Podcasts about Presidential Unit Citation

This is the VIC 4 VETS, Weekly Honored Veteran. SUBMITTED BY: Buck Carter’s little girl - Allison Schottenhaml Private first-class Buck Carter Vic & KenToday I would like to honor my father Private first class Buck Carter. Born February 3, 1917 in Sikeston Missouri. In 1943 my father was working on his families 700 acre farm outside Sikeston raising cotton , corn, wheat and cattle including driving truck to take crops to barges on the Mississippi river. Everything we know about my father's military history comes from his DD214 and military Personnel records we acquired after he passed away. As he would not really share much of his service.We know on April 23, 1943 he signed up for the US Army at Jefferson Barracks.Line 18 on dd214 Race there are 3 options white, negro or other! His is marked other he was part of the Cherokee Nation.Line 30 military occupational specialty & number. Rifleman 745. I had to look that up and found this: Must be proficient in the use of such hand weapons as rifle, automatic rifle, carbine, pistol, rocket launcher, rifle grenade, hand grenade, flame thrower & bayonet. Must be proficient in the technique of hand to hand combat to destroy enemy Personnel & to assist advance against an enemy position. May perform supervisory duties to control, coordinate & tactical employment of a fire team.Line 32 Battle & Campaigns, Normandy with arrowhead meaning part of D-daySaint Lo-France, Rhineland-GermanyLine 33 Decorations & citations,American Theater Ribbon, World War II Victory Metal, Presidential Unit Citation, Army Occupational Metal (more than 30 consecutive days in occupied territory), Good Conduct metal, Honorable Discharge Lapel Ribbon and Bronze Star.Date of discharge December 21, 1946 After returning from the war my father decided to not return to farming since his 3 brothers were running the farm and he has experience driving a 1 1/2 ton truck he decided he wanted to be a long haul truck driver and see the country he fought for! After a few years of driving he became part owner of a very successful heavy hauling & rigging company in St. Louis and was able to retire when I was 9 years old and we moved to 150 acre ranch raising cattle and appaloosa horses. Every summer when I was out of school we would load up our horses and hit the road camping and trail riding around the country mostly camping on Indian Reservations and visiting historical sites. He taught me to love this country and I believe those trips taught me more than all the history courses in school.When I was 22 years old my father passed away suddenly from a brain aneurysm while out eating breakfast with my mom! That was the worse phone call of my life! I was a daddy's girl and miss my father so much everyday but blessed to have spent so much quality time with him! ________________________________________________________________ This Week’s VIC 4 VETS, Honored Veteran on NewsTalkSTL.With support from our friends at:Alamo Military Collectables, H.E.R.O.E.S. Care, Monical’s PizzaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the VIC 4 VETS, Weekly Honored Veteran. SUBMITTED BY: Buck Carter’s little girl - Allison Schottenhaml Private first-class Buck Carter Vic & KenToday I would like to honor my father Private first class Buck Carter. Born February 3, 1917 in Sikeston Missouri. In 1943 my father was working on his families 700 acre farm outside Sikeston raising cotton , corn, wheat and cattle including driving truck to take crops to barges on the Mississippi river. Everything we know about my father's military history comes from his DD214 and military Personnel records we acquired after he passed away. As he would not really share much of his service.We know on April 23, 1943 he signed up for the US Army at Jefferson Barracks.Line 18 on dd214 Race there are 3 options white, negro or other! His is marked other he was part of the Cherokee Nation.Line 30 military occupational specialty & number. Rifleman 745. I had to look that up and found this: Must be proficient in the use of such hand weapons as rifle, automatic rifle, carbine, pistol, rocket launcher, rifle grenade, hand grenade, flame thrower & bayonet. Must be proficient in the technique of hand to hand combat to destroy enemy Personnel & to assist advance against an enemy position. May perform supervisory duties to control, coordinate & tactical employment of a fire team.Line 32 Battle & Campaigns, Normandy with arrowhead meaning part of D-daySaint Lo-France, Rhineland-GermanyLine 33 Decorations & citations,American Theater Ribbon, World War II Victory Metal, Presidential Unit Citation, Army Occupational Metal (more than 30 consecutive days in occupied territory), Good Conduct metal, Honorable Discharge Lapel Ribbon and Bronze Star.Date of discharge December 21, 1946 After returning from the war my father decided to not return to farming since his 3 brothers were running the farm and he has experience driving a 1 1/2 ton truck he decided he wanted to be a long haul truck driver and see the country he fought for! After a few years of driving he became part owner of a very successful heavy hauling & rigging company in St. Louis and was able to retire when I was 9 years old and we moved to 150 acre ranch raising cattle and appaloosa horses. Every summer when I was out of school we would load up our horses and hit the road camping and trail riding around the country mostly camping on Indian Reservations and visiting historical sites. He taught me to love this country and I believe those trips taught me more than all the history courses in school.When I was 22 years old my father passed away suddenly from a brain aneurysm while out eating breakfast with my mom! That was the worse phone call of my life! I was a daddy's girl and miss my father so much everyday but blessed to have spent so much quality time with him! ________________________________________________________________ This Week’s VIC 4 VETS, Honored Veteran on NewsTalkSTL.With support from our friends at:Alamo Military Collectables, H.E.R.O.E.S. Care, Monical’s PizzaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textWhat better people to shape policy than those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to serve their nation? In this episode, we discuss the critical nature veterans can play within the political arena- think politics is not for you? You may change your mind after this episode!!!Jason Loughran is a United States Navy veteran and a dedicated advocate for veterans' rights. As the Senior Advisor of Intergovernmental Affairs at the New York City Department of Veterans' Services, Jason plays a pivotal role in shaping policies and legislation that support veterans and their families.Previously, as Assistant Commissioner of Community Services, he led initiatives expanding access to housing, mental health care, employment, entrepreneurship, and education for veterans. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he launched “Mission: VetCheck,” a groundbreaking program that connected over 30,000 veteran households with wellness calls and critical resources—earning national recognition from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Beyond his work in city government, Jason is a national leader in veterans' advocacy. As Chairman of America First Veterans (A1 Vets) and Co-Founder of the Veterans' Caucus within the New York Young Republican Club, he champions veteran representation in politics and policy-making. He also spearheaded the “Voices of Valor” campaign, mobilizing hundreds of veterans and their families to engage in the democratic process.Jason's military service includes a deployment to Afghanistan in 2010 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, where his unit earned a Presidential Unit Citation for their heroic efforts. His impact has been widely recognized, earning him accolades such as the 2019 Baruch College Leadership in Public Service Award, the 2021 Irish Echo Community Champion Award, and City & State's 2023 NYC 40 Under 40 list.Join us as Jason shares his journey from military service to veteran advocacy, the challenges veterans face today, and his mission to ensure those who served receive the support they deserve.More on America

Don Haase joined the U.S. Army in 1966, and ultimately became crew chief with the 195th Assault Helicopter Company in the 2nd Platoon (“Ghostriders”) that —beginning in December 1967 — supported top-secret MACV-SOG Recon teams during the deadly secret war fought during the Vietnam War. Don received 12 Air Medals over 300 combat missions, and the Presidential Unit Citation. Don and his unit participated in the defense of Plantation Airfield during the 1968 Tet offensive and the subsequent counterattack. Don shares some of his adventures.Heroes Behind HeadlinesExecutive Producer Ralph PezzulloProduced & Engineered by Mike DawsonMusic provided by ExtremeMusic.com

This episode continues a theme of bringing on guest's who crossed paths with Alex in the Army and helped shape his perspective on human performance. SGM Jaime Espinoza's career started with troubles involving weight gain, mental health, alcohol abuse, and more. But thanks to help from several people along the way (some human performance professionals, but also just fellow soldiers) he managed to overcome those hurdles and excel professionally. He joined us to talk about how, and how lessons he learned in the process can help improve outcomes for people experiencing the same challenges. Sergeant Major Jaime Espinoza is a native of Azusa, CA. Upon enlisting in the Army in August 2006, he attended basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, followed by advanced individual training at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. After completing advanced individual training, he was awarded the MOS 35F Intelligence Analyst. His assignments, in ascending order, were with HHC 2-6 IN, 2 BDE, 1st AD, Baumholder, GE; Bravo Company, 304th MI, Fort Huachuca, AZ; HHD, 525th MP BN, Guantanamo Bay, CU; HHC, 4 BDE, 1st CAV DIV, Fort Hood; HHT, 1-9 CAV, 1st CAV DIV, Fort Cavazos; HHC, 4th BDE, 1st CAV DIV, Fort Hood; HHC, 3rd BDE, 4th ID Attached to Foundry Fort Carson, CO; Delta MI Company, 299th BEB, 4th ID, Fort Carson, CO; HHD, 1ST IO CMD Land, Fort Belvoir; United States Special Operations Command (USASOC). He has deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom(OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). He served in a variety of leadership and technical positions, including Junior Analyst, Targeting Analyst, S2 NCO, ASAS-L Master Analyst, Special Security Representative, Detainee Mail Analyst, S2 NCOIC, Senior Intelligence Sergeant, Platoon Sergeant, First Sergeant, Operations NCO, Observer Controller and Trainer, Foundry Instructor, Operations Sergeant Major. SGM Espinoza's military education includes the Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy (Class 74). Other schools include the Small UAV Course, Army Basic Instructor Course, Foreign Disclosure Officer Course, Military Police Pre-Service Course, Army Space Cadre Basic Course, Master Fitness Trainer Course, Critical Thinking Course, Integrated Data Sources and Enhanced Analytics Course, Information Operations Capabilities, Application and Planning Course, Army Operations Security Program Manager / Officer Certification Level II Course, Anti-Terrorism Officer Basic Course Airborne Course and SERE course. He holds an Associate of Arts degree in Applied Sciences in Intelligence Operations from Cochise College, a Bachelor of Arts in History with a concentration in Military History from Southern New Hampshire University, and a Master of Arts in International Relations from New England College. SGM Espinoza's awards and decorations are the Meritorious Service Medal (2nd Award), Army Commendation Medal (7th Award), Army Achievement Medal (6th Award), Army Good Conduct Medal (6th Award), National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal (1 Campaign Star), Iraqi Campaign Medal (2 Campaign Stars), Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal,Humanitarian Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal (2nd Award), Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (5th Award), Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (3rd Award), NATO Medal, Luxembourg's International March of Diekirch Medal, Presidential Unit Citation (2 nd Award), Meritorious Unit Citation (3rd Award), Army Superior Unit Award. He has earned the Parachutist Badge, Army Basic Space Badge, Canadian Jump wings, Italian Parachutist Badge, German Bronze Parachutist, Polish Parachutist Jump wings and Netherlands Parachutist Jump wings, Norwegian Foot March Badge, Driver's badge with wheel and track clasps. SGM Espinoza is a recipient of the Military Intelligence Corps Association Knowlton Award.

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”‒ Ronald Reagan. On this weeks show, Kurt and Chad welcome a veteran and active military man to honor veterans for Veterans Day. Joining the guys are TopGun instructor and 13 year Navy pilot and instructor Micah Porter and retired Marine Corp Richard Schmidt. Vietnam Veteran Lance Corporal Richard Schmidt: -Gulf Co. 9th Marines 1968-69 -M-60 Machine Gunner 0331 at Operation Dewey Canyon in Vietnam; -Purple Heart recipient and Presidential Unit Citation recipient; -Shot multiple times in combat and retired by the Marine Corps due to injuries. -Currently serves as a Chaplain. Lieutenant Colonel Micah Porter: -21 years of military service -13 years active duty Navy, 8 years Air Force Reserves -Flew the F/A-18 Super Hornet & F-16 Viper during multiple combat deployments. -TOPGUN graduate class 02-11 -Strike Fighter Tactics & Weapons School Instructor 2011-2013 -US Navy's West Coast fighter pilot of the year 2010 -US Navy's West coast weapons school instructor of the year 2013 -Weapons School Liaison to Naval Special Warfare Development Group AKA Seal Team 6 2012-2013

