security and law.Joseph B. Sweeney graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1987 and served as an Airborne Ranger-qualified Infantry Officer for six years. After his military service, he attended Vermont Law School and then joined the CIA National Security Law Honors Program. Over his 25-year CIA career, he rose to Senior Intelligence Service-4 and served as a legal advisor to six different units within the Directorate for Operations. Sweeney spent over a decade in the CIA's Litigation Division, eventually becoming its chief. His experience spans national security law and criminal cases involving classified information. With firsthand knowledge of espionage investigations, he provides a unique perspective on the complexities of national security and law.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONTENT: www.flyover.liveTO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONTENT: www.flyover.liveJoseph SweeneyJoseph SweeneyWEBSITE: https://www.sweeneyjb.com/WEBSITE: https://www.sweeneyjb.com/https://www.sweeneyjb.com/BOOK: https://a.co/d/b2zuwiO BOOK: https://a.co/d/b2zuwiOhttps://a.co/d/b2zuwiO Joseph B. Sweeney graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1987 and served as an Airborne Ranger-qualified Infantry Officer for six years. After his military service, he attended Vermont Law School and then joined the CIA National Security Law Honors Program. Over his 25-year CIA career, he rose to Senior Intelligence Service-4 and served as a legal advisor to six different units within the Directorate for Operations. Sweeney spent over a decade in the CIA's Litigation Division, eventually becoming its chief. His experience spans national security law and criminal cases involving classified information. With firsthand knowledge of espionage investigations, he provides a unique perspective on the complexities of national security and law.Joseph B. Sweeney graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1987 and served as an Airborne Ranger-qualified Infantry Officer for six years. After his military service, he attended Vermont Law School and then joined the CIA National Security Law Honors Program. Over his 25-year CIA career, he rose to Senior Intelligence Service-4 and served as a legal advisor to six different units within the Directorate for Operations. Sweeney spent over a decade in the CIA's Litigation Division, eventually becoming its chief. His experience spans national security law and criminal cases involving classified information. With firsthand knowledge of espionage investigations, he provides a unique perspective on the complexities of national security and law.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In this podcast Pete Gaynor, the immediate past Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security shares what he knows about how the national disaster response system functions. The roles and responsibilities of local, state and the federal government. We also dive into some of the malicious lies being told about FEMA's response to Hurricane Helene and Milton.Today he continues to lead by hosting training sessions on “Leading During Crisis.” You can learn more about that at his website, www.femapete.com There are both in-person and on-line options for attending.Before becoming FEMA Administrator, he held leadership positions in emergency management in the State of Rhode Island and was initially the Deputy FEMA Administrator. Prior to his experience as an emergency manager, Mr. Gaynor served for 26 years as an enlisted Marine and Infantry Officer in the United States Marine Corps. During his tenure in the Marines, he was assigned as the Executive Officer responsible for the security of Presidential Retreat, Camp David; assigned as the Head of Plans, Operations at the Headquarters Marine Corps during the September 11, 2001 attacks; and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.Major Endorsements:!Rescheduled January 2025! Emergency Management for Dynamic Populations (DyPop):Hot Mess Express: An emergency management leadership course focusing on response tactics during terrorist attacks. Hot Mess Express includes an immersive exercise during an intentional train derailment scenario. Register for DyPop here:www.thereadinesslab.com/shop/p/dynamic CBRNe Convergence Orlando 2024 28-30 October, Orlando, FloridaL3Harris Technologies' BeOn PPT App. Learn more about this amazing product here: www.l3harris.com Impulse: Bleeding Control Kits by professionals for professionals: www.dobermanemg.com/impulseDoberman Emergency Management Group provides subject matter experts in planning and training: www.dobermanemg.com

Dr. Williams is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Legacy Consulting & Research Group. Dr. Williams is an enthusiastic leader who enjoys helping individuals and organizations thrive. Dr. Williams has experience in assessment, consulting, research, and speaking. His research interests include multicultural competence, emotional intelligence, resilience, and leadership. Dr. Williams works with clients at Legacy, delivering executive coaching and consulting services. Dr. Williams is also an assistant professor in the Behavioral Sciences and Leadership department at the United States Military Academy at West Point and Fuller Graduate School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Williams also served as the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Chairperson for the American Psychological Association, Division 13 Society of Consulting Psychology. In addition to his experience in Consulting Psychology, Dr. Williams has served in the United States Army (active and reserve) for over 20 years. He is an Airborne and Ranger qualified Infantry Officer who has served soldiers and their families in various leadership positions. Dr. Williams discusses the importance of implementing strategic approaches throughout your career to help you leave a legacy. To learn more about Dr. Cedric Williams, visit www.legacycrg.com.www.TheAcclivity.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/indrlorenmhill/https://twitter.com/drlorenmhillhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc7Pj53_iGc2M9GcZN1AgLAwww.TheAcclivity.com https://www.linkedin.com/indrlorenmhill/ https://twitter.com/drlorenmhill https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc7Pj53_iGc2M9GcZN1AgLA

On this episode of Veteran On the Move, Joe is joined by Alex Quataert, a West Point graduate and Army veteran turned successful entrepreneur. After serving ten years as an infantry officer with deployments to Afghanistan and Syria, Alex decided to embark on a new adventure in business. Join us as Alex shares his inspiring story of transitioning from military life to the world of entrepreneurship. Discover what drove him to seek a franchise opportunity and how he evaluated various options. Learn why he ultimately chose Blingle Outdoor Lighting and what sets this company apart. Alex discusses the importance of building a strong team and cultivating a positive company culture. Hear about the unique services Blingle offers its clients and how his company continues to grow.  Episode Resources: Blingle About Our Guest    Alex Quataert, a Ranger qualified West Point graduate, served for over 10 year on active duty as an Infantry Officer, with deployments to Afghanistan as a Platoon Leader, and Syria as a Company Commander. He was awarded the Purple Heart in Afghanistan, and the Bronze Star in Syria. After his second deployment it was time to find the next venture and Alex left active duty in 2022, with the goal of true independence. Entrepreneurship offered the path to that independence, but Alex realized the support of a franchise system would help make up for his initial lack of business experience. The sheer positivity and unlimited opportunity of Blingle! and the outdoor lighting world made it the perfect fit.    About Our Sponsors Navy Federal Credit Union   Buying a home can be overwhelming these days , but from start to finish, Navy Federal Credit Union's new Home Buying Center has everything you need to get to closing with confidence, like:  -Verified Preapproval—A preapproval shows sellers you're a serious buyer, potentially giving you a competitive advantage when making an offer. -RealtyPlus—Connects you with an agent for continued support every step of the way. -Lock and Shop—Lets you lock in your interest rate for up to 60 days while you shop. -No-Refi Rate Drop—Gives you peace of mind to buy now, knowing that if interest rates fall, you could decrease your rate without having to refinance for a small $250 fee. If you're overwhelmed by shopping for a new home, Navy Federal's new Home Buying Center has solutions for every step of the process. Learn more here. At Navy Federal, our members are the mission.      Join the conversation on Facebook! Check out Veteran on the Move on Facebook to connect with our guests and other listeners. A place where you can network with other like-minded veterans who are transitioning to entrepreneurship and get updates on people, programs and resources to help you in YOUR transition to entrepreneurship.   Want to be our next guest? Send us an email at interview@veteranonthemove.com.  Did you love this episode? Leave us a 5-star rating and review!  Download Joe Crane's Top 7 Paths to Freedom or get it on your mobile device. Text VETERAN to 38470. Veteran On the Move podcast has published 500 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 7,000,000 verified downloads through Stitcher Radio, SoundCloud, iTunes and RSS Feed Syndication making it one of the most popular Military Entrepreneur Shows on the Internet Today.