From Navy SEAL to AI Innovator: Protecting Kids Online with Josh Thurman In this week's Team Never Quit Podcast, Marcus and Melanie sit down with Navy SEAL veteran and tech entrepreneur Josh Thurman. As the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Angel Kids AI, Josh is at the forefront of using artificial intelligence to create a safer, age-appropriate internet experience for children. Josh shares insights into his 12+ years of service as a SEAL officer, where he completed 11 overseas deployments in support of the Global War on Terror and was awarded three Bronze Stars, a Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Two Joint Commendation Medals, Three Navy Commendation Medals, a Navy Achievement Medal, a Presidential Unit Citation, and a Joint Meritorious Unit Award as well as multiple combat and valorous distinctions. Following his transition to civilian life in 2018, Josh applied the leadership and problem-solving skills he honed in the military to the tech world. His groundbreaking platform, Angel Kids AI, empowers parents to protect their children online by enforcing parental guidelines across the digital landscape. In this episode, Josh talks about the challenges of building a tech startup, the future of AI in safeguarding children, and his personal journey from the battlefield to the boardroom. Tune in to hear about his incredible story, the vision behind Angel Kids AI, and how he's making the internet a safer place for kids. In This Episode You Will Hear: • Riding my bike home; car doesn't see me. Pulls out and we crash at 20 mph. I fly over the hood, my right leg hits, immense pain. I had broken my hip. But now I'm starting to think about the military. I crutch my way to the recruiter's office. • Every generation, since the beginning of America has fought to preserve our freedom. • [Marcus] When you're checking into BUDS, check in on Friday after 4:30pm.  • Always choose the hard things because even if you fail, you're gonna learn a ton. • Things are gonna hit you in life that you have almost no control over, and you're gonna want to have those experiences that you build up doing the things you chose to be hard, so you can survive those moments. • My wife's a nurse practitioner, she's tracking the baby on the Doppler. As she's laboring, our son passes away. Been through all this stuff: Training, deployments… I'm grateful for those things, because they all sort of prepared me for this thing that happened in life that I had no control over. •There's suffering to be dealt with and that loss – you've gotta get through it, assigning meaning to that suffering. I'm not suffering for nothing, I'm suffering for something. • [Marcus] A lot of times, you just go though it with them, and not talk ‘em through it. • Recognize that God gives us that pain to keep us close to that person so that we don't forget ‘em. • I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. In many ways, I wanted to serve as long as I could, as hard as I could, but I knew on the other side this is what I wanted to do. • You may have thousands of followers on whatever platform it, but do you have someone you can call to move a couch? • Social media is a democracy killing force. It wields way too much power in our lives. • Technology should be a tool to help us fulfill the dreams of our lives. It's totally inverted right now. • AI has been working for big tech, it serves their purposes. It serves up products to advertisers. This is the big machine. Frankly, we're getting played by it. • If you want this incredible thing called America to persist, you've gotta be part of the solution. • We're all getting played, and the house always wins. • There's value in getting information, organizing, shopping, people finding love on line. But it shouldn't be massively destructive. • Kids have access to this online virtual world all the time that's terrible for their mental health. It's teaching them that the most important things in life is how many likes and followers you get. • The surgeon general put out a warning: If kids are spending 3 or more hours on social media, they're 50% more likely to be depressed. • At Angel Kids, our mission is to use AI to make the internet safe for kids.  Socials: - IG: jpthurman        - https://www.angelkids.ai/ - IG: team_neverquit , marcusluttrell , melanieluttrell , huntero13 -  https://www.patreon.com/teamneverquit Sponsors:    - Navyfederal.org           - Tonal.com [TNQ]    - PXG.com/TNQ    - GoodRX.com/TNQ   - greenlight.com/TNQ   - PDSDebt.com/TNQ   - drinkAG1.com/TNQ    - ghostbed.com/TNQ [TNQ]   - Shadyrays.com [TNQ]   - qualialife.com/TNQ [TNQ]   - Hims.com/TNQ   - Shopify.com/TNQ   - Aura.com/TNQ   - Moink.com/TNQ   - Policygenius.com   - TAKELEAN.com [TNQ]   - usejoymode.com [TNQ]   - Shhtape.com [TNQ]   - mackweldon.com/utm_source=streaming&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=podcastlaunch&utm_content=TNQutm_term=TNQ

Dr. Joe Parker is our guest. Listen to what led to his prison sentence. Dr. Parker's Bio Dr. Joseph Parker's career spans the fields of science, military service, and medical practice. He has used his rare blend of scientific expertise, military leadership, and medical acumen to contribute significantly to the advancement of science and the betterment of human health and safety. He writes as an advocate for physicians and patients and for the humane treatment of those suffering from addiction and the incarcerated. His journey towards this impactful role began with four years of dedicated service in the US Marine Corps, where he earned accolades such as the Meritorious Unit Citation and Good Conduct Medal. His exceptional service led to acceptance into the US Air Force Officer Training School and a subsequent role as a Minuteman II ICBM Commander within US Space Command, earning further recognition, including the Presidential Unit Citation, National Defense Service Medal, and the Air Force Achievement Medal. Transitioning into the medical field, Dr. Parker pursued studies at Mayo Medical School and joined the US Medical Corps, ultimately achieving the rank of Captain. Having personally suffered wrongful convictions gives him a unique perspective on the American justice and prison system, and he has dedicated himself to advocacy for the wrongfully prosecuted. He is currently serving as the Chief Science and Operations Officer at Advanced Research Concepts LLC, a pioneering company dedicated to biomedical research to alleviate pain and addiction, and to the development of innovative solutions for the complex challenges of space travel, including spacecraft propulsion systems, energy storage, radiation shielding, artificial gravity, and space-related medical issues.  He is also active in biomedical research, space science, and the study and treatment of addiction. The information in this podcast is not to be considered medical or legal advice

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

 Bio: Pete Newell Pete Newell is a nationally recognized innovation expert whose work is transforming how the  government and other large organizations compete and drive growth.  He is the CEO of BMNT, an internationally recognized innovation consultancy and early-stage tech accelerator that helps solve some of the hardest real-world problems in national security, state and local governments, and beyond. Founded in Silicon Valley, BMNT has offices in Palo Alto, Washington DC, Austin, London, and Canberra. BMNT uses a framework, called H4X®, to drive innovation at speed. H4X® is an adaptation of the problem curation techniques honed on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan combined with the best practices employed by successful Silicon Valley startups. The result is a disciplined, evidence-based, data-driven process for connecting innovation activities into an accountable system that delivers solutions and overcome obstacles to innovation. Pete is a founder and co-author, with Lean Startup founder Steve Blank, of Hacking for Defense (H4D)®, an academic program taught at 47+ universities in the U.S., as well as universities in the UK and Australia. H4D® focuses on solving national security problems. It has in turned created a series of sister courses – Hacking for Diplomacy, Hacking for Oceans, Hacking for Sustainability, Hacking for Local and others – that use the H4X® framework to solve critical real-world problems while providing students with a platform to gain crucial problem-solving experience while performing a national service. Pete continues to advise and teach the original H4D® course at Stanford University with Steve Blank. In addition, Pete is Co-Founder and Board Director of The Common Mission Project, the 501c3 non-profit responsible for creating an international network of mission-driven entrepreneurs, including through programs like H4D®. Prior to joining BMNT, Pete served as the Director of the US Army's Rapid Equipping Force (REF).  Reporting directly to the senior leadership of the Army, he was charged with rapidly finding, integrating, and employing solutions to emerging problems faced by Soldiers on the battlefield. From 2010 to 2013 Pete led the REF in the investment of over $1.4B in efforts designed to counter the effects of improvised explosive devices, reduce small units exposure to suicide bombers and rocket attacks and to reduce their reliance on long resupply chains. He was responsible for the Army's first deployment of mobile manufacturing labs as well as the use of smart phones merged with tactical radio networks. Pete retired from the US Army as a Colonel in 2013. During his 32 years in uniform he served as both an enlisted national guardsman and as an active duty officer. He commanded Infantry units at the platoon through brigade level, while performing special operations, combat, and peace support operations in Panama, Kosovo, Egypt, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. He is an Army Ranger who has received numerous awards to include the Silver Star and Presidential Unit Citation. Pete holds a BS from Kansas State University, an MS from the US Army Command & General Staff College, an MS from the National Defense University and advanced certificates from the MIT Sloan School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Bio: Dr Alison Hawks Dr. Alison Hawks is one of the leading experts advancing public sector innovation. A researcher and academic-turned-entrepreneur, she is the co-founder and CEO of BMNT, Ltd., the innovation company that is changing how public sector innovation happens; and Chair of the Common Mission Project UK, BMNT's charitable partner that guides mission-driven entrepreneurial education in the UK. Dr. Hawks co-founded BMNT Ltd with (Ret) Col Pete Newell, the CEO of BMNT, Inc., in 2019 to bring BMNT's proven innovation approach to the UK market. Under her leadership BMNT has become a trusted innovation partner across all single Services of Defence, the Cabinet Office, and the national security community. She has also helped change how real-world government challenges are addressed in the UK, launching the “Hacking for” academic programmes created in the U.S. These courses that teach university students how to use modern entrepreneurial tools and techniques to solve problems alongside government at startup speed. As a result of her efforts, 14 UK universities are offering Hacking for the Ministry of Defence, Hacking for Sustainability and Hacking for Police. More than 480 students have taken these courses, addressing 103 real-world challenges. Dr. Hawks teaches mission-driven entrepreneurship at King's College London, Department of War Studies and at Imperial College London's Institute of Security Science and Technology. She was named the Woman of the Year for Innovation and Creativity at the Women in Defence Awards in 2022. She serves on the Board of Directors of BMNT, leading development of BMNT's innovation education programs while also guiding the integration of BMNT's rapidly expanding international presence. She was previously Director of Research at the Section 809 Panel, a U.S. Congressionally mandated commission tasked with streamlining and codifying defense acquisition. She was also an Assistant Professor at the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, as well as King's College London, Department of Defence Studies where she taught strategy, policy and operations in professional military education. Dr. Hawks' doctoral thesis was in military sociology. She received her Ph.D from the Department of War Studies at King's College London, and her MA in Strategic Studies from the University of Leeds. She holds a BA in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego. She has multiple peer reviewed publications on her research. Interview Highlights 03:50 BMNT 06:20 Serendipity 10:00 Saying yes to the uncomfortable 11:20 Leadership 15:00 Developing a thick skin 20:00 Lessons of an entrepreneur 22:00 Stakeholder success 25:00 Solving problems at speed and at scale 28:00 The innovation pipeline 29:30 Resistance is rational 34:00 Problem curation 38:00 Dual use investments 43:00 Accelerating change 47:00 AUKUS 52:20 AI   Contact Information   ·         LinkedIn: Ali Hawks on LinkedIn ·         LinkedIn Peter Newell on LinkedIn ·         Website:  The Common Mission Project UK ·         Website: BMNT US ·         Website: BMNT UK   Books & Resources ·         Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More Without Settling for Less: Robert Sutton, Robert , Huggy Rao ·         Value Proposition Canvas ·         Business Model Canvas ·         Hacking for Defense ·         Hacking for Allies ·         AUKUS DIN ·         Impromptu : Amplifying Our Humanity Through AI, Reid Hoffman ·         Huberman Lab Podcast ·         Allie K. Miller ·         Wiring the Winning Organization: Liberating Our Collective Greatness through Slowification, Simplification, and Amplification: Gene Kim, Steven Spear ·         The Friction Project - Bob Sutton, Huggy Rao Episode Transcript  Intro: Hello and welcome to the Agile Innovation Leaders podcast. I'm Ula Ojiaku. On this podcast I speak with world-class leaders and doers about themselves and a variety of topics spanning Agile, Lean Innovation, Business, Leadership and much more – with actionable takeaways for you the listener. Ula Ojiaku My guests for this episode are Pete Newell and Ali Hawks. Pete Newell is the CEO and Co-founder of BMNT, an innovation consultancy and early stage technology incubator that helps solve some of the hardest problems facing the Department of Defense and Intelligence community. Ali Hawks is CEO of BMNT in the UK and also a Co-founder of BMNT in the UK. In addition to this, she is the Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Common Mission Project, and she Co-founded the Common Mission Project in 2019 and drove its growth as a Startup charity in the UK. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, my conversation with Pete and Ali, I found it very insightful and I'm sure you would as well. Pete, thank you Ali, thank you so much for being with us on the Agile Innovation Leaders Podcast. It's a great pleasure to have you here.  Pete Newell  Thanks so much for the invite.  Ali Hawks  Yeah. Thank you for having us.  Ula Ojiaku Right, this is the second time ever in the history of my podcast that I'm having two people, two guests. The first time was fun, and I know this one would be as well, and informative. I always start with asking my guests to tell us a bit about themselves. So your background, any memorable happenings that shaped you into the person you are today?  Pete Newell  So I'm a retired army officer. I enlisted when I was 18 and was commissioned when I left college in the mid 80s. I spent most of my career as an Infantryman in tactical units. I spent a great bit of time in the Middle East and other war zones. Towards the end of my career, I ended up as the Director of the Army's Rapid Equipment Force, which is essentially the Skunk Works that was stood up at the start of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to accelerate technology to solve problems that were emerging on the battlefield, that weren't part of something else, somewhere else. And in that three-year journey, it probably exposed me to first and foremost, the speed at which new problems are presenting themselves, not just on the battlefield, but in the rest of the world. It exposed me to the speed at which technology is changing, being adopted and then being adapted for other purposes. So it's almost like chasing technology as it changes is a whole new sport, and it exposed me to  the challenges of large bureaucratic organisations and their inability to keep up with the speed of the changes in order to remain competitive, whether it was on the battlefield or in the commercial markets or something like that. Those epiphanies really drove, first, my decision to retire from the military, because I became addicted to solving that problem, and second, drove the impetus to launch BMNT in 2013. And in fact, you are right square in the middle of our 10th anniversary of being a company. So it really is, I think, a big deal because we started with four people on a driveway in Palo Alto, California, now we're a global company with multiple companies and are grateful, but that's the history of how we got started.  Ula Ojiaku  Congratulations on your 10th anniversary, and it's an impressive background and story. Ali, what about you?  Ali Hawks  So, my background, a little bit different than Pete's, by training I was an academic, so my training and my PhD was in military sociology. I was really interested in understanding people's experiences in the armed forces, both in the US and the UK. That is what my PhD was focused around, my thesis, and I went on to be an academic at King's College London here in the UK. I've also been an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University in the School of Foreign Service. But it wasn't until I then took a job with the US DoD, in something called a Congressional Advisory Panel called the Section 809 Panel, which was tasked with overhauling all of defense acquisition, and that's where Pete and I met. I think one of those formative experiences in my career was meeting Pete and going to the non-profit that Pete started and spun out of BMNT, it's called the Common Mission Project with a really big program, Hacking for Defense, and Steve Blank also Co-founded that as you know, and Joe Felter. I went to an educator course for this program in Fort Belvoir as a part of my job to understand, could we take these types of methods and put them into congressional legislation or DoD regulation as a way to change how people think about problems? And when I met Pete, it was the intersection of all of the things that I really love, academia, entrepreneurship, defense and national security. I went up to Pete and pitched him and said, I want to take this back to the UK and launch it. That was the start of what has been thousands of conversations about the value that we can add both in the US and the UK.  I worked in some law firms before I did my Master's and my PhD, but mainly my career has been in academia.  Ula Ojiaku  Wow. Thanks for sharing. And would you say it was serendipity that made your paths to cross and how are you finding the journey so far?  Ali Hawks  I think, yes, I think it's serendipity. I have a really different life journey than Pete. And I think in my career at the time when I met Pete, I hadn't really found what it is, what I felt like my purpose should be, or hadn't really found passion or joy in my work to that day. I found things I loved, I loved academia and I love teaching, but it just still didn't hit all of those things that you kind of get up every day and are like, this is what I'm meant to do. And I had done a lot of work on reflecting of what that would feel like and what that would look like and the elements it had to have. So by the time I met Pete, it was almost as if someone was flashing a huge sign at me saying, don't miss your turn, this is your turn. So I think serendipity, but also really understanding what it is that I wanted to do and the type of people I wanted to work with and the journey so far. I'll hand over to Pete in a second, but it's been nothing short of incredible. Pete has an amazing reputation, but as a business partner and as a leader, he allows people to truly learn, experiment, make mistakes, and he pulls everyone along by building confidence and empowering people that work for him. So in terms of kind of coming from academia and becoming a researcher turned entrepreneur, it's been the most formative experience of my career. Being able to work along Pete is like being able to work alongside that kind of guide or that guru, and you're like, wow, I can't believe I get to talk to this person every week and learn from them and be in business with them. So that's how it's going for me. Pete, how's it going for you?  Pete Newell You know, Steve Blank and I had a long conversation about serendipity when he and I met 2015 and here's my advice in serendipity. It really is if you have an active curiosity and a willingness to say yes to things that you wouldn't normally, and you're not adverse to taking risk, the chances of serendipity smacking like lightning greatly go up. And then I go back to my first trip to Stanford University in 2011. Well, I was still a military officer and saying yes to a number of things that people asked me to do, and just one conversation after another led to a meeting with two guys who were Stanford graduate school instructors who were writing a book. Those two decided to write a chapter in that book about the work I was doing at the Rapid Equipment Force. Now, when Huggy Rao and Bob Sutton decided to write a book and hire a case study writer who spent six months digging into your life, you learn all kinds of things about yourself and about the world, and when that's followed by a chance coffee with Steve Blank, who had no idea who I was, and I had no idea who he was, that 15-minute coffee turned into a four-hour discussion between the two of us. I typically would not have been at the Fort Belvoir thing that Ali was at, and I think our meeting was very brief, but it was, I think, six months later when I found her in the library at Georgetown University at some social event and we both decided that we wanted her to do something, and we wanted to do something in the UK, and we wanted to see something between allied countries come together. There was no strategy or grand business development, there was nothing that drove those conversations. It was simply in the spur of the moment, the curiosity takes over and you start to say I can see where this might work. Now, Ali will be the first to tell you, it has not been easy, but it has been a privilege to work with her and to continue to work between the two governments and the countries to see absolutely brilliant things done. And so I just say, I come back to, it's that curiosity connected with the desire to, the willingness to accept a little bit of risk, but learning how to say yes to things that you're uncomfortable with and digging just a little bit more. That opens up that opportunity so much more.  Ula Ojiaku I could see, it's evident to me the way Ali was talking about working with you, Pete, and your leadership, I'm wondering, could there have been anything about your military background that has influenced your leadership style as a whole? Pete Newell Yeah, everything in my background does. I can tell you, even growing up as a kid that the way my parents raised me influenced me positively, and negatively in some cases. My military background, I have been fortunate to work for a group of fantastic military leaders, I spent time in the Special Operations community, I spent time working for Stan McChrystal, I spent time in the Pentagon working for brilliant people. I also worked for some of the absolute worst bosses in the entire world, and I rarely say this about people, they were just bad human beings, and I will tell you in many cases what I learned watching a leader in a just really horrible environment influenced me more than watching the really brilliant guys out there. If you think about it, it's really hard to pattern yourself after somebody who is brilliant and driven and successful and kind and they do all that, but I'll tell you what, you can look at somebody who is really a bad boss and say, I don't want to be like them, and it happens in an instant, that I do not ever want to be like that person. That teaches you a lot about the environment that you want to create that people are going to work in. I have some hard areas, and Ali will acknowledge some of them, in the way people are treated in the workplace. Also as a graduate of the Special Operations community, I have strong feelings about how high performing people should be allowed to perform, and also expectations of how they work. I think the military left me with a high degree of not just respect, but you want to hire people, there's a certain degree of dedication to their success, whether they stay in your company or whether they leave, or they go someplace else, whether they're challenged or something else. And I'll tell you, if there was something hard about transitioning from the military to the business world is, in the military, you're given people and you're told to make them successful no matter what. In the business world, you tend to just fire people who are unsuccessful and not invest time and energy in them. I have never been able to make that change, and it's a bit of a struggle sometimes, because in the business world, you can't afford to hang on to people who are subpar performers, if you want to run a high-performance organisation. So if there's one of the things that I have learned is I am challenged in letting somebody go because I see it as a personal failure if somebody fails to thrive in my organisation, that has been built and imprinted by my past. I think Ali has a very different opinion, because she comes from such a great different place. Here's the beauty of it, the work with people like Ali and some of the others, we can argue and disagree and fight like cats and dogs sometimes, but we still love each other, and it is still an absolutely amazing environment to work in. That's really what, if you get it right, that's what life's like.  Ula Ojiaku What's your view, Ali?  Ali Hawks So we clearly have different backgrounds, I think that I was a bit of a late bloomer in terms of leadership style. Being in academia, you're not really in a leadership position because you're responsible for yourself, and in a way, it's a really good test bed for being an entrepreneur, because in academia you have to have such thick skin, because you turn in your peer reviewed journal publications, you turn in your papers and people write back and slash, and no one's trying to make you feel good. In fact, they want to help you, but also they're quite competitive. So that was a really good proving ground for being able to develop the thick skin for critical feedback or any feedback and really all of the knocks that come with being an entrepreneur. What I took into starting BMNT here four years ago was, things that I took from Pete and from the U.S. was really allowing people and high performers to work in the way that they feel best. One of the things I hated when I was younger in certain jobs, and working in law firms is punching your time card at 8 am, and you punch out at 5, and an hour for lunch, and it never felt right that that was the way to measure someone's productivity or to really enhance or empower people. And so the way that I approach it is we consider everyone to be an adult and to do their job, and also to be as curious as possible. So on our Standup this morning, with two new team members coming back into BMNT, one of the things that we agreed on is if no one's asking for time off to be creative or to have a day or two days to read a book that will enhance their knowledge or make them a better BMNTer, then we're failing. If no one has asked for that time by the end of this calendar year. So the way that I really approach leadership is how can I empower, but also invest in every single person, because it's not me delivering the everyday work, it's the people in my company, so they're building it alongside of me. I hire smart young people who will give feedback and we action that feedback. So we change things based on what we get from a 23-year-old, so everyone in the company feels really valued. And I think, learning from Pete, is also being really honest and transparent with everyone in the company when your chips are down and you have to say, guys, this is what's going on, and I found it has built such a strong cohesion in the team that we have now, that this year going into it is the most excited I've ever been about running BMNT. So taking a lot of what I learned from Pete and also my own experiences of feeling really caged, actually, in most of my jobs, and being able to understand that people work in very different ways, and if you allow them to work in the ways that are best for them, you really do get the best of everyone.  Ula Ojiaku That's very inspiring and insightful. Now, there was something Pete said earlier on about you, Ali, walking up to him and sharing the vision that you wanted to take back what BMNT is doing to the UK and so what made you go for it, what pushed you towards that? Ali Hawks Again, it was a lot of work on my part of really understanding what I wanted to do, and when I approached Pete that day, I was really excited and exuberant and I said, I want to take this back to the UK and I want to run it. And Pete is, as you get to know him, he's very calm and he's quiet, and he kind of looked at me and he said, you should talk to some people. And I thought, okay, I'll go talk to people. So I went out and I talked to people and I got Pete on the phone a few weeks later and I said, Pete, this is my dream job, this is what I want to do. And Pete said, prove it, do a Business Model Canvas. So I then hung up the phone, I googled Business Model Canvas, I watched YouTube videos on how to complete it. I was still working at the 809 Panel, so I was getting up really early to talk to people back in the UK, make phone calls, pulling on all of my contacts because I've been in defense and national security for gosh, since 2009, and I was canvassing everyone I knew, I filled out the Business Model Canvas, I sent it to Pete, he was going to be in DC about a week later, and he wrote back saying we should meet. So we then met and had an initial conversation around what it could look like, but it really wasn't until as Pete said in that library at Georgetown for a reception that we came together and having had both time to think and think about what I put down in the Business Model Canvas, but also how we got along, I think, and gelled as business partners, we decided, let's do it. So when we said we didn't have a plan, I had an idea of what we could do, and I have unfailing determination to make things work, and so I just knew, and I think we both knew if we tried it, that something would come of it, and if not, we would learn a lot from it. So we went from there and it took a while before we got a plan, to be honest, but we got there. Ula Ojiaku Well, here you are. Ali Hawks Exactly. Pete Newell You know, if there's one thing I have learned as an entrepreneur is that the plan you thought you were going to have, is never the one you actually execute. So the faster you begin to test it, usually by talking to people and doing things, the faster you will get rid of bad ideas. And it's not about finding the good idea, but it's about creating all the ideas you could possibly have and then killing them off quickly so that you understand the core of the value that you think you're going to deliver. Everything after that is the mechanics of how to build a business. I mean, that's not easy stuff, when you're launching a company, more importantly when you're launching one in a country you haven't been in in a while, but getting there is really about getting the thought process moving and getting people to disabuse you of the notion that every idea you have is brilliant. Ula Ojiaku I mean, I agree setting up a business isn't easy. I can't imagine the additional challenge of setting it up in the defense sector, the Department of Defense in the US, Ministry of Defence here in the UK. What sort of things would you say would be the additional? Do you have to go through hurdles to go through approvals, clearances and all that? Ali Hawks From the MOD experience, it's less about clearances and those types of things, it's more about understanding, winding your way through what feels like a maze, to find the right stakeholders that you can bring together at the right time to make a decision. So while there are individuals that hold budgets and can make decisions, there's a constellation of people around them that need to be aligned in concert with that decision. If you went to a business, of course, you'll have to have a couple of people on board, but the time to sale or the cost to sale is relatively straightforward. When you go into the government, you have a group of highly motivated people, highly mission-driven people who experience the pain of their problems every day, and they are trying to fight just as hard as you are in order to change something for the better. So in the first instance, you have great allyship with your customers, because you have a shared mission, and you're both working towards it, which is fantastic. The second is really trying to understand if that person has the budget and they need to sign off on it, how much do they need to care about it, or is it their chief of staff that needs to really care about it? Or is it their engineer? So I would say the difference is the amount of discovery that you do and doing that stakeholder mapping, is fundamental to success, but also knowing that people change jobs in the civil service and the Armed Forces every few years, that is a critical skill as a business working with the government, that stakeholder mapping and that discovery with your customers, customer development never ends. So I think that that is the longest pole in the tent in terms of finding the right people, and sometimes people say that's the person that has authority, you go talk to them and they say, no, I don't have any authority, so it's really trying to wind your way through the maze to align those key stakeholders. Pete Newell I would add to what Ali said, is that it's like climbing into a very complicated Swiss watch and you need to understand not just how things work, but you need to understand why they work the way they do, and how they work with other things, and then you need to understand who's responsible for making them work and who the beneficiary of the work is, and who possibly might want to make them not work. So, Ali's comment on stakeholder development, it's at the heart of everything you do -- you talk about more sociology and anthropology than it is anything, it truly is understanding why things work the way they do and what drives people to behave one way versus another. Once you figure that out, then you can figure out how to motivate them to behave one way or another, and where you might fit to help them in their daily job or whatever else. But that stakeholder development and understanding who's in charge, who benefits, who doesn't benefit, why something might be counter to something else is so critical in any consulting business, but in particular, if you are trying to get something done inside a government organisation. It, in many cases, it's archaic, but it still operates underneath a very definitive culture that you can map if you've been at it long. Ula Ojiaku So BMNT, you help government organisations to solve hard problems at speed and at scale. Can you expand on this? Pete Newell It's both I think. I go back to my experience, way back in the Rapid Equipping Force and 2010 is first and foremost, there are tens of thousands of problems that prevent the government from doing what it wants to do. The government is challenged, first, in being able to identify those problems; second, in translating those problems into plain English that other people might understand; third, in using that translated thing to find ever bigger groups of people, to then redefine the problem one more time, so that it makes sense for the rest of the world; and fourth, creating the policies and process that will attract people to come to them and work with them to solve those problems fast enough to build a solution before the problem changes so much that the calculus is completely out of whack again. And in all this there's a complicated long answer, but the impedance difference between the speed at which you develop and acknowledge a problem and your ability to get people to work on it, if it's out of sync with the speed at which technology is being adopted and adapted, you will constantly be perfectly solving the wrong problem, and you'll be constantly delivering things that are antiquated before the day they land in somebody's hands, so that's really the speed issue. I go back to what I said about sociology. This is the speed of your ability to get people to come together to work on something, and then the scale is determining, scale how fast, and scale how big. The scale how fast is, I can start to deliver a solution to this, but I know the solution is going to change every 6 months. So I don't need to commit to building tens of thousands of these over a 5-year contract, but I do need to commit to changing what I deliver every 6 months, or this is going to scale to some big end and it goes into a much different system, you have to be ambidextrous about your approach to scale, and unfortunately most procurement laws, both the United States and in the UK are not built to be ambidextrous. They're built to do one thing and one thing very efficiently only. Unfortunately, that's not the way the world works anymore. Ula Ojiaku Any thoughts, Ali? Ali Hawks As Pete said, and as a sociologist, the most often thing, and I think Pete said this a long time ago when we first met, is the government doesn't have a tech adoption problem, it has a people problem, and a lot of our work, a lot of our customers will come and say they have a tech problem, and they have a huge degree of urgency, but the things that get in their way are they have no common language, and they have no repeatable and scalable process in which to think about and work on their problems. And the framework that we developed, the innovation pipeline, is that process for them to do it. It's not complicated, it's methodology agnostic, and so it allows you to develop an entire workforce around a common language of innovating, mission acceleration, agile transformation, whatever you want to do, recognising that people are at the heart of it. The Head of Innovation at UC Berkeley and during one of our Lean Innovators Summit, said something that has stuck with me for several years now, ad he said, and it really hit home with our customers, because sometimes when I first started BMNT here, I was such an evangelist that I forgot to listen to the customer. I was just so convinced that they needed what we had, and I think the customer was telling me something else and I would get frustrated, and when I heard this, it was resistance is rational. When we go into a room with a group of people, we usually have a customer who is an evangelist of ours, or an early adopter, a huge supporter, and they have a couple of other people who feel the same way they do about change and innovation and moving rapidly, and then 70 percent of the team don't feel that same way. So approaching it and really empathising with the customers and understanding resistance is rational, why would they want to change? Things for them work, the way that they have always done, it works, and that is a rational response. So being able to then develop a service where you're connecting with them and saying, I understand that, and that's a rational response, and then using tools, like one of my favourite tools, the Value Proposition Canvas, to really understand, what are the jobs to be done, and the pains and the gains, and when you speak in that type of language, there are so many times that I have seen this kind of aha moment of like, oh, so if I did that, then I wouldn't have to do this anymore, or I would be able to do this different thing. And this is not complicated, these are not complicated tools or processes we're talking about, but the common denominators of it are discipline, consistency, and hard work. And I think, coming off what Pete said, when you want to get pace and speed, you have to be consistent and you have to be disciplined, and people have to understand what you're saying in order to get over that resistance is rational piece. Pete Newell I think Ali's spot on in terms of the problem with the problem. Oftentimes is, we can put a problem in a room and 10 people work on it and get 10 different versions of the problem, and so part of the art that's involved in the process is to get a group of people to agree to a common definition of a problem and use the same words, because many times we're inventing new words. It's new technology, new problem, but the first thing we do is get everybody to say the same thing the same way, and then start to talk to other people about it, because part two of that is you learn that your problem is probably not the right problem, it's a symptom of something else, and that whole process of discovery is a very disciplined, I would say it's a scientific methodology applied to how we communicate with people. You have to get out and test your theory by talking to the right people in a big enough diverse crowd to truly understand that whether you're on the right track or the wrong track. That's hard work, it really is hard work, and it's even harder to get what I would say critical feedback from people in the process who will challenge your assumptions and will challenge your test, who will challenge the outcomes of that. That's what our team does such a great job of, working with customers to teach them how to do that, but listening to them and helping them come together. At the same time, we're looking at the quality of the work and because we're a third party, we can look over the shoulder and say I see the test, and I see the outcome, but I don't think your test was adequate, or I don't think you tested this in an environment that was diverse enough, that you may be headed down the wrong path. The customer can still decide to go with what they learn, but in most cases, at least they're getting honest feedback that should allow them to pause and relook something. Ali Hawks I think for this particular reason, this is why BMNT is a leader in this space, is because the kind of jurisdiction around that front end of the pipeline, of are we making sure that we're choosing from enough problems and we're not stuck with a couple of investments that might be bad, so to speak, really validating that problem to decide, is it worth working on, is this even progressible, does anyone care about it, can it technically be done, does the organisation care about it, before spending any money on investment. Now that front end of the pipeline is gradually becoming a stronger muscle, and I'll speak for the UK, is gradually becoming a stronger muscle because of the work that BMNT has done, and both in the US and the UK, there is incredibly strong muscle memory around experimentation and incubation, which is fantastic. There's a lot of structure around that and frameworks and a lot of common language, which is amazing, because when you have that developed, going back to the beginning to refine before you put into the machine, so to speak, that's where what we call curation, really validating that problem, that's a single most determining factor on whether a problem will transition to an adopted solution. Most of government starts in experimentation and incubation, so they don't get the benefit of de-risking investment in a solution, and they don't necessarily get the benefit of all the learning to expedite that into incubation and experimentation. So I think where BMNT comes out and really owns that area is in that front end of the pipeline, and when you do that front end, you would be amazed at how fast the other part of the pipeline goes through discover incubation experimentation, because you've increased confidence and really de-risked investment in the solution. Ula Ojiaku Thanks for sharing that Ali, would you say you're applying lean innovation amongst other things to the framework you're referring to, or would that be something else? Pete Newell No, I think that it's all part of the process. We use a variety of tools to get to the data we want, and then it's a matter of doing analysis, and this is why Ali's background as an academic is so critical, because she's keen on analysis, and looking at the data and not skewing the data one way or another, and that's an incredibly important skill in this process. Again, this is really the application of a scientific methodology, and you need to be able to do that, but you need to understand how to get the data. So whether it's Lean or it's Scrum or it's some Google tool or something else. We have become really adaptive in the use of the tools and a mixture of the tools to drive a community of people to create the data we need to make an assessment of whether something's going the right direction or not. And that's the beauty of being involved with the Lean Innovation Educators Forum, the beauty of the time we spend with folks like Alex Osterwalder or with Steve Blank or with the folks from the d.school at Stanford or any of those places that are developing tools. It is understanding how to use and adopt the tool to fit the circumstances, but at the end of the day, it's all about creating the data you need to use the analysis that will drive an insight, that will allow you to make a decision. Too often I find people who are just overly enamoured with the tool and they forget that the tool is just a tool. It's about data, insight, and decisions, and you have to get to a decision at some point. Ula Ojiaku Data, insight, decisions. Amazing. So, if we shift gears a little bit and go into your Strategic Innovation Project, SIP, I understand that one of the shifts you're driving in the DoD and MoD respectively is about their approach to involving private investment in defence technology. Could you share a bit more about that? Pete Newell As part of the innovation pipeline, you have to eventually transition out of the discovery phase and at the end of discovery, you should know that you have the right problem. You have a potential solution and you have a potential pathway that will allow you to deliver that solution in time to actually have an impact on the problem. At that point, you start incubating that solution, and if it's a tech or a product, then you're talking about either helping a company build the right thing, or you're talking about starting a new company, and that new company will have to do the thing. Our work in terms of early-stage tech acceleration is really now focused on what we call dual-use technologies. Those technologies that are required to solve a problem in the military, but also have a digital twin in the commercial world. There has to be a commercial reason for the company being built that's actually going to solve the problem, and so as we looked at that, we found really interesting conversations with investors in the United States and then eventually overseas who were looking for a way to help defense get the technologies it wanted, but have portfolios that don't allow them to just invest in a defense technology, and they were looking for an opportunity to engage one, with like-minded investors, but two, in honest conversations about problems that existed in the military and in the commercial world so they can make better decisions about the deployment of their capital to create the right companies. I think it's probably been five years now we've been working on the hypothesis around this. we started to develop a very strong language around dual-use investments in early-stage tech acceleration and adoption, and we started to build new tools inside government programs, as well as new groups of investors and other folks who wanted to be involved. All that was fine in the United States, but then we found it was a slightly different application outside the United States, particularly in Europe, which is not necessarily the most Startup friendly environment in the world in terms of investment, but at the same time, understanding that the United States has an unequalled appetite for technology to the point where that technology doesn't necessarily exist within the United States, nor do the best opportunities to test that technology exist for the United States, so we had to come up with a way that would allow us to do the same type of investigation with our allies, which turns into this incredible opportunity amongst allied nations and companies and vendors and things like that. And I know that from Ali's standpoint, watching NATO DIANA and other programs start, that it is more challenging, it's a different environment in Europe than it is in the United States. Ali Hawks Picking up there and in terms of the way that we think about investment, and what Pete is talking about is a program we run called Hacking 4 Allies. We currently work with Norway and take dual-use Norwegian Startups into our incubator and accelerator called H4XLabs in the US and we help them enter the US defense market and the commercial market, and one of the things that we're starting to see over here is it is a pathway that doesn't really exist in Europe. So when we think about NATO's DIANA, what DIANA is focused on, which is dual-use and deep tech and what they are overly focused on, and I think is correct, is how do you raise investment in the countries themselves to help booster a whole range of effects around being able to raise money within the country? Ultimately, though, and a lot of what DIANA was doing, in terms of the concept and its focus on dual-use and deep tech, was before the invasion of Ukraine, and so at that time before that, I think in terms of the NATO Innovation Fund and thinking about investment and NATO, it wasn't as comfortable with dual-use and investing in dual-use as the US is, not only is the US comfortable, but you have things like we helped a private capital fund, where people feel a great deal of patriotism, or that it's a part of their service to be able to contribute in that way. That feeling doesn't exist, it exists here, but it manifests itself in a different way, and it doesn't manifest itself as let's invest in dual-use technologies to help our defense and national security. So there's different understandings and cultural feelings towards those things. Now, having had the invasion of Ukraine and now the war in Israel and Gaza and now in Yemen, I think that the change is accelerating, insofar as what are the capabilities that we need to rapidly develop within NATO to be able to feel secure on our borders, and what type of investment does that take? Now, US investment in Europe has dropped about 22 percent in 2023, and so they're a little bit nervous about investing in these companies, and so the strength that being able to change the investment paradigm, which is ultimately, the companies that are going to receive the investment from the NATO Innovation Fund and NATO DIANA, they want to develop in the country, but ultimately all of those companies and their investors want them to get to a bigger market, and that bigger market is the US. So, what we are able to do is to connect real dollars, government dollars and commercial dollars, to those companies. We are one of the only pathways outside of export regimes for the Department of International Trade here in the UK. We are one of the only private pathways that has not only been tested and proved, but that we are able to take more companies year on year, take them to the US and prove that model. Now that's really exciting, especially as we see some of the investment declining, because we're able to identify those companies, we're able to connect them to problems that matter that people are trying to solve, develop the use cases, and then help them on the commercialisation side of things in terms of going into a new market. I think that the way that we think about investment in the US from a BMNT perspective, and the US is a little bit different from Europe and the UK, but the exciting thing is now that we have this proven pathway to enhance and accelerate concepts like DIANA and the NATO Innovation Fund. Ula Ojiaku So it sounds to me like it's not just about the localised investment into the innovation, it's also about BMNT building pathways, so European Startups, for example, that want an inroad into the US, maybe vice versa. Pete Newell I think the AUKUS DIN, the Defense Investor Network really is the collection of the US Investor Network, the UK and Australia. All three countries had Defense Investor Networks that had been set up over the last several years and primarily focused on, one, allowing investors to engage other investors about topics that are of common interest when it comes to this dual-use paradigm; and two, being able to engage with people in the government about things the investors were concerned about. I'm very clear when I talk about the Defense Investor Network, it is about defense investors, not about the government's problem. I've had to redefine that multiple times, as this is about enabling investors to be more proactive and participate in building the right kinds of companies, not about the government telling investors what they need to do, or the government telling the investors how they need to do it. It really, it was built from the investor perspective, and then we found is that the investors were prolifically honest about their feedback to senior people in the government, which I think has been hard for people in the government to get that kind of feedback, but when an investor with a portfolio of 30 and 40 companies looks at the government and says, I will never do it the way you just described, and here's why. Until you change that quantity, it makes no sense for us to participate, invest in, do, you'd be amazed. Sometimes it is the first time somebody's been able to articulate why something isn't going to happen, and then people nod their heads, well, I'll quit asking for that, or I'll go back and change something to see what it is we can do. So, we went from Hacking 4 Allies, which started out as a BMNT program with the Norwegians, to Hacking 4 Allies with the UK, Australia, Norway. At the same time, we had set up the Defense Investor Network, but as soon as we started the Allies program in the UK, the UK-based investors raised their hands and said, what you're doing in the United States, we want to do here, and then the same thing happened in Australia. When they made the AUKUS announcement, it just made too much sense to be able to look at, if we really want a free flow of technology and problems across the AUKUS governments, then surely we should be building ecosystems of like-minded people who can help drive those conversations. So it was super, super easy to bring the AUKUS Investor Network together, it was just too easy. The part that I think is not so easy, but we need to do work on is we, those investors need to be fed problems that are of an AUKUS nature, and at the same time, the governments need to listen to the investors when they tell them they have problems investing in companies that aren't allowed to participate in exercise or training or contracting or acquisitions in a different country, and if you really want to make AUKUS a real thing, there are a lot of policies that have to change. There's been a lot of progress made, but I think there's a lot more left to do to, to really get the opportunity to happen. Ula Ojiaku And would you say some of the problems would be related to what government officials would call national security, because if it's a dual-use spec, whilst it has its secular or commercial use, in the military, you wouldn't want other people knowing how you're deploying that technology and the ins and outs of it. So could that be one of the issues here? Pete Newell My definition of national security really touches public safety all the way up to military, so it's both. I think if you dig into it, it touches everything from supply chain, to access, to raw materials, to manufacturing, to education and workforce development, and you name it. There's a paradigm shift that has to happen if we're going to build more things, more often rather than long term ships and things like that, that as allied nations, we have to be able to attack all of the underlying foundational problems, and that's my supply chain, raw materials, manufacturing, and workforce that's necessary for the future. No one country is going to get that fixed all by themselves, and I think, to me, that's the absolute brilliance of what AUKUS should be able to focus on. Ali Hawks I agree, and I think that to being able to co-invest as well, the opportunity for investors to come around and understand what are the opportunities to, not only co-invest and coordinate, but to be able to scan their companies and their deal flow to see where their companies can partner and secure greater work and contracts and scale. So I think that it's a really important initiative in terms of being a steward of an extremely important ecosystem, not only being a steward, but being able to build that ecosystem of support and development. How we look at national security in the UK is really no different than what Pete talked about, and when we think about working with companies and the willingness to work with big tech companies or small tech companies or whatever it is, it's not just simply one transaction where, here's the money and here's your software. So obviously the kind of employment and the skills, but what is the ecosystem around that technology that is necessary? Does it require sensors and chips, and what is it that it requires that's going to bring in multiple different industries to support it, and that's really what the agenda here around prosperity is. How do we invest in these types of technologies and their ecosystems around it to have a more prosperous Britain? So you have a wider spread of skills as opposed to just investing in one thing. I think that's where AUKUS brings three very important allies together to be able to do that individually, but then the option to do it across in terms of the broader strategy and the policy around AUKUS, is a once in a lifetime chance that I think has come up. Ula Ojiaku So I think the key thing here is, this is a space to be watched, there's lots of opportunity and the potential of having the sum being greater than the parts is really huge here. One last question on this topic. So you said deep tech, and with Open AI's launch of ChatGPT earlier on last year, the world seems to have woken up to, generative AI. Do you see any influence this trend would have, or is having, in the military space in the Defense Innovation space. Pete Newell I think the world has woken up and is staring into the sun and is blinded. The challenge with AI in general, and I would say that it's not the challenge, AI has a long way to go, and by and large, folks are really focused on the high end of what AI can do, but people have to learn how to use AI and AI has to learn. What we're not doing is using AI to solve the mundane, boring, time wasting problems that are preventing our workforce from doing the high end work that only a human being can do, and I don't care how many billions of dollars we're pouring into building robots and other things, it's all great, but we still have government people managing spreadsheets of data that, they become data janitors, not analysts, and it is particularly bad in the intelligence world. I quote the Chief Information Officer of a large logistics agency who said data is not a problem, we have tons of data, it's just crappy, it's not tagged, it's not usable, we have data going back to the 1950s, we have no means of getting that data tagged so it's useful. Now, if we put time and energy into building AI products that would correctly tag old data, it'd be amazing what we can do. In the cases that we have helped develop tools with our clients, they'll save anywhere from a million to 300 million dollars a year in finding discrepancies in supply chain stuff, or finding other issues. So imagine if we put that kind of work in place for other people, but free people up to do more, better, smarter things, how much more efficient the use of the government's time and money would be, so that that money and that time could be invested in better things. So when I say, yeah, the AI is out there and people's eyes are open, but they're staring into the sun. They're not looking at the ground in front of them and solving the things that they could be solving at the speed they should be doing it, and unfortunately, I think they're creating a gap where legacy systems are being left further and further behind, but those legacy systems, whether it's finance, personnel, supply chain, discipline, things like that, aren't going to be able to make the transition to actually be useful later on. So I would describe it as an impending train wreck. Ula Ojiaku And what would be, in your view, something that could avert this oncoming train wreck. Pete Newell I think a concerted effort, really just to have the government say we're going to use AI to get rid of as much of the legacy brute force work that our populations are doing so that we can free them up to do other things. Part of this is we're then going to take the money we save and channel that money back into investment in those organisations. Right now, the money just goes away, that's great, you did better, therefore, your budget's reduced. There's no incentive to get better that way, but if you look at an organisation and say, you know, if you can save 10 million dollars a year, we'll give you that 10 million dollars to reinvest back into your organisation to do better and something else. Now, you have some incentive to actually make change happen. Ula Ojiaku Any thoughts, Ali? Ali Hawks I think the exciting thing for us, the way that I look at it in terms of government is that that government enablement to be able to use AI, here they are building large language models for the government based on the data that they have, and there's a lot of excitement around it and there should be. It's a pretty exciting thing to do. I think where we're in a really strong position and what I find really exciting is being able to do what we do best, which is help them understand what is the query and how do you validate that query? So what are the basic skills that you need to be able to interact, and then to be able to retain the skills of critical analysis, so when the answer comes back, you do not take that as the end all be all. It is a tool. So within your decision-making process, it's decreasing the amount of time it takes you to gather a certain amount of information, but just as you would if you were doing a book report, you still have to validate the sources and understanding, and you have to apply your own judgment and your own experience to that packet of information, which is what we all do every day, but it's not really thought about that way. So I think that the way that people are looking at it here is it will be able give us the decision and it will be able to kind of do our job for us, and for some tools, yes, and I completely agree that we need to free up all of the mundane work that hoovers up the time of civil servants here, because it's extraordinary how they're bogged down, and it completely disempowers them and it contributes to low retention rates and recruitment rates. But I think also it's developing the muscle to be able to do that critical thinking in order to leverage human intelligence to engage with artificial intelligence. And I think that's where we are uniquely positioned to do that because that is the bulk of our work on the front end of the pipeline, which is how are you going to validate what you know, how are you going to get the problem statement in order to query what you need to query and then having the judgment and the analysis to be able to look at that answer and make a decision, based on your own human intellect. That's where I see it playing here. I completely agree with Pete, we have people looking into the sun being like LLMs and they're going to solve everything, but you sit, let's say a hundred people down in front of an LLM and tell me how many people know what to ask it, or how to use it and integrate it into their everyday workflow. There's a long way to go, but I feel really excited about it because I feel like we have something so incredible to offer them to be able to enhance their engagement with AI. Ula Ojiaku That sounds excellent, thank you. Just to go to the rapid fire questions. So, Ali, what books have you found yourself recommending to people the most? Ali Hawks So I don't read a lot of work books, in terms of like how to run a company or anything like that, sorry, Pete, but, and I have a 4-year-old and three stepchildren, so I don't actually read as much as I used to, but I have read over in the last few weeks, the book Impromptu by Reid Hoffman about AI, which is great, and I listen to a lot of podcasts on my commute into London, so the Huberman Lab podcast I listen to a lot, but if you're looking for workplace inspiration, I'm afraid I look at Instagram, listen to podcasts, and then I follow Allie K. Miller, who writes a lot about AI, came out of Amazon, and she is fantastic for breaking things down into really bite sized chunks if you're trying to learn about AI, if you don't come from a technical background. Ula Ojiaku Thanks, Ali, we'll put these in the show notes. And Pete, what about you? Pete Newell I will give you two new books. One of them is a fun one, Wiring the Winning Organization written by Gene Kim and Steven Spear. Steve Spear is a good friend of ours, he's been a great mentor and advisor inside BMNT for a long time, I've known Steve since way back in my early days. The other one is by Huggy Rao and Bob Sutton, and it's called The Friction Project, and it's just like you say, it's all about friction in the workplace. I think both of those books tend to lend themselves to how to drive performance in organisations, and I think, knowing all of the authors, that they are phenomenal books, but I think the experience the four of them bring to the dialogue and the discussion of what the future workplace needs to look like and the things we need to solve will all be buried in those books. In terms of podcasts, I'm all over the map, I chase all kinds of things that I don't know. I listen to podcasts about subjects that I'm clueless about that just spark my interest, so I wouldn't venture to pick any one of them except yours, and to make sure that people listen to yours. Ula Ojiaku You're very kind, Pete. Well, because you're on it, they definitely would. Would you both be thinking about writing a book sometime, because I think your story has been fascinating and there are lots of lessons Pete Newell Only if Ali would lead it. So I have picked up and put down multiple proposals to write books around the innovation process within the government and other places, and part of the reason I keep stopping is it keeps changing. I don't think we're done learning yet, and I think the problem writing a book is you're taking a snapshot in time. One of the things that we are very focused on for the military, we talk about doctrine, what is the language of innovation inside the government workplace? It's the thing that we keep picking up, we've helped at least one government organisation write their very first innovation doctrine, the Transportation Security Administration of all places, the very first federal agency to produce a doctrine for innovation that explains what it is, why it is connected to the mission of the organisation, and describes a process by which they'll do it. I think within the Ministry of Defence, Department of Defense, there needs to be a concerted effort to produce a document that connects the outcome of innovation to the mission of the organisation. We call that mission acceleration. We look at innovation as a process, not an end state. The end state is actually mission acceleration. There's probably a really interesting book just to be written about Ali's journey, and I say more Ali's journey than mine because I think as a woman founder of a defence company in the UK, all of the characters in the book are completely unlikely. So somewhere down the road, maybe. Ula Ojiaku Well, I'm on the queue waiting for it, I will definitely buy it. So where can the listeners and viewers find you if, if they want to get in touch? Ali Hawks We're both on LinkedIn, so Pete Newell, Ali Hawks, our emails too are on our various websites, bmnt.com, bmnt.co.uk. Ula Ojiaku Awesome. Any final words for the audience? Pete Newell I'll say thank you again for one, having us. Like I said, it's the first opportunity Ali and I have had to be on a podcast together. Any opportunity I get to engage with the folks and have this conversation is a gift. So thank you for giving us the time. Ula Ojiaku My pleasure. Ali Hawks Yes, Ula, thanks very much for having us on together. It's been great. Ula Ojiaku I've enjoyed this conversation and listening to you both. So thank you so much. The pleasure and the honour is mine. That's all we have for now. Thanks for listening. If you liked this show, do subscribe at www.agileinnovationleaders.com or your favourite podcast provider. Also share with friends and do leave a review on iTunes. This would help others find this show. I'd also love to hear from you, so please drop me an email at ula@agileinnovationleaders.com Take care and God bless! 

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.    This week, I'm excited to re-share a conversation with retired U.S. Army colonel and Silicon Valley investor Peter Newell.   Pete is the co-founder and managing partner of BMNT, an investment company that provides early-stage investment to companies developing technology for the commercial market that has relevant applications in solving national security problems. He is a co-author of Hacking for Defense, a platform that merged the rapid problem-solving techniques curated on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan with a lean startup methodology developed by Steve Blank in Silicon Valley. Pete is a former Army Ranger who has received numerous military awards and decorations, including the Silver Star and the Presidential Unit Citation. It's an honor to have Pete on the show to discuss innovation, deploying, and forward-thinking.   THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… leaders interested in identifying and fixing problems and wanting to move their teams and companies forward with an innovation focus.   TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… this episode is all about bringing the battlefield to the boardroom and re-engineering the problem. Your role as a leader is not to sell products. Your role as a leader is to identify the problem and guide your team and your customers to an innovative solution. Lack of investment in understanding the problem is what ultimately leads us to failure.   WHAT  I  LOVE  MOST… I love the concept of innovation exhaustion and the difference between “innovators,” “makers,” and “hackers.” I love that distinction along with the thinking around deploying an idea and making sure you design what people are actually looking for–thinking about the customer. It's necessary to be innovation-focused if we want to keep pushing ourselves, our people, and our companies forward.   Running time: 34:52   Subscribe on iTunes   Find Tiffani Online: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn   Find Pete Online: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn  

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

Who's up for fighting Nazis and fighting systemic racism this Black History Month? Back in 2012, Lucasfilm brought us RED TAILS, a fictionalized action-adventure with the Tuskegee Airmen. Does the movie earn a Presidential Unit Citation like the Airmen did (three times over)?Amber's Minute of Fury: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIAwPuZx2H0&pp=ygUVYW1iZXIgcnVmZmluIHJvc2Vhbm5lPluggables: CB Smith: https://www.youtube.com/@CBSmith-js9ylCallie: Stay tuned for Postcards From Mystic FallsSupport the showVisit our blog at sixdegreesofstarwars.tumblr.com and ier-6d.tumblr.com6DOSW is a Pro-Union podcast. Please support artists by contributing to the Entertainment Community Fund if you can: https://entertainmentcommunity.org/how-get-help-and-give-help-during-work-stoppageE-Sims for Gaza: https://gazaesims.com/Click to Help: https://arab.org/click-to-help/Anti-Imperialism support for people across the world, organized by Kandakat_alhaqq: https://linktr.ee/kandakat_alhaqqTheme Music provided by Refractory Period: @RefractoryPeriodTheBand on Instagram, linktr.ee/RefractoryPeriodSam: @LaFemmeFictionale on Youtube and Ko-Fi, @FemmeFictionale on Patreon, Twitter, and Instagram, @FictionaleFemme on TikTok.The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.

Joe Muccia is a former US Marine and co-author of Cry Havoc! He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 where he was awarded a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device, the Combat Action Ribbon, and a Presidential Unit Citation.   He shares his friendship with the late Thomas Greer, a former special operations commander who wrote under the pen name "Dalton Fury," and how he finished Greer's manuscript after his fight with cancer. Muccia is proud to share the fighting spirit of the individual rangers who parachuted into Grenada in ‘83 and how they lived up to the legacy of their brothers who served in WWII and the Korean War.   Get your copy of Cry Havoc!: https://amzn.to/3SK7glm   Learn more about Joe and his books: Website - https://ssgtmooch.wixsite.com/joe-muccia   Join the SOFREP Book Club here: https://sofrep.com/book-clubSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest today has such a diverse skillset and resume that its almost hard to summarize. Andy Stumpf enlisted in the Navy while he was a Junior in high school, entering military service in 1996. After completing boot camp he went on to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, also known as BUD/s. After earning his trident he began his SEAL career attached to SEAL Team Five, in Coronado California. In 2002 he joined one of the most elite counterterrorism unit in the military, The Naval Surface Warfare Development Group (aka DEVGRU). While on a combat  deployment, an Iraqi insurgent shot Andy in the hip at close range with an AK-47. Doctors told him it would be years, if ever, before he recovered the use of his leg and returned to full active duty. Four years later, after  extensive work, Andy returned to the Naval Special Warfare Center as the Leading Petty Officer for 2nd Phase BUD/s training. While completing his two-year instructor tour, Andy submitted his package to become a commissioned officer. In 2008, he became the first E-6 selection commissioned through the Limited Duty Officer Program in the history of Naval Special Warfare. Upon commissioning, he joined SEAL Team Three and completed his final combat tour to Afghanistan. Throughout his 17-year career, Andy executed hundreds of combat operations throughout the world in support of the Global War on Terror including the hostage rescue of Jessica Lynch. He was medically retired in June of 2013. His awards and decorations include 5 Bronze Star Medals (Four with Valor), the Purple Heart, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, The Navy and Marine Corp Commendation Medal with Valor, Three Navy and Marine Corp Achievement Medals, Two Combat Action Ribbons, and the Presidential Unit Citation.After retirement, Andy continues to support the SEAL community, and their families. In 2015 he set two World Records after jumping from 36,500 feet and flying over 18 miles in a wingsuit to raise 1 million Dollars for the Navy SEAL Foundation. Post military, his business experience includes managing corporate development, licensing, and charitable initiatives for a global fitness brand. He also founded a consulting firm dedicated to ensuring that the lessons learned from the Global War of Terror are utilized by business leaders as well as Federal, State, and local entities. Andy also hosts the fantastic Cleared Hot Podcast which has close to 20 Million views on YouTube.Contact InfoCleared Hot Podcast - https://www.clearedhotpodcast.com/Books RecommendedBoyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War – Robert Coram - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316796880About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior – Col. David Hackworth - ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0283999598

Dr. Parker's journey began with four years of dedicated service in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he earned accolades such as the Meritorious Unit Citation and Good Conduct Medal. His exceptional dedication led to acceptance into the U.S. Air Force Officer Training School and a subsequent role as a Minuteman II ICBM Commander within U.S. Space Command, earning further recognition, including the Presidential Unit Citation, National Defense Service Medal, and the Air Force Achievement Medal. Transitioning into the medical field, Dr. Parker pursued studies at Mayo Medical School and joined the U.S. Medical Corps, ultimately achieving the rank of captain. Specializing in emergency medicine, he served as director of emergency medicine at two hospitals and founded an emergency medicine contracting company to save a floundering hospital from closure. He now speaks out as an advocate for physicians and patients and embodies a rare blend of scientific expertise, military leadership, and medical acumen, contributing significantly to the advancement of space exploration and the betterment of human health and safety. #physician #advocacy #moral #injury #pain #opioids #DOJ #DEA #crisis

Charles Strange: Seal Team 6 Deaths "Extortion 17" Osama Bin Laden RaidCharles and Mary Strange join The Opperman Report to discuss their son Michael. Michael was part of the SEAL team that raided the Osama bin Laden compound. Three months later he dies in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.This interview covers the families suspicions regarding the official accounts of these events. Their struggle to uncover the truth and their experiences of being targets of govt surveilance and harassment.We discuss the Afghanistan poppy trade, Taliban 'sex boys" their experience with Pres Barack Obama , the suspicious circumstances surround their sons death. Also discussed is an incredibly bizarre "Ramp Ceremony" where a Muslim Imam was allowed to perform an act of desecration over the coffins of these US soldiers.MichaelStrangeFoundation.orgCryptologic Technician (Collection) Petty Officer First Class Michael J. Strange was born on June 6, 1986 in Philadelphia. He attended St. Bartholomew Catholic School in the Wissinoming section of the city. He enjoyed the life of a typical Philadelphia kid surrounded by a loving family and great friends who he stayed close to all of his life. Michael had a great sense of humor and a kind and generous heart. As a little boy he loved spending summers with his dad, brother and sisters in Rehoboth Beach at his grandmothers house where he spent his days fishing and crabbing and playing in the pool.After graduating from North Catholic High School in June of 2004, Michael joined the United States Navy. After basic training in the Great Lakes he reported to the Naval Technical Training Center in Pensacola FL where he attended Cryptologic Technician (Collection) “A” School. He graduated second in his class.His first assignment was Naval Information Operations Command (NIOC) in Hawaii. At NIOC, Petty Officer Strange worked in several high profile signals intelligence gathering offices and became a first line supervisor in charge of multiple analysts. He completed a nine month deployment to Iraq with Seal Team TWO. During this deployment he earned the Expeditionary Warfare qualification. After an arduous screening process, Petty Officer Strange volunteered and was selected for duty at Naval Special Warfare Development Group.While stationed in Hawaii, Michael met his girlfriend. They enjoyed spending time after work surfing and touring the beautiful islands. After completing his tour of duty in Iraq, Michael and his girlfriend moved to Virginia Beach, VA where they made their home with their dog Schmayze.Cryptologic Technician (Collection) First Class Michael Strange was a highly decorated combat veteran with numerous awards, including the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Purple Heart Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, and other campaign and unit decorations.Michael is survived by his proud and loving family, his parents, his brother, sisters and his niece. He is also survived by his grandmother and many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, his girlfriend and many close friends.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/1198501/advertisement

COLONEL John O'Grady, US Army (Retired) Director, Strategic Engagements and Army Modernization, Raytheon Missiles and Defense.​ Former NCAA Division I Athlete, West Point Graduate, and 2x Bronze Star recipient.​ Managed a $14.4B portfolio responsible for aligning and allocating resources to train the 1.1 million United States Army Soldiers.​ Advise C-suite executives, corporate leaders, and collegiate and professional sports coaches, and their teams.​ Advised the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff of the Army.​ Led 500 soldiers in combat, the unit was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, for “extraordinary heroism in the face of an armed enemy.”​ During his time in the military, John led an organization from the start-up phase of 15 people to a 3.5K person organization, in a period of 2 years.​ John works at the intersection of culture, leadership, and teamwork to ensure leaders and team can unlock their full potential, perform optimally and in a sustainable manner. Find out more about John O'Leary at https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-o-grady-leadership/. Find out more about O'Grady Leadership Consulting at https://www.ogleadership.com/.

Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova. As this year comes to a close, I'm revisiting one of my favorite episodes with retired U.S. Army colonel and Silicon Valley investor Peter Newell! Pete is the co-founder and a managing partner of BMNT, an investment company that provides early-stage investment to companies developing technology for the commercial market that have relevant applications in solving national security problems. He is a co-author of Hacking for Defense, a platform that merged the rapid problem-solving techniques curated on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan with a lean startup methodology developed by Steve Blank in Silicon Valley. Pete is a former Army Ranger who has received numerous military awards and decorations, including the Silver Star and the Presidential Unit Citation. It's an honor to have Pete on with us today to discuss innovation, deploying, and forward-thinking.   THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR…  Leaders who are interested in identifying and fixing problems and who want to move their teams and companies forward with an innovation-focus.   TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE…  Today's episode is all about bringing the battlefield to the boardroom and re-engineering the problem. Your role as a leader is not to sell products. Your role as a leader is to identify the problem and guide your team and your customers to an innovative solution. Lack of investment in understanding the problem is what ultimately leads us to failure.   WHAT  I  LOVE  MOST… I love the concept of innovation exhaustion and the difference between “innovators,” “makers,” and “hackers.” I love that distinction along with the thinking around deploying an idea and making sure you design what people are actually looking for–thinking about the customer. It's necessary to be innovation-focused if we want to keep pushing ourselves, our people, and our companies forward.   Running time: 34:38 Subscribe on iTunes     Find Tiffani on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn   Find Pete Newell on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

Robert B. Stinnett (1924-2018) was a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute and author of Day of Deceit: The Truth about FDR and Pearl Harbor (Free Press). He served in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1946, where he earned ten battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation.He worked as a journalist and photographer for the Oakland Tribune, and he was a consultant on the Pacific War for the BBC and for Asahi and NHK Television in Japan. In 1986, he resigned his position at the Tribune to devote himself full-time to the extensive and painstaking research through the Freedom of Information Act that was necessary to produce his book, Day of Deceit, and other work. He is also the author of the book, George Bush: His World War II Years.Here is the link to purchase the book:https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743201299/theindepeende-20

HOW TO BE AN OVERALL BADASS NAVY SEAL, ENTREPRENEUR & BESTSELLING AUTHOR BRANDON WEBB Brandon Webb is a combat-decorated Navy SEAL sniper turned entrepreneur. During his last tour as a U.S. Navy chief, he was head instructor at the SEAL sniper school, which produced some of America's most legendary snipers. Brandon is a multiple New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, and Harvard Business School alumni. After leaving home at 16 Brandon joined the US Navy to become a Navy SEAL. His first assignment was as a helicopter Search & Rescue swimmer with HS-6. In 1997 his SEAL training package was approved; he joined over 200 students in BUD/S class 215 and went on to graduate as one of 23 originals that made the cut. He served with SEAL Team 3, Naval Special Warfare Group One Training Detachment sniper cell, and the Naval Special Warfare Center west coast sniper course manager. Over his navy career he completed four deployments to the Middle East and one to Afghanistan. He deployed to Iraq in 2006–7 as a contractor in support of the US intelligence community. An accomplished and proven leader, he was meritoriously promoted to the rank of E6 when ranked #1 at the training command sniper cell.  Shortly after he was promoted to Chief Petty Officer while serving as the sniper course manager. Brandon has received numerous distinguished service awards, including Top Frog at Team 3 for best combat diver, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medal with “V” device for valor in combat. He ended his navy career early to spend more time with his family and to focus on entrepreneurship and writing.  As an Entrepreneur Brandon crashed and burned his first start up in 2009, then went on to and create two brands: SOFREP Media (SOFREP.com) and Crate Club. He bootstrapped these to eight-figure revenue and successfully exited the Crate Club in 2020. He continues to oversee SOFREP Media as its founder.   SOFREP is a Military Culture, Defense & Foreign Policy News site read by millions monthly.  Webb is multiple New York Times bestselling author of nonfiction. In 2020 Brandon and his long-time writing partner, and award winning author, John David Mann, released their first collaborative work of fiction, STEEL FEAR. This has now turned into the Finn series with Random House which includes Cold Fear, and Blind Fear (2023 release).  Brandon studied at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School's 2-year Owner President program. He is a member of the Young Presidents Organization, and has served as an appointed member on the veterans advisory committee to the Small Business Administration (SBA).  He enjoys spending time with his tight circle of amazing kids, family and friends. 

The U.S. Navy SEAL's are the elite Special Operations forces of the US Navy. The SEAL teams are one of the most respected commando forces in the world – they are often cited as the most elite, flexible and highly trained Naval Commando force. Today I spoke with Brandon Webb about what training and experience is like as a member of this elite team. Bio: Brandon Webb is a combat-decorated Navy SEAL sniper turned entrepreneur. During his last tour as a U.S. Navy chief, he was head instructor at the SEAL sniper school, which produced some of America's most legendary snipers. Brandon is a multiple New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur and Harvard Business School alumni. He served with SEAL Team 3, Naval Special Warfare Group One Training Detachment sniper cell, and the Naval Special Warfare Center west coast sniper course manager. Over his navy career he completed four deployments to the Middle East and one to Afghanistan. He deployed to Iraq in 2006–7 as a contractor in support of the US intelligence community. An accomplished and proven leader, he was meritoriously promoted to the rank of E6 when ranked #1 at the training command sniper cell. Shortly after he was promoted to Chief Petty Officer while serving as the sniper course manager. Brandon has received numerous distinguished service awards, including Top Frog at Team 3 for best combat diver, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medal with “V” device for valor in combat. He ended his navy career early to spend more time with his family and to focus on entrepreneurship and writing. As an Entrepreneur Brandon crashed and burned his first start up in 2009, then went on to and create two brands: SOFREP Media (SOFREP.com) and Crate Club. He bootstrapped these to eight-figure revenue and successfully exited the Crate Club in 2020. He continues to oversee SOFREP Media as its founder. SOFREP is a Military Culture, Defense & Foreign Policy News site read by millions monthly. Webb is multiple New York Times bestselling author of nonfiction. In 2020 Brandon and his long-time writing partner, and award winning author, John David Mann, released their first collaborative work of fiction, STEEL FEAR. This has now turned into the Finn series with Random House which includes Cold Fear, and Blind Fear (2023 release). He enjoys spending time with his tight circle of amazing kids, family and friends. Website - https://brandontylerwebb.com/ Books - https://brandontylerwebb.com/books/ Artwork by Phillip Thor - https://linktr.ee/Philipthor_art The Way Podcast - www.PodcastTheWay.com - Follow at Twitter / Instagram - @podcasttheway (Subscribe/Follow on streaming platforms and social media!) To watch the visuals with the trailer go to https://www.podcasttheway.com/trailers/ Thank you Don Grant for the Intro/Outro. Check out his podcast - https://threeinterestingthings.captivate.fm Intro guitar copied from Aiden Ayers at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UiB9FMOP5s *The views demonstrated in this show are strictly those of The Way Podcast/Radio Show*

John has 30 years of military, sports, and business experience. A former Division athlete, West Point graduate, retired Army Colonel, and distinguished combat leader, John understands the leaders role in bringing the intersection of leadership, teams and culture and how it inspires people and teams to become the best version of themselves in the most demanding, complex, austere, and challenging environments. John completed a decorated military career, where he led organizations from 30 - 3.5K people, to include in active war zones. John's command was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (the highest award given to units) for, "extraordinary heroism in the face of an armed enemy." -- made possible by the values-based culture by which John led and inspired his team. John has repeatedly served as a senior advisor to executive level military leaders where he was relied upon to provide confidential, expert, advice on topics as diverse as culture, strategic direction, and managing fiscal and operational portfolios in excess of 14B dollars. As an advisor, coach, speaker, and mentor, John's timeless leadership message inspires and challenges coaches, teams, and organizations to win sustainably by becoming the best versions of themselves. Instagram: @Parrsitivity94 Twitter: adamparrL Tiktok: @Parrsitivity94 Email: theparrsitivitypodcast@gmail.com LinkedIn: Adam Parr Facebook: The Parrsitivity Podcast new Landing page: https://the-parrsitivity-podcast.aweb.page/p/d0062c2e-0bba-44ab-8b08-17721144a4ec

Dr. Rich Swier is a “conservative with a conscience.” Rich is a 23 year Army veteran who retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his years of service. Additionally, he was awarded two Bronze Stars with “V” for Valor and Heroism in ground combat, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry while serving with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Dr Rich now publishes the the "drrichswier.com report". A daily review of news, issues and commentary! Cherise Trump is the Executive Director.of Speech First. Cherise brings extensive experience working directly with college students to Speech First, thanks to her time spent serving as program manager of the Alexander Hamilton Society. Previously, Cherise has worked at the Heritage Foundation as their associate director of coalition relations. Cherise is also the host of Speech First's new live show and podcast, Well Said, where she interviews experts, activists, professors, and students about free speech, higher education, and American culture. TOPIC:With Student Loan 'Forgiveness,' the Racketeers Win Again!!

Dr. Rich Swier is a “conservative with a conscience.” Rich is a 23 year Army veteran who retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his years of service. Additionally, he was awarded two Bronze Stars with “V” for Valor and Heroism in ground combat, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry while serving with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Dr Rich now publishes the the "drrichswier.com report". A daily review of news, issues and commentary! Cherise Trump is the Executive Director.of Speech First. Cherise brings extensive experience working directly with college students to Speech First, thanks to her time spent serving as program manager of the Alexander Hamilton Society. Previously, Cherise has worked at the Heritage Foundation as their associate director of coalition relations. Cherise is also the host of Speech First's new live show and podcast, Well Said, where she interviews experts, activists, professors, and students about free speech, higher education, and American culture. TOPIC:With Student Loan 'Forgiveness,' the Racketeers Win Again!!

Charles Strange: Seal Team 6 Deaths "Extortion 17" Osama Bin Laden Raid Charles and Mary Strange join The Opperman Report to discuss their son Michael. Michael was part of the SEAL team that raided the Osama bin Laden compound. Three months later he dies in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. This interview covers the families suspicions regarding the official accounts of these events. Their struggle to uncover the truth and their experiences of being targets of govt surveilance and harassment. We discuss the Afghanistan poppy trade, Taliban 'sex boys" their experience with Pres Barack Obama , the suspicious circumstances surround their sons death. Also discussed is an incredibly bizarre "Ramp Ceremony" where a Muslim Imam was allowed to perform an act of desecration over the coffins of these US soldiers. MichaelStrangeFoundation.org Cryptologic Technician (Collection) Petty Officer First Class Michael J. Strange was born on June 6, 1986 in Philadelphia. He attended St. Bartholomew Catholic School in the Wissinoming section of the city. He enjoyed the life of a typical Philadelphia kid surrounded by a loving family and great friends who he stayed close to all of his life. Michael had a great sense of humor and a kind and generous heart. As a little boy he loved spending summers with his dad, brother and sisters in Rehoboth Beach at his grandmothers house where he spent his days fishing and crabbing and playing in the pool. After graduating from North Catholic High School in June of 2004, Michael joined the United States Navy. After basic training in the Great Lakes he reported to the Naval Technical Training Center in Pensacola FL where he attended Cryptologic Technician (Collection) “A” School. He graduated second in his class. His first assignment was Naval Information Operations Command (NIOC) in Hawaii. At NIOC, Petty Officer Strange worked in several high profile signals intelligence gathering offices and became a first line supervisor in charge of multiple analysts. He completed a nine month deployment to Iraq with Seal Team TWO. During this deployment he earned the Expeditionary Warfare qualification. After an arduous screening process, Petty Officer Strange volunteered and was selected for duty at Naval Special Warfare Development Group. While stationed in Hawaii, Michael met his girlfriend. They enjoyed spending time after work surfing and touring the beautiful islands. After completing his tour of duty in Iraq, Michael and his girlfriend moved to Virginia Beach, VA where they made their home with their dog Schmayze. Cryptologic Technician (Collection) First Class Michael Strange was a highly decorated combat veteran with numerous awards, including the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Purple Heart Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, and other campaign and unit decorations. Michael is survived by his proud and loving family, his parents, his brother, sisters and his niece. He is also survived by his grandmother and many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, his girlfriend and many close friends.

Charles Strange: Seal Team 6 Deaths "Extortion 17" Osama Bin Laden Raid Charles and Mary Strange join The Opperman Report to discuss their son Michael. Michael was part of the SEAL team that raided the Osama bin Laden compound. Three months later he dies in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. This interview covers the families suspicions regarding the official accounts of these events. Their struggle to uncover the truth and their experiences of being targets of govt surveilance and harassment. We discuss the Afghanistan poppy trade, Taliban 'sex boys" their experience with Pres Barack Obama , the suspicious circumstances surround their sons death. Also discussed is an incredibly bizarre "Ramp Ceremony" where a Muslim Imam was allowed to perform an act of desecration over the coffins of these US soldiers. MichaelStrangeFoundation.org Cryptologic Technician (Collection) Petty Officer First Class Michael J. Strange was born on June 6, 1986 in Philadelphia. He attended St. Bartholomew Catholic School in the Wissinoming section of the city. He enjoyed the life of a typical Philadelphia kid surrounded by a loving family and great friends who he stayed close to all of his life. Michael had a great sense of humor and a kind and generous heart. As a little boy he loved spending summers with his dad, brother and sisters in Rehoboth Beach at his grandmothers house where he spent his days fishing and crabbing and playing in the pool. After graduating from North Catholic High School in June of 2004, Michael joined the United States Navy. After basic training in the Great Lakes he reported to the Naval Technical Training Center in Pensacola FL where he attended Cryptologic Technician (Collection) “A” School. He graduated second in his class. His first assignment was Naval Information Operations Command (NIOC) in Hawaii. At NIOC, Petty Officer Strange worked in several high profile signals intelligence gathering offices and became a first line supervisor in charge of multiple analysts. He completed a nine month deployment to Iraq with Seal Team TWO. During this deployment he earned the Expeditionary Warfare qualification. After an arduous screening process, Petty Officer Strange volunteered and was selected for duty at Naval Special Warfare Development Group. While stationed in Hawaii, Michael met his girlfriend. They enjoyed spending time after work surfing and touring the beautiful islands. After completing his tour of duty in Iraq, Michael and his girlfriend moved to Virginia Beach, VA where they made their home with their dog Schmayze. Cryptologic Technician (Collection) First Class Michael Strange was a highly decorated combat veteran with numerous awards, including the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Purple Heart Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, and other campaign and unit decorations. Michael is survived by his proud and loving family, his parents, his brother, sisters and his niece. He is also survived by his grandmother and many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, his girlfriend and many close friends.

Charles Strange: Seal Team 6 Deaths "Extortion 17" Osama Bin Laden RaidCharles and Mary Strange join The Opperman Report to discuss their son Michael. Michael was part of the SEAL team that raided the Osama bin Laden compound. Three months later he dies in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. This interview covers the families suspicions regarding the official accounts of these events. Their struggle to uncover the truth and their experiences of being targets of govt surveilance and harassment.We discuss the Afghanistan poppy trade, Taliban 'sex boys" their experience with Pres Barack Obama , the suspicious circumstances surround their sons death. Also discussed is an incredibly bizarre "Ramp Ceremony" where a Muslim Imam was allowed to perform an act of desecration over the coffins of these US soldiers. MichaelStrangeFoundation.orgCryptologic Technician (Collection) Petty Officer First Class Michael J. Strange was born on June 6, 1986 in Philadelphia. He attended St. Bartholomew Catholic School in the Wissinoming section of the city. He enjoyed the life of a typical Philadelphia kid surrounded by a loving family and great friends who he stayed close to all of his life. Michael had a great sense of humor and a kind and generous heart. As a little boy he loved spending summers with his dad, brother and sisters in Rehoboth Beach at his grandmothers house where he spent his days fishing and crabbing and playing in the pool.After graduating from North Catholic High School in June of 2004, Michael joined the United States Navy. After basic training in the Great Lakes he reported to the Naval Technical Training Center in Pensacola FL where he attended Cryptologic Technician (Collection) “A” School. He graduated second in his class.His first assignment was Naval Information Operations Command (NIOC) in Hawaii. At NIOC, Petty Officer Strange worked in several high profile signals intelligence gathering offices and became a first line supervisor in charge of multiple analysts. He completed a nine month deployment to Iraq with Seal Team TWO. During this deployment he earned the Expeditionary Warfare qualification. After an arduous screening process, Petty Officer Strange volunteered and was selected for duty at Naval Special Warfare Development Group.While stationed in Hawaii, Michael met his girlfriend. They enjoyed spending time after work surfing and touring the beautiful islands. After completing his tour of duty in Iraq, Michael and his girlfriend moved to Virginia Beach, VA where they made their home with their dog Schmayze.Cryptologic Technician (Collection) First Class Michael Strange was a highly decorated combat veteran with numerous awards, including the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Purple Heart Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, and other campaign and unit decorations.Michael is survived by his proud and loving family, his parents, his brother, sisters and his niece. He is also survived by his grandmother and many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, his girlfriend and many close friends.

In this episode, the Crew is joined by the outstanding writing team featuring former Navy SEAL Brandon Webb and award-winning author John David Mann to discuss their blistering new thriller COLD FEAR. “One of the best crime novels of the year . . . a brilliant blend of procedural mystery and geopolitical thriller.”—Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author of Hunting Time Disgraced Navy SEAL Finn is on the run. A wanted man since he jumped ship from the USS Abraham Lincoln, he's sought for questioning in connection to war crimes committed in Yemen by a rogue element in his SEAL team. But his memory of that night—as well as the true fate of his mentor and only friend, Lieutenant Kennedy—is a gaping hole. Finn learns that three members of his team have been quietly redeployed to Iceland, which is a puzzle in itself; the tiny island nation is famous for being one of the most peaceful, crime-free places on the planet. His mission is simple: track down the three corrupt SEALs and find out what really happened that night in Yemen. But two problems stand in his way. On his first night in town, a young woman mysteriously drowns—and a local detective suspects Finn's involvement. Worse, a SEAL-turned-contract-killer with skills equal to Finn's own has been hired to ensure he never gets the answers he's looking for. And he's followed Finn all the way to the icy north. Brandon Webb is the New York Times bestselling author of The Red Circle and Benghazi: The Definitive Report. A former U.S. Navy SEAL whose last assignment was Course Manager for the elite SEAL Sniper Course, he was instrumental in developing new curricula that trained some of the most accomplished snipers of the twenty-first century. He has received numerous distinguished service awards, including the Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Commendation Medal with a “V” for “Valor,” for his platoon's deployment to Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks. John David Mann is co-author of over thirty books, including four New York Times bestsellers and five national bestsellers. His writing has won multiple awards, including the Living Now Book Awards Evergreen Medal for its “contributions to positive global change.” To learn more about the guys from The Crew Reviews or to see additional author interviews, visit us at www.thecrewreviews.com Follow us on social media: Twitter | https://twitter.com/CREWbookreviews Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/thecrewreviews Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/thecrewreviews And don't forget to subscribe to The Crew Reviews, hit the "LIKE" button, and leave a comment.

Dr. Rich Swier is a “conservative with a conscience.” Rich is a 23 year Army veteran who retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his years of service. Additionally, he was awarded two Bronze Stars with “V” for Valor and Heroism in ground combat, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry while serving with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Dr. Rich now publishes the "drrichswier.com report". A daily review of news, issues and commentary! TOPIC: GODLESS ENCLAVES: FABRICATING REALITY: SURVEY: Women Voters 50+ Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. TOPIC: Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz blamed woke elected officials in Democrat-run cities for the abrupt closure of 16 stores.

Dr. Rich Swier is a “conservative with a conscience.” Rich is a 23 year Army veteran who retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his years of service. Additionally, he was awarded two Bronze Stars with “V” for Valor and Heroism in ground combat, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry while serving with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Dr. Rich now publishes the "drrichswier.com report". A daily review of news, issues and commentary! TOPIC: GODLESS ENCLAVES: FABRICATING REALITY: SURVEY: Women Voters 50+ Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. TOPIC: Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz blamed woke elected officials in Democrat-run cities for the abrupt closure of 16 stores.

Making his way from Earth to the cosmos, CAPT Cassidy was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 2004. Assigned his first spaceflight in 2009 as a mission specialist aboard the STS-127, he became the 500th person in history to fly into space, as well as the second-ever SEAL. In subsequent flight experiences, CAPT Cassidy was assigned to Expedition 35 in 2013 as a flight engineer and Expedition 63 as Commander of the International Space Station in 2020. While at NASA, CAPT Cassidy accumulated 378 days in space, 54 hours, and 51 minutes of spacewalk time, placing him in an elite group of four U.S. crewmembers with 10 spacewalks. He was named NASA's Chief Astronaut in 2015, a role in which he was responsible for flight assignments, mission preparation, and on-orbit support of U.S. crews and organizing astronaut office support for future launch vehicles. He served in this position for two years before returning to normal flight status. In May 2021, three-time space veteran CAPT Cassidy announced his retirement from both NASA and the Navy, transitioning into his current role as CEO and president of the National Medal of Honor Museum.Among CAPT Cassidy's awards and honors is the Bronze Star with combat “V,” the Presidential Unit Citation for leading a nine-day operation at the Zharwar Kili cave complex on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, a second Bronze Star for combat leadership during Operation Enduring Freedom, and the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal. He completed the 2014 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, and spent three weeks cycling through the Amazon rainforest in 2017. CAPT Cassidy earned his Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1993 and his Master of Science in ocean engineering from MIT in 2000. He was awarded an honorary Ph.D. from Husson University in 2015, and a second honorary Ph.D. from the University of Maine at Augusta in 2021.Exclusively represented by the Leading Authorities speakers bureau, CAPT Cassidy's talks explore the habits of effective leaders and how they can motivate their teams to overcome the obstacles in front of them, foster a high-performing culture of trust, and thrive in clutch moments when everything is on the line. With a talent for storytelling and well-timed humor, he shares his inspiring journey from the U.S. Naval Academy to becoming NASA's 15th Chief Astronaut — motivating audiences to develop a never-quit mindset to accomplish their goals and help others along the way.

On June 19, 1864, a fourteen-month chase culminated in one of the most dramatic naval battles in history. The dreaded Confederate raider Alabama faced the Union warship Kearsarge in an all-or-nothing fight to the death, and the outcome would effectively end the threat of the Confederacy on the high seas. Award-winning and bestselling historians Phil Keith (who was a US Navy Captain) and Tom Clavin share this riveting, mostly untold, story in To the Uttermost Ends of the Earth: The Epic Hunt for the South's Most Feared Ship―and the Greatest Sea Battle of the Civil War (Hanover Square Press). Informed by comprehensive research, extensive photos, maps, and the authors' expertise, the book is a fresh blend of military, naval, and Civil War history. The authors' last book, All Blood Runs Red, was a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, and praised by the Christian Science Monitor, Booklist, and more, and the pair are known for gripping yet substantiative narratives. In To the Uttermost Ends of the Earth, Keith and Clavin introduce some of the crucial but historically overlooked Civil War players, including John Winslow, captain of the USS Kearsarge, as well as Raphael Semmes, captain of the CSS Alabama. Readers will sail aboard the Kearsarge as Winslow embarks for Europe with a set of simple orders from the secretary of the navy: "Travel to the uttermost ends of the earth, if necessary, to find and destroy the Alabama." Winslow pursued Semmes in a spectacular fourteen-month chase over international waters, culminating in what would become the climactic sea battle of the Civil War. Today: The Confederate raider currently lies in French territorial waters and is the focus of a transcontinental salvage effort to raise funds for dives at the site, the recovery of artifacts, and more historical research. While parts of it have been brought up, most of the ship still lies on the ocean floor. Most Civil War narratives focus on the battles fought on land, but To the Uttermost Ends of the Earth is a riveting, deep dive into the greatest sea battle of the war. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Phil Keith (1946-2021) was the author of six books, including Blackhorse Riders, which won the 2012 award from USA Book News for Best Military Non-Fiction, was a finalist for the 2013 Colby Award, and earned a 2013 silver medal from Military Writers Society of America. He held a degree in history from Harvard and was a former Navy aviator. During three tours in Vietnam, he served with distinction and was awarded, among other decorations, the Purple Heart, Air Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, and the Navy Commendation Medal. Tom Clavin is the author of eighteen nonfiction books and has worked as a newspaper editor, magazine writer, TV and radio commentator, and reporter for The New York Times covering a variety of topics. His two most recent books, Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America's First Frontier (with Bob Drury) and Lightning Down: A World War II Story of Survival, were national bestsellers. Other bestselling titles include Dodge City, The Heart of Everything That Is, Tombstone, and The Last Stand of Fox Company. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/steve-richards/support

Dr. Rich Swier is a “conservative with a conscience.” Rich is a 23 year Army veteran who retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his years of service. Additionally, he was awarded two Bronze Stars with “V” for Valor and Heroism in ground combat, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry while serving with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Dr Rich now publishes the the "drrichswier.com report". A daily review of news, issues and commentary! TOPIC:Remembering 78th Anniversary of D-Day Cheryl Chumley is the online opinion editor and host of “Bold and Blunt” podcast for The Washington Times, a best-selling author and a frequent media guest for national television and radio. Cheryl is ,the author of “SOCIALISTS DON'T SLEEP: CHRISTIANS MUST RISE OR AMERICA WILL FALL,” “The Devil in DC: Winning Back the Country From the Beast in Washington” and of "Police State USA: How Orwell's Nightmare is Becoming Our Reality," and a 2008-2009 Robert Novak journalism fellow with The Fund for American Studies. She is also a licensed private investigator and principal of Chumley Investigations. HER NEWEST BOOK IS LOCKDOWN: The Socialist Plan to Take Away Your Freedom....: TOPIC: Democrats ignore root causes of gun crime on purpose

Dr. Rich Swier is a “conservative with a conscience.” Rich is a 23 year Army veteran who retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his years of service. Additionally, he was awarded two Bronze Stars with “V” for Valor and Heroism in ground combat, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry while serving with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Dr Rich now publishes the the "drrichswier.com report". A daily review of news, issues and commentary! TOPIC:Remembering 78th Anniversary of D-Day Cheryl Chumley is the online opinion editor and host of “Bold and Blunt” podcast for The Washington Times, a best-selling author and a frequent media guest for national television and radio. Cheryl is ,the author of “SOCIALISTS DON'T SLEEP: CHRISTIANS MUST RISE OR AMERICA WILL FALL,” “The Devil in DC: Winning Back the Country From the Beast in Washington” and of "Police State USA: How Orwell's Nightmare is Becoming Our Reality," and a 2008-2009 Robert Novak journalism fellow with The Fund for American Studies. She is also a licensed private investigator and principal of Chumley Investigations. HER NEWEST BOOK IS LOCKDOWN: The Socialist Plan to Take Away Your Freedom....: TOPIC: Democrats ignore root causes of gun crime on purpose

Today we have a Combat Story first with our first Astronaut who spent over 377 days in space and completed 10 spacewalks (where he's actually out in space in nothing but his suit): Chris Cassidy. Before he joined NASA, Chris was a Navy SEAL and was one of the very first sent into Afghanistan in 2001 after 9/11. There's very little Chris has not accomplished. He attended the US Naval Academy, received a Master of Science in Ocean Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and has two Honorary PhD's. As a SEAL, Chris earned a Bronze Star with Valor and a Presidential Unit Citation for combat in Afghanistan. He was NASA's 14th Chief Astronaut, which is the head of NASA's Astronaut Corps and is the principal advisor to the NASA Administrator on astronaut training and operations.Chris is incredibly humble given his accomplishments and it's no surprise he is now President and CEO of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, where he's leading efforts to build out an iconic Museum for MOH recipients, a Leadership Institute, and a Monument on the National Mall.I hope you enjoy this view from Space from such a down to Earth man as much as I did. Special thanks to previous guests Darrell Utt and Mike Hayes who helped us connect with Chris.Find Chris Online:-Instagram @astro_seal-Instagram @mohmuseum -MOH Museum Donation www.mohmuseum.org/donateFind Ryan Online:-To support Combat Story and get exclusive content, head to Patreon www.patreon.com/combatstory-Ryan's Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory-Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/combatstory/-Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory-Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial-Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial-Email ryan@combatstory.com-Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus-Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio JungleShow Notes:0:00 - Intro 1:05 - Guest Introduction (Chris Cassidy) 2:31 - Interview begins 8:10 - Childhood and interest in military 19:18 - Path to SEAL Teams 25:20 - About his first SEAL Team, an underwater vehicle team29:30 - Where he was when 911 happened and how SEAL Team 3 reposnded38:19 - Combat Story - First time leading troops into an engagement 42:07 - Combat Story - Aha moment while on a mission in the caves of Afghan-Pakistan border46:56 - Team dynamics in a small unit like a SEAL Team 52:09 - Leadership and the danger of complacency and overconfidence 54:24 - Transition to NASA 1:04:53 - First flight expereince as an astronaut1:13:15 - First spacewalk experience1:17:56 - Story of a hairy experience during a spacewalk mission1:30:14 - Feeling privileged to do the work and the long-term fatigue that can happen 1:31:53 - National Medal of Honor Museum 1:40:56 - Dealing with setbacks along his path 1:43:05 - What did you carry into combat/space? 1:44:21 - Would you do it again? 1:45:46 - Listener comments and shout outs

Dr. Rich Swier