Our guest for this episode has been on Active Duty for over 34 years, with much of that spent in Special Operations, and he's still scoring 600s on his ACFTs. Our wide ranging conversation covers everything from how he's maintained a high level of physical performance across his long career to the role that physicality plays in developing young leaders. We even dig into ideas for improving the health and fitness culture across our country. Lieutenant General Steve Gilland commissioned into the United States Army upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1990. As an Infantry Officer, he served in a variety of tactical assignments in Air Assault, Armor, Mechanized Infantry, Ranger, and Special Operations units. He has served in the 24th Infantry Division, the 2nd Infantry Division, the 75th Ranger Regiment, the United States Army Special Operations Command, the 1st Cavalry Division, the 101st Airborne Division, the 2nd Infantry Division, the III Armored Corps, and the United States Military Academy. Lieutenant General Gilland has commanded at every level up to Division and participated in numerous operational deployments to the Middle East, Africa, and Afghanistan. Prior to assuming duties as USMA's 61st Superintendent, he served as the Deputy Commanding General (Maneuver) of III Armored Corps, Fort Hood (known as Fort Cavazos since 2023), Texas. Lieutenant General Gilland holds a Master's Degree in Military Operational Art and Science from the Air Force Command and Staff College. He has the long list of awards you would expect, plus he has earned the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Expert Infantryman's Badge, Ranger Tab, Master Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, and - notably less common than the rest - the Military Free Fall Jumpmaster Badge. Lieutenant General Gilland has been happily married to his West Point classmate Betsy, for more than 33 years. Team Gilland are the proud parents of three children.

This week, we're replaying a classic episode where Steve and Yvonne interview Shane Lazenby of Lazenby Law Group (https://lazlawgroup.com/).   Rate and review GTP on iTunes: Click Here to Rate and Review.   View/Download Trial Documents   Case Details: Former defense attorney and U.S. Army Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps veteran Shane Lazenby of Lazenby Law Group explains how he secured justice in the wrongful death of Kip Holland, a 50-year-old intellectually disabled pedestrian who was hit by a weaving, out-of-control tractor-trailer in Gainesville, Georgia. At trial, Shane Lazenby demonstrated that James Harper, the 76-year-old tractor-trailer driver who died before the case went to trial, lied on his Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration medical exam, took prescription narcotics four times a day, performed breathing treatments for COPD in his trailer and was regularly admitted to the hospital for pneumonia. In 2020, a Gainesville, Georgia jury returned a verdict in favor of Kip Holland's grieving family and awarded $21,029,363 in damages, litigation expenses, and attorney's fees.   Guest Bio: Shane Lazenby Shane Lazenby is the founder and managing member of Lazenby Law Group. After more than a decade of defending those accused of negligence in personal injury cases, Shane decided to reverse course and help the victims of serious injuries. With unparalleled compassion and limitless commitment, Shane quickly learned how much more rewarding and uplifting service as a victim's advocate can be. Shane now focuses his practice on helping the victims of catastrophic personal injury and the families whose loved ones have passed as a result of another's negligence. Shane received his law degree in 1999 at the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. While at Mercer, Shane was a member of the Moot Court Board and the Mercer Law Review where he served as the Eleventh Circuit Survey Editor. Shane also received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, with a minor in Latin, from Mercer in 1994. Following law school, Shane returned to the United States Army, where he served as a Judge Advocate with the 82d Airborne Division. Shane's service included duties as the Regimental Judge Advocate for the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, where he obtained a 100% conviction rate in the most active military justice jurisdiction in the United States Army. Shane was also selected to be the first Judge Advocate from the 82d Airborne Division to deploy to the Global War on Terrorism as counsel to the Commander of the 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Shane was then selected to be the Operational Law Attorney for the 82d Airborne Division Commander in Bagram, Afghanistan, where he served until returning home. In December 2010, Shane retired from the Georgia Army National Guard after 21 years of total military service with the Georgia National Guard, United States Army, and Army Reserve. Shane joined the military in 1989, first serving as a combat medical specialist. In 1993 Shane graduated from Officer's Candidate School and was commissioned as an Infantry Officer. Shane served as an Infantry Platoon Leader, Signal Platoon Leader, and Operations Officer with a Ranger-led, Airborne Long Range Surveillance Unit. He then returned to the active Army for his tour of duty as a Judge Advocate before transitioning into the Army Reserve. In the Army Reserve, Shane continued service as a Judge Advocate, but was then selected for Command as the Headquarters and Headquarters Company Commander for the 335th Signal Command. Thereafter, Shane transitioned back into the Georgia Army National Guard where he returned to his Infantry roots and became the Executive Officer of the 3-108th Cavalry Squadron; his retirement assignment. Shane's service awards include the coveted Ranger tab, the Master Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, and the Bronze Star for service in the Republic of Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Shane's service as an Army Ranger also included competition in the LTG David E. Grange Best Ranger Competition in 2002. After his return from Afghanistan, Shane transitioned into private practice with a prestigious trial defense firm in Atlanta, Georgia, where he gained invaluable experience and growth alongside some of Georgia's finest defense and plaintiff attorneys. After deciding to depart big city life, Shane settled with his family in Gainesville, Georgia. In Gainesville, Shane continued honing his skills as a partner with a Gainesville firm specializing in the defense of physicians accused of medical malpractice. In his career, Shane has tried more than fifty cases to verdict. His extensive experience was noted when he was selected as an Atlanta Magazine Georgia Super Lawyer Rising Star in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Shane was also pleased to be selected as a Georgia Super Lawyer for Plaintiff's Personal Injury in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019,  a peer-reviewed award limited to only the top 2.5% of Georgia's attorneys. Shane also maintains a coveted AV Rating from Martindale Hubbell – the highest possible rating in terms of both legal ability and ethical standards. Shane was also fortunate to graduate from Leadership Georgia in 2013 and Leadership Hall County in 2016. Read Full Bio   Show Sponsors: Legal Technology Services - LegalTechService.com Digital Law Marketing - DigitalLawMarketing.com Harris Lowry Manton LLP - hlmlawfirm.com   Free Resources: Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1 Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2

Eric Sauvé is a retired infantry officer that served with Canada's Royal 22e Régiment. Eric's military journey spanned from his entry into the Royal Military College of Canada to being an intelligence liaison with the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, DC.Support the showhttps://www.jcramergraphics.comhttps://www.ANGLICOshop.comhttps://www.patreon.com/formeractionguysEric's linksBlog with articles in French and English: http://www.esauveca.comLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-sauv%C3%A9-cd-45753a58/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericsauve2Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericsauve2/

GUEST OVERVIEW: John Frankman was a Captain in the Army who served as a Green Beret assigned to 7th Special Forces Group. On July 1st, 2023 he separated from active duty after 8 years for refusing the COVID 19 shot. Before going on active duty, he spent four years in the Catholic seminary before discerning that God had different plans for him. He entered active duty as an Infantry Officer and completed the Infantry Basic Officer Leadership Course, Airborne School, and Ranger School. After serving as an Infantry Officer, he was selected to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course where he also completed SERE school (Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape) and completed the Military Free Fall Course. Of all of his military accomplishments, he considers refusing the immoral and illegal COVID vax his proudest moment. Since leaving the Army, he has been fighting for accountability for those responsible for the mandates and restitution for affected service members.

Download "10 Military Habits That Are Sabotaging Your Career... and Your Life"Our guest today is Dr. Lance Cutsforth, a disruptor of the status quo using the almost-forgotten tools of empathy, critical thinking, common sense, and objective observation. Dr. Cutsforth served in the US Army from 1986 to 1999 as a Special Forces Communications expert and Infantry Officer. He is a Double Board Certified Doctor of Functional Medicine and a practitioner of the Healing Arts, focusing on mind, body, and spirit. As a trainer, teacher, coach, and guide, he integrates his personal, educational, and professional experience to support his co-collaborators in their journey of healing, transition, and ultimate optimization through a wide array of tailored modalities.SummaryDr. Lance Cuttsforth, a veteran and practitioner of functional medicine, discusses the importance of addressing the emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of health alongside the physical. He emphasizes the value of peer support and lived experience in the veteran community and the need to connect with others who understand the journey. Dr. Cuttsforth also highlights the significance of finding balance and healing after military conditioning and the role of self-care in being of service to others. The conversation explores the importance of addressing root causes rather than just treating symptoms. It emphasizes the need to swim upstream and find the underlying issues that contribute to physical and mental health problems. The discussion also highlights the concept of using tools to navigate through significant emotional events and the importance of adopting new behavior patterns. The conversation touches on the challenges of weaning off medications and the potential benefits of plant medicines in holistic healing.Chapters00:00 The Concept of Papyrus: An Analogy for Collaboration and Strengths04:59 Transition and Calling: A Shift in Purpose and Mission10:20 Unwinding and Finding Purpose: The Journey of Healing and Discovery47:36 Navigating Through Significant Emotional Events51:00 The Role of Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Aspects in Wellness56:01 Challenges of Adopting New Behavior Patterns01:15:57 The Holistic Approach to Mental Wellness01:30:51 Integration, Community, and Apprenticeship in Wellness01:33:42 New Chapter

Download "10 Military Habits That Are Sabotaging Your Career... and Your Life"Our guest today is Gary Hess, the founder and Executive Director of the Veterans Alliance for Holistic Alternatives (VAHA), CEO of Teleleaf, and Partner of Dynamic Growth Solutions. Gary served in the Marine Corps for 11 years as both an enlisted member and Infantry Officer, experiencing the challenges of PTSD, traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, and pharmaceutical dependency first-hand. He used cannabis to manage his conditions and catalyze Post-Traumatic Growth. Now, Gary is an advocate and activist for the use of medical cannabis in post-traumatic recovery for veterans and trauma survivors.Within VAHA, Gary leads efforts to provide evidence-based education on the benefits of medical cannabis and works with patients, medical professionals, and lawmakers to reduce obstacles to access. He has teamed with Dr. Sue Sisley and the Scottsdale Research Institute to remove barriers hindering federal research initiatives and has successfully testified in Congress for the legalization of medical cannabis in Louisiana and North Carolina. Additionally, Gary is the CEO of Teleleaf, a telemedicine platform that provides affordable and convenient access to cannabis, and a Partner in Dynamic Growth Solutions, which offers solutions for indoor cannabis cultivation.Gary holds a Bachelor of Science in Community Sociology from Wartburg College and is pursuing a PhD in Cognitive Behavior and Brain Sciences, studying the effects of trauma and the effectiveness of cannabis and other holistic alternatives in recovery.SummaryGary Hess, founder of the Veterans Alliance for Holistic Alternatives, shares his journey of using cannabis and psychedelic-assisted therapies to heal from trauma. He discusses the disconnect between the mind and body that many veterans experience and how holistic alternatives can help facilitate the reconnection. Gary emphasizes the importance of education, intention, and integration in the healing process. He also provides resources for accessing medical cannabis and exploring psychedelic-assisted therapies.TakeawaysHolistic alternatives such as cannabis and psychedelic-assisted therapies have the potential to facilitate healing from trauma and reconnect the mind and body.Mindfulness practices, breathwork, and meditation are important tools for processing painful emotions and achieving balance.Education and empowerment are crucial in the healing journey, especially for those who have experienced significant trauma and are seeking holistic alternatives for mental health.Access to medical cannabis and psychedelic-assisted therapies can be obtained through organizations like the Veterans Alliance for Holistic Alternatives and Teleleaf.There is hope for those struggling with mental health issues and trauma. It's important to reach out for support and explore alternative healing modalities.Sound Bites"I smoked a joint and it did everything that the medicines were supposed to do.""The cure for the pain is in the pain.""Understanding the dos and the don'ts, understanding that you have to meet people where they are."

This week, International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan, K.C., announced on CNN that he will seek arrest warrants for Israel's democratically elected Prime Minister and Defense Minister, as well as three members of Hamas leadership because of “crimes against humanity” related to October 7 and the subsequent Israel-Hamas war. Israel is not a party to the Rome Statute that underpins the ICC, which therefore has no legal jurisdiction in Israel. The ICC has admitted a “State of Palestine,” which theoretically grants jurisdiction over actions in “Palestine” and over Hamas figures. How should Washington respond to the ICC's extrajudicial investigation? And how will the ICC's announcement affect its global standing?Tom Cotton is a United States Senator from Arkansas. Senator Cotton's committees include the Judiciary Committee, where he serves as the Ranking Member for the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism, the Intelligence Committee, and the Armed Services Committee, where he serves as the Ranking Member of the Air Land Power Subcommittee. Before joining the Senate, Senator Cotton was a member of the House of Representatives and served on active duty in the United States Army as an Infantry Officer.Read the transcript here. Sign up for the Substack here.

This episode features Jeremy Stalnecker, a Marine Corps Veteran and CEO of The Mighty Oaks Foundation. Host Joe Crane dives into Jeremy's journey, from serving as an Infantry Officer in Operation Iraqi Freedom to his transition into ministry. Jeremy openly discusses the challenges he faced and the importance of support systems for veterans in transition. The conversation then shifts to The Mighty Oaks Foundation, a nonprofit Jeremy established. We learn about the organization's mission to empower veterans and their families by removing barriers to PTSD recovery and healing. Jeremy shares the inspiration behind the foundation and how veterans continue their commitment to supporting one another even after their military service ends. He also offers insights into the challenges and rewards of leading a non-profit. Listeners will gain valuable takeaways on fundraising strategies and maintaining focus on a mission-driven vision. Episode Resources:  The Mighty Oaks Foundation     About Our Guest    Jeremy Stalnecker, CEO of the Mighty Oaks Foundation, aids America's military and families battling combat-related wounds like PTSD. A Marine Corps veteran, he served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, acquiring leadership skills. As a USMC Infantry Officer, Jeremy received a Veteran Navy Commendation Medal with V for Combat Valor. Transitioning to ministry after the military, he counseled at Coastline Baptist, then served as Senior Pastor at Bay Area Baptist Church. Feeling the calling, Jeremy merged his ministry and military background, leading Mighty Oaks Foundation full-time where today he strives to provide healing for veterans and their families to battle PTSD and veteran suicide. Additionally, Jeremy is often a speaker on the topic of leadership and discipleship     Join the conversation on Facebook! Check out Veteran on the Move on Facebook to connect with our guests and other listeners. A place where you can network with other like-minded veterans who are transitioning to entrepreneurship and get updates on people, programs and resources to help you in YOUR transition to entrepreneurship.   About Our Sponsors Navy Federal Credit Union   You know I've been a Navy Federal member for over 34 years.  May is Military Appreciation Month, and Navy Federal Credit Union wants to celebrate their members who go above and beyond. Navy Federal offers member-only exclusive rates, discounts and tools to empower their members and help them reach their goals. They offer twenty-four-seven help from their U.S.-based member service. They offer resources like “Best Cities After Service” to help Veterans transition to civilian life and “Best Careers for Military Spouses” to support military families. All branches of the military, Veterans, DoD employees and their family are eligible for Navy Federal membership. Navy Federal's employees are a part of the community they serve. Many of them aremilitary family members, reservists or Veterans. Visit  navyfederal.org/celebrate to see all our Military Appreciation Month offers and other Navy Federal offers. At Navy Federal, our members are the mission.      MD Hearing A lot of people don't want to get hearing aides because they know how expensive they can be but Did you know MDHearing recently cut their price IN HALF despite all of this inflation craziness? MDHearing is an FDA Registered, Rechargeable  Hearing Aid that costs a fraction of what typical hearing aids cost. MDHearing's Neo model costs OVER 90% LESS than clinic hearing aids!  Get the hearing you deserve with MDHearing. Go to ShopMDHearing.com and use promo code VETERAN to get their NEW $297 when you buy a pair offer. Plus, they are adding a FREE Extra Charging Case, a $100 value, just for listeners of Veteran on the Move. That's MDHearing dot com and use our promo code VETERAN and get their NEW $297 when you buy a pair offer.    Want to be our next guest?

Have you ever wondered how to go from one career to a very different one? Or how to integrate all of the interests you have into a professional career? This is the area of professional identity development and formation and Dr. Williams will lead us through how to do this. Listeners will gather information on how to start building the career they want by assessing themselves, understanding their unique skills and talents, and taking calculated risk with a supportive community. Have you ever wondered how to go from one career to a very different one? Or how to integrate all of the interests you have into a professional career? This is the area of professional identity development and formation and Dr. Williams will lead us through how to do this. Dr. Williams, Founder and CEO of Legacy Consulting & Research Group LLC, is a Licensed Clinical and Consulting psychologist who is an enthusiastic leader who has experience in assessment, consulting, research, and speaking on topics related to leadership development and culture. Dr. Williams works with clients, delivering executive coaching and consulting services. Dr. Williams is a member of the American Psychological Association, Division 13 Society of Consulting Psychology. In addition, Dr. Williams is an Infantry Officer who has served soldiers and families in the United States Army (active and reserves) for over 20 years.www.legacycrg.com www.formationpublishing.comCareer Development, Professional Identity, Career Exploration, #TheHardSkills, #leadershipdevelopment #leadershipidentityTune in for this empowering conversation at TalkRadio.nyc

CONTENTThe guest today is Laurence Moore, known as Loz, who served in the Cheshire regiment and on this episode we discuss his time at Sandhurst and what it was like to deploy on operations as a young officer in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. Loz also discusses the effect combat had on him personally and why he helped set up Cockleshell 22 with a group of serving and former service people from across the Royal Marines, Royal Air Force and British Army to provide funded expeditions based on historical military raids and ground-breaking mentoring programme to the military community in order to improve overall health of its beneficiaries. Loz's book choice on Desert Islands Dits is "Dien Bien Phu " by Howard R Simpson. My choice is "Killing Thatcher" by Rory Carroll.You can contact Loz by email: cockleshell22@gmail.com. Cockleshell 22 website is at: https://cockleshell22.com and Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Cockleshell22/WHERE TO GET OUR DESERT ISLAND DITS BOOK CHOICESMost of our book recommendations can be bought via the Unconventional Soldier Bookshop. 10% of each purchase supports the pod and helps independent book stores on line sales. "BUY ME A COFFEE"If you want to support the podcast you can buy me a coffee here.SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CHARIOTS IN THE SKYMEET THE AUTHOR Podcast: LIVE - Episode 151 - LARRY FREELANDOriginally Streamed LIVE Wednesday April 10,2024Featuring Military Historical Fiction Author Larry Freeland.ABOUT LARRY: Larry Freeland was born in Canton, Ohio and raised across this country. After graduating from college, Larry joined the U.S. Army and served one tour in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division as an Infantry Officer and a CH-47 helicopter pilot. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Air Medal, with 10 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Vietnam Service Medal with 3 Bronze Stars, the Bronze Star Medal, and various other military service medals. Larry is now retired and lives in North Georgia with his wife Linda, a retired teacher. They enjoy traveling together around the country, going on cruises, and visiting historic places in Europe. They are both fans of LeMans racing and drive their Corvette to some of the annual races held in the United States. They stay involved in various activities, most notably those associated with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Veterans-related organizations.Links to watch or listen to all episodes at:https://indiebooksource.com/podcast

BlueCollar.CEO –Jason Mangone is the Co-founder and CEO of Newbury Franklin Home Services, a nationwide provider of concierge maintenance services. In 2006, Jason graduated from Boston College with a BA in political science, and in 2013 graduated from Yale University with his MA in international relations. He served as an Infantry Officer for the United States Marine Corps and as COO for a nonprofit. Ready for the next step in his career, and a desire to contribute to an organization through hands-on leadership, Jason set out to purchase a company — introducing him to the concierge maintenance industry. In this episode, Ryan and Jason discuss how to scale innovative business ideas in unconventional ways. Jason also shares why his company focuses on OKRs (Objective and Key Results) versus KPIs for standard business measurements. Blue Collar CEO is a podcast that is all about helping you build a better, more profitable, more sustainable & kick-ass home service business. Join Levergy® CEO Ryan Redding each week who will be joined by industry experts who will break down their success stories and give their best-kept secrets for industry domination. You do not want to miss it! Learn more at https://www.bluecollar.ceo/, or https://www.levergy.io.

In this podcast Pete Gaynor, the immediate past Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security shares his experiences and ideas on how to hire staff at all levels. He put a special emphasis on hiring and was personally involved in the selection process for senior positions at FEMA.Today he continues to lead by hosting training sessions on “Leading During Crisis.” You can learn more about that at his website, www.femapete.com  There are both in-person and on-line options for attending. Before becoming FEMA Administrator, he held leadership positions in emergency management in the State of Rhode Island and was initially the Deputy FEMA Administrator.Prior to his experience as an emergency manager, Mr. Gaynor served for 26 years as an enlisted Marine and Infantry Officer in the United States Marine Corps. During his tenure in the Marines, he was assigned as the Executive Officer responsible for the security of Presidential Retreat, Camp David; assigned as the Head of Plans, Policy, & Operations at the Headquarters Marine Corps during the September 11, 2001 attacks; and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.This episode is sponsored by AshBritt, a national rapid-response emergency management and logistics company. Celebrating its 30th year, AshBritt has led response efforts following 60 federally declared disasters across 30 states and has conducted more than 400 missions, successfully serving over 600 clients. AshBritt is the trusted emergency management contractor for cities, counties, states and for federal agencies, including the Department of Defense where AshBritt holds a pre-position debris management contract which covers 25 U.S. states.  Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.

This episode of US-Asia Institute's podcast, Asia Unscripted, features Nick Millward, who is the U.S. Co-Director of Friends of Mongolia. Nick Millward earned a bachelor's in international studies at Virginia Military Institute. Upon graduating, he served as an Infantry Officer in the US Marine Corps for 7 years, where he was eventually stationed in Japan, enabling him to travel to Mongolia. He left the military in 2021 and is pursuing a Masters of Peace and Conflict Studies as a Rotary Peace Fellow at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Nick is developing advanced skills in conflict resolution with a background in Central and East Asian Studies; he has experience collaborating with multiple NGO's and institutions and is eager to develop a robust network of volunteers and practitioners who strengthen community relations.Nick speaks to USAI Program Assistant Tarang about the work that Friends of Mongolia does within the country to foster community-building. Support the show

AgendaIntroductory RemarksMike Gonzalez, Angeles T. Arredondo E Pluribus Unum Senior Fellow, International Engagement, The Heritage FoundationFireside ChatThe Honorable Burgess Owens (R-UT), Member, U.S. House of RepresentativesEric Teetsel, Vice President, Government Relations, The Heritage Foundation (Moderator)Panel I: The Capture of Higher Education InstitutionsJay P. Greene, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Education Policy, The Heritage FoundationNicki Neily, President and Founder, Parents Defending EducationSarah Parshall Perry, Senior Legal Fellow, Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, The Heritage FoundationKristina Rasmussen, Executive Director, Do No HarmLindsey Burke, PhD, Director, Center for Education Policy, The Heritage Foundation (Moderator)Panel II: The Capture of Military InstitutionsEarl Matthews, Former Acting General Counsel, U.S. Army (Trump Administration), and Current Judge Advocate, U.S. Army ReserveAmber Smith, Former Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Outreach in Public Affairs and former Kiowa Warrior Pilot, U.S. ArmyWill Thibeau, Director of the American Military Project, The Claremont Institute, and former Infantry Officer, U.S. ArmyJV Venable, Senior Research Fellow, Defense Policy, Allison Center for National Security, The Heritage Foundation, and former Fighter Pilot and Commander of the Thunderbirds, U.S. Air Force (Moderator)Panel III: Donors, the Media, and Corporate AmericaAndy Olivastro, Chief Advancement Officer, The Heritage FoundationAaron Sibarium, Reporter, Washington Free BeaconArmen Tooloee, Chief of Staff of Christopher RufoJonathan Butcher, Senior Research Fellow in Education Policy, Center for Education Policy, The Heritage Foundation (Moderator)The successful campaign to oust the presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania has made clear that a window of opportunity has opened in the struggle against DEI and CRT. This window opened when Americans, especially those in the center, watched in horror as students – indoctrinated into a narrative of oppressor vs. oppressed – threw their support behind the Hamas terrorists who committed atrocities in Israel on October 7. We must keep this window open.Join us to hear from experts in national defense, medicine, and education, along with journalists uncovering DEI and CRT's capture of a wide range of institutions. From medical schools to the military and law schools to corporations, see how this pernicious ideology has made its way into every facet of American institutions and what can be done to reverse course.This half-day event will begin with a fireside chat between Congressman Burgess Owens and Heritage Vice President Eric Teetsel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast, I'm speaking with Ryan Maher, CEO of BizzyCar where we discuss: the looming public safety threat of 70 million vehicles affected by automotive recalls, how the tough months in the dealership business during covid inspired the creation of his company, his journey from infantry officer to chief executive officer and much more. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: Private Auto - The safest way to buy vehicles privately. Use code ‘CDG' to list your car for free. Learn more @ https://privateauto.com/ CDK Global - Empowering dealers with the tools and technology to build deeper customer relationships. Learn more @ https://www.cdkglobal.com/dealership-xperience-platform BizzyCar - BizzyCar Delivers Service Revenue by Automating Recals. Learn more @ https://www.bizzycar.com/ Car Dealership Guy Industry Job Board - Connecting world-class talent with top-notch companies in Automotive. Find your next role—or start hiring today—at CDGJobs.com. Interested in advertising with Car Dealership Guy? Drop us a line here Interested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name here Links: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:05:34) - Growing up in the dealer business (00:08:18) - Ryan's military career (00:14:35) - Transitioning back to civilian life and launching BizzyCar  (00:17:43) - Are recalls rising overall? (00:25:42) - Recalls 101 (00:30:46) - How are dealers using your platform handling recalls today? (00:44:42) - How do you think about your impact on the industry? (00:52:40) - What has the entrepreneurial journey been like for BizzyCar? Check out BizzyCar here. Check out the website for more (https://dealershipguy.com) and follow me on X @GuyDealership! (https://x.com/guydealership) This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

-James Byler graduated from Purdue University as member of the NROTC program and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps-Stationed at Camp Pendleton (CA) as an Infantry Platoon Commander, he was in charge of training, leading, mentoring, and preparing about 40 Marines for what was to be a very difficult deployment in Afghanistan-On October 17, 2010, he was leading his platoon on a dismounted patrol of a narrow alley in Northern Helmand Province - one of the deadliest provinces in Afghanistan at the time. During this Patrol, he subsequently suffered the loss of both his legs after being hit with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED)-He remained conscious until he was anesthetized in the Medevac chopper and was medically evacuated to Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. The superior training his men received enabled them to stabilize him and save his life. As a result of the events that day,  he suffered the loss of both legs above the knee, as well as the loss of both pinky fingers-He has since gone on to find success in the civilian world, where he currently works in investment banking as a Central Risk Book Principal Trader and next month will be attending an O2X workshop sponsored by BHFHFirstNet Built with AT&T:http://www.firstnet.com/healthandwellnessBuilding Homes for Heroes:https://www.buildinghomesforheroes.org/Download the O2X Tactical Performance App:app.o2x.comLet us know what you think:Website - http://o2x.comIG - https://instagram.com/o2xhumanperformance?igshid=1kicimx55xt4f 

General Krulak is a former commandant of the U.S. Marines Corps and a deputy director of the White House Military Office, and he has served by presidential appointment as chairman of the U.S. Naval Academy Board of Visitors, overseeing the board responsible for the policies of the U.S. Naval Academy. Following his retirement from military service, General Krulak was made chairman and CEO of MBNA Europe Bank in England, where he oversaw the financial turnaround for the credit card provider. He subsequently joined MBNA America Bank as vice chairman and chief administrative officer, where he was responsible for corporate and personnel development and education. General Krulak served as president of Birmingham-Southern College and continues to be passionate about supporting the development of young people.   General Krulak joins me today to share the experience he gained while working with Presidents Regan and Bush as part of the White House Military Office staff and how his role was pivotal in providing military support. He discusses his move into leading private companies and why it was important to him to be authentic and honest to get the best out of his staff and himself in this new industry. General Krulak also shares the motivation behind his charitable work with the US Israel Education Association and the future objectives of the program. “Where principle is involved, be deaf to expediency.” - General Krulak This week on The Wow Factor: The advantages of growing up a military junior Why he decided to join the Marine Corps His journey through training school to become an Infantry Officer and subsequently go to Vietnam The emotional impact of being in the Marine Corps on his wife and family How he progressed through the ranks in his career The difference between the public and classified areas of his work at the White House The personal importance of embracing Christianity to General Krulak His pride in being selected as the Marine Corps Commandant The Importance of prayer in significant moments The Influence of his father and other mentors such as President Regan Why he is passionate about moving forward and helping young people How he continued to grow as a leader Why he doesn't dwell on regrets General Krulak's Words of Wisdom: If you want to be successful in life, be a man or a woman of character, have moral courage, do the right thing, have integrity.  Connect with General Krulak: Hope for the Warriors website US Israel Education Association website Human Rights First website   Connect with The WOW Factor: Website I Like Giving: The Transforming Power of a Generous Life book by Brad Forsma LinkedIn Instagram Facebook Twitter  

General Sir Patrick Sanders has served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Bosnia and Northern Ireland, rising through the ranks from Infantry Officer to Head of the Army. It's not a position he expected to reach and says "my first sergeant would never have seen this coming".He's spoken candidly about experiencing depression following a tour in Iraq, having lost a number of his own infantry regiment, encouraging others to seek help.Most recently General Sanders has ignited debate about the size of the army, suggesting that the "pre-war generation" should be prepared for the possibility of a potential land war, stating "Ukraine brutally illustrates that regular armies start wars; citizen armies win them."As he prepares to leave the post of Chief of the General Staff (CGS), Mark Coles looks at the life and career of General Sir Patrick Sanders, speaking to some of the family, friends and colleagues who know him best.Credits The Benedictine Monks of Worth Abbey Centre For Army Leadership Podcast British Army Time to Talk BFBS Sitrep Podcast GB NewsPresenter: Mark Coles Production: Ellie House and Diane Richardson Production Co-ordinators: Sabine Schereck and Maria Ogundele Sound: Neil Churchill Editors: Richard Vadon and Matt Willis

Not everyone can lead during a crisis. Some think they can, others fear that they will not be up to the task. Sometimes the crisis finds you, whether you are ready or not. In this podcast, Pete Gaynor, the immediate past Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator shares his ideas on Leadership Essentials for Unthinkable Events.  See www.femapete.com for more information. Before becoming FEMA Administrator, he held leadership positions in emergency management in the State of Rhode Island and was initially the Deputy FEMA Administrator.Prior to his experience as an emergency manager, Mr. Gaynor served for 26 years as an enlisted Marine and Infantry Officer in the United States Marine Corps. During his tenure in the Marines, he was assigned as the Executive Officer responsible for the security of Presidential Retreat, Camp David; assigned as the Head of Plans, Policy, & Operations at the Headquarters Marine Corps during the September 11, 2001 attacks; and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.This episode is sponsored by AshBritt, a national rapid-response emergency management and logistics company. Celebrating its 30th year, AshBritt has led response efforts following 60 federally declared disasters across 30 states and has conducted more than 400 missions, successfully serving over 600 clients. AshBritt is the trusted emergency management contractor for cities, counties, states and for federal agencies, including the Department of Defense where AshBritt holds a pre-position debris management contract which covers 25 U.S. states.  Eric Holdeman is a professional emergency manager who is passionate about providing information that can help families, businesses & governments become better prepared for disasters of all types. Hear first hand expert insights from Eric on his Podcast, Blog & EricHoldeman.com.

In this episode of the Brawn Body Health and Fitness Podcast, Dan is joined by Justin (Judd) Lienhard to discuss how he trains around injuries, how we define the correct way to exercise (is there one?) and developing speed. Judd attended Truman State University on a football scholarship where he earned a degree in Exercise Physiology. While at Truman, Judd earned all-conference and all-region honors at middle linebacker. He was voted ‘Linebacker of the Year' and selected as the team's strength and conditioning athlete his junior and senior years. After graduation, Judd served as the football team's strength and conditioning coach for one year before beginning a career as a sports medicine trainer. In 2006 Judd joined the US Army and was commissioned as an Infantry Officer in 2007. During his time in the service he deployed to Iraq as a platoon leader with 10th Mountain Division and then again as a platoon leader with the 3D Ranger Battalion in Iraq and then again to Afghanistan. Judd was awarded a Bronze Star for service during his time in Iraq in 2008 and again in Afghanistan in 2010. Judd completed his four year service obligation to the Army in 2010 and decided to return to a career in fitness. Judd spent two years in Chicago as the Fitness Director of World Gym before ultimately landing in his current home base of Austin, Texas. Judd has been in Austin since 2012, living his passion of working with athletes, helping them to achieve their performance goals. For more on Justin, be sure to check out his Instagram page @juddlienhard and his website https://www.juddlienhard.com/about *SEASON 5 of the Brawn Body Podcast is brought to you by Isophit. For more on Isophit, please check out isophit.com and @isophit Episode Sponsors: MoboBoard: BRAWNBODY10 saves 10% at checkout! AliRx: DBraunRx = 20% off at checkout! https://alirx.health/ MedBridge: https://www.medbridgeeducation.com/brawn-body-training or Coupon Code "BRAWN" for 40% off your annual subscription! CTM Band: https://ctm.band/collections/ctm-band coupon code "BRAWN10" = 10% off! PurMotion: "brawn" = 10% off!! GOT ROM: https://www.gotrom.com/a/3083/5X9xTi8k Red Light Therapy through Hooga Health: hoogahealth.com coupon code "brawn" = 12% off Ice shaker affiliate link: https://www.iceshaker.com?sca_ref=1520881.zOJLysQzKe Training Mask: "BRAWN" = 20% off at checkout https://www.trainingmask.com?sca_ref=2486863.iestbx9x1n Make sure you SHARE this episode with a friend who could benefit from the information we shared! Check out everything Dan is up to, including blog posts, fitness programs, and more by clicking here: https://linktr.ee/brawnbodytraining Liked this episode? Leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/daniel-braun/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/daniel-braun/support

Eric Hillerson: Family tradition Eric and his family have a strong connection with military service. Eric's grandfathers served in WWII and several of his uncles served in Vietnam. Eric became interested in West Point and becoming an officer personally during the sixth grade when Desert Shield / Desert Storm kicked off. Watching the news coverage of what US forces accomplished, combined with watching the Ken Burns series on the Civil War drew his attention. Eric participated in sports throughout highschool, pushed himself academically, participated in student council, and attended academic camps at West Point his junior and senior years. Eric knew the broad scope of what he was getting into, but couldn't anticipate the details. Ruck marches, the Thayer Method, Plebe English challenged him in new and unexpected ways. Eric leaned into those challenges and found his niche's in Sandhurst, Infantry Tactics Club, and Engineering Management. Eric graduated from West Point and commissioned as an Infantry Officer. Serving in South Korea, Kansas, Iraq, and Georgia before leaving the military at the end of his initial military service obligation. Eric left the military to focus on his growing family and has spent 15+ years in the civilian sector in logistics, supply chain operations, and operations management. Eric talks about military service, transition to the civilian world, and his own son's path towards application and acceptance into West Point. This is his story. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joe-harrison0/support

John Frankman, former Captain in the Army and Green Beret, joins today's podcast. He tells his story, including when he and his men were told to wear red bands to signal that they were unvaccinated. We talk about the recent letter the Army sent to involuntarily separated soldiers, what he'd say to anyone who says the military owns your body, and how he's been working towards making sure the past 3.5 years never happen again.  On July 1st, John Frankman voluntarily separated from active duty after 8 years due to difficulties surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Before going on active duty, he spent four years in the Catholic seminary before discerning that God had different plans for him at the time. He entered active duty as an Infantry Officer and completed the Infantry Officer Basic School, Airborne School, and Ranger School. After serving as an Infantry Officer, he was selected to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course where he also completed SERE school (Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape) and completed the Military Free Fall Course. Of all of his military accomplishments, he considers refusing the immoral and illegal COVID vaccine his proudest moment.Follow John Frankman: https://linktr.ee/johny.franksVisit our website: https://www.fedsforfreedom.org

Scott Lewis is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Spartan Investment Group, LLC (SIG). As the CEO, Scott is responsible for the strategic direction of the company and ensuring it aligns with SIG's mission to Improve Lives Through Real Estate. Prior to Spartan, Scott held positions as a regional sales manager for a biotech firm, various positions in strategic and project management for the federal government culminating at the GS 15 level, and was on active duty in the US Army as an Infantry Officer. On this episode, Jake and Scott discuss: Leadership in the military vs. business Scaling Spartan Holding people accountable Vertical integration The Self-storage landscape Links: Spartan Storage Scott on LinkedIn No Rules Rules by Erin Meyer & Reed Hastings The Great Game of Business by Jack Stack The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Sean Covey Scaling Up by Verne Harnish Scaling up tools PDF The Conrad Thailand   Connect & Invest with Jake: Follow Jake on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jwurzak Take the Hospitality Investing Masterclass: https://learn.jakewurzak.com/ Learn How to Invest with DoveHill: https://bit.ly/3yg8Pwo   Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:17) - Scott's military experience (00:07:27) - Leadership in the military vs. leadership in a company (00:10:51) - Getting into real estate (00:18:01) - Scott's first deal (00:19:31) - Scaling the business (00:29:57) - Holding people accountable (00:36:08) - Meeting structures (00:39:43) - Mistakes made early in the business (00:42:33) - Vertical integration (00:46:13) - Hold strategies (00:46:53) - Scott's $100m deal (00:52:00) - The Spartan Fee structure (00:57:40) - The self-storage landscape (01:01:58) - Adapting to the new RE cycle (01:07:50) - Investment and underwriting processes (01:11:54) - Scott's book recommendations (01:17:12) - Advice for inspiring performance (01:20:54) - What is your favorite hotel?

Ben Gordon is the CEO of Fractal Ag, a farmland investment platform that brings investors alongside farmers to drive impact and returns. Ben previously co-created Corteva Agriscience's carbon program while also leading Business Development. His background includes experience in agriculture technology, management consulting, and private equity due diligence. Ben previously served as an Infantry Officer in the US Army. He was raised in North Dakota where the original family homestead is still farmed by extended family. He lives in San Francisco, CA. Links: Ben on LinkedIn Fractal Ag Become a Premium Subscriber Sponsor: This episode is presented by MyLand. Learn more at MyLand.ag. Check out our interview with Dane.

Ben Bateman, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sportsmen For Warriors, is a Veteran of the United States Army. After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Ben served for nine years as a Commissioned Officer initially as an Infantry Officer, and then after being selected serving as a Special Forces officer, "Green Beret." Ben is married to Cresta, also a West Point graduate and Army Combat Veteran. Ben gained extensive leadership and combat experience while serving on combat tours in support of Operation Iraq Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. After deciding to leave the military, Ben faced many of the hardships that most Warriors face after leaving the service experience in trying to gain employment. In 2014, Ben realized that the Warrior community needed an organization committed to tackling the problems our Warriors face. He and his family are fully dedicated to honoring and serving our Warriors.  Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors at www.hazardground.com/sponsors Shop Amazon! As an Amazon Associate We Earn From Qualifying Purchases...You Know The Deal! (Paid Link) Help grow the show! Spread the word, tell a friend!! Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts! Episode Intro Music: “Prelude” by “Silence & Light” (www.silenceandlightmusic.com) Photo Credit: Hazard Ground

Soy Checkoff: https://www.unitedsoybean.org/Fractal Agriculture: https://fractal.ag/Ben Gordon is the founder and CEO of Fractal Agriculture, a passive farmland investment partner that invests alongside farmers rather than competing against them for land. After serving as an Infantry Officer in the U.S. Army, Ben worked in ag tech, management consulting, and private equity due diligence before his most recent role leading Corteva Agriscience's carbon program. Kyle Mehmen is a partner at MBS Family Farms, a successful family-owned, family-operated corn and soybean operation in Plainfield, Iowa. Kyle and his family are ardent stewards of their land, leaning into sustainability balanced with profitability.I've had the opportunity to interact with both Ben and Kyle in different capacities throughout the years. I worked with Ben's team at Corteva to host some webinars last year on soil health, and Kyle was featured on this show as part of our Farm Data series with INTENT back on episode 226. So it was fun to reconnect with both of them. This is a fascinating concept though, so whether you're a farmer, investor, or someone just generally curious about the future of agriculture, I think you're really going to find this one interesting. We'll kick things off by getting right the point about what Fractal is doing, having Ben explain the thought process behind the business, then having Kyle share why he's excited about the potential here for his farming operation.

In this week's Scale Your Sales podcast episode, my guest is John Ashton, the Vice President of the EMEA Sales team for Braze. Braze is a comprehensive customer engagement platform that powers meaningful and relevant interactions between customers and brands. Prior to Braze, he was an Infantry Officer in the British Army and served on operations around the world. Outside of work he is an adventure enthusiast and is currently preparing to row across the Atlantic this December of 2023. In this episode, John talks about the shift in focus from pre-2022 business strategies centered on personalized and optimized cross-channel messaging to the current importance of streamlining tech infrastructure in enterprise organizations. He discussed the need for users to quickly onboard and upskill in this reduced tech environment, highlighting the significance of human resource optimization. He shares their focus on product expertise, effective utilization of technology, and the vital role they play in customer retention and growth. Additionally, we learn how Braze differentiates itself in the competitive market through customer advocacy and a positive post-signing experience. Welcome to Scale Your Sales Podcasts, John Ashton.   Timestamps:   03:56 – In today's competitive market, high-frequency data analysis, personalized engagement, and flawless execution define Braze. 08:28 – Success lies in quantifying and reducing wasted resources. 12:54 – Talent is key, and so are intellectual curiosity and effective communication. 16:55 – Feudal exercises with vague briefs foster curiosity. 23:49 – His role in in account management, prioritizing advocacy and clear communication 26:34 – Interdepartmental synergy fuels sales success, anchoring in value-driven projects. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jecashton/   Janice B Gordon is the award-winning Customer Growth Expert and Scale Your Sales Framework founder. She is by LinkedIn Sales 15 Innovating Sales Influencers to Follow 2021, the Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Customer Experience Nov 2020 and 150 Women B2B Thought Leaders You Should Follow in 2021. Janice helps companies worldwide to reimagine revenue growth through customer experience and sales.   Book Janice to speak virtually at your next event https://janicebgordon.com    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janice-b-gordon/   Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaniceBGordon    Scale Your Sales Podcast: https://scaleyoursales.co.uk/podcast   More on the blog https://scaleyoursales.co.uk/blog Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janicebgordon   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScaleYourSal...

“The problem that we're solving here is that 65% of investors don't have a solid grasp of how their portfolios are performing… I find that to be unacceptable.” -Greg Namrow, Marine Corps Veteran Greg Namrow is the Founder & CEO of TRACTIC, a real estate asset management platform enabling owners, investors, and landlords to assess the real-time performance of their portfolios. He is a passionate and dedicated founder and entrepreneur with a proven track record in launching and scaling successful startups in business, real estate investing, and PropTech. Greg served as an Infantry Officer in the United States Marine Corps, earned his MBA from American University, Kogod School of Business, and his MA in Leadership & Education Studies from the University of San Diego. In this episode, we discuss: How Greg's strengths helped him in building his property technology platform, TRACTIC The inspiration for TRACTIC based on Greg's personal experiences with real estate What TRACTIC does and the platform's ideal user Greg's favorite features and how they help investors The challenges Greg is facing and his short-term and long-term goals Connect with Greg: LinkedIn Tractic.io Greg shares three things that make TRACTIC unique: the dynamic accountability and efficiency settings, the reduced workload it provides for users, and its ability to help investors make data-driven decisions to improve their portfolio performance. Whether you are an investor who just purchased your first property or you have owned multiple properties for many years, TRACTIC's dynamic capabilities can help you analyze the performance of your real estate portfolio in real-time. It's great to see Greg excel with his PropTech platform and we wish him success as TRACTIC continues to grow! If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today. Subscribe and help out the show: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Also available on Google Podcasts, Spotify & Stitcher Leave us a 5-star review! Special thanks to Greg for joining me this week. Until next time! -Scott Mackes, USNA '01

John Frankman is a Catholic man who loves the United States of America. After spending several years in seminary at Mount St. Mary's University, he joined the US Army as an Infantry Officer. I first met John at the Mount. We then met up again during our Infantry training as well as during our time in Ranger School. John went on to do much cooler things than I did, eventually becoming a green beret in the US Army Special Forces. John had plans for his next assignment at West Point. All of his hard work seemed irrelevant to his commanding officers as soon as he made one pivotal decision in the fall of 2020. He made a choice based on his conscience and filed a religious exemption that was denied by some and ignored by others. In today's episode, John shares his experience of having his career come to an end due to an unlawful and immoral order. To learn more, you can find John's content here. To support the podcast, click here! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/seekingexcellence/support

Tom Paquin served as a US Marine Corps F/A-18 pilot and attended the prestigious Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun). After 21 years of service, he achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before retiring from the reserves. Throughout his military career, Tom participated in several combat operations around the world and received numerous awards and honors, including the Air Medal and Joint Service Commendation Medal.   Justin Allen served for 10 years in the US Army and achieved the rank of Captain, serving both as an Infantry Officer and a Green Beret. He held various command positions, including serving as a Detachment Commander through two combat deployments to Afghanistan. He was a highly accomplished Green Beret, successfully graduating from Ranger School, Military Freefall School, and Combat Diver School.    Today, Tom and Justin work together at VictoryBase Corporation as CEO and Vice President of Development respectively. They share their business model of collective investing in a network of quality homes where investors live in high-quality new homes and gain equity each month without the hassle of traditional home ownership.    Tom also looks back on his close calls as a rookie pilot on a carrier and the good times he had with his backseater, while Justin shares the privilege he had in participating in the counter-ISIS operations in 2018.    Find out more about Tom, Justin, and VictoryBase:   Tom - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-paquin-a8172a10 Justin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jga1215 Website - https://www.victorybase.com/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

https://lewishowes.com/mindset - Order a copy of my new book The Greatness Mindset today!Nick Bare founded Bare Performance Nutrition in 2012 out of his small college apartment. During this time, Nick was studying nutrition and on the path of joining the military upon graduation. The company was built upon the values of transparency and service from its infant stages of launch and today remains instilled in the brand's primary mission. Nick was commissioned into the US Army as an Infantry Officer, where he spent the next four years completing various military training schools, such as Ranger School and Airborne School, before taking his position as an Infantry Platoon Leader stationed out of Texas. During his time in the military, Nick learned the values of leadership, integrity, and team building which have been directly applied to Bare Performance Nutrition.In this episode you will learn,3 Non-negotiables you should have in your morning routine.How having routines can help you set better goals.Why you should prove yourself right instead of proving others wrong.The easy secret to help you stay more consistent.For more, go to lewishowes.com/1387Thomas DeLauer 1383 https://link.chtbl.com/1383-podThe Most Inspiring Story About Mindset & Perseverance You'll Ever Hear w/ Nick Lavery: https://link.chtbl.com/1359-podJames Clear Habits That'll Help You Not Waste Another Year Of Your Life: https://link.chtbl.com/1372-pod

Understanding war and the never-ending effects it has on veterans coming home from it is what this week's Team Never Quit Podcast guest, Ben Kesling, lives to convey. After having joined and served in the Marine Corps as an officer in Iraq and Afghanistan, Ben went back to school to become a journalist and put his war experience to use reporting for the Wall Street Journal as a foreign and combat correspondent. Because of his experiences, Ben has a unique perspective on the effects of war and spends his time focusing on veteran n affairs and domestic security issues. Ben also authored the book, Bravo Company, telling the inside story of the war in Afghanistan through the eyes of the men of one particular unit, whose war didn't end for those soldiers when they came home. Bravo Company follows the men from their initial enlistment and training, through their deployment, and on to what has happened to them in the decade since. An interesting side note: Ben Kesling is a two-day Jeopardy! champion. In this episode you will hear: To know that you're talking to someone who's been there and understands what you're dealing with opens up a whole world. Being in Iraq and Afghanistan helped me immensely because I was able to see those things and understand what soldiers were dealing with. In my book, Bravo Company, I wanted to tell their story. I didn't want to tell my story. When you go to the VA, you're treated as an individual, and we almost forget that we were part of a unit. The reunion that Bravo Company did brought them all together to remind them that they are members of a team. Strength to the group brings strength to the individuals. One thing we can do for each other is to have graciousness and empathy. We all carry the same weight, though some are more publicly known. There's the trauma we go through just by living our lives. [Melanie]: That's why we started Team Never Quit. It's persevering through hard times. No man is an island. We're not doing this on our own. You need people around you who love and care for you and to call you out on your bullshit. A burden is not a curse. It's what life gives you. It can be a curse and a blessing. Anytime we try to do something by ourselves, we must remember we're members of a team. [Marcus]: The irony of life: Some people will have a skillset that you won't possess. Thru my book, I hope that people who have never served can understand what it's like to be in combat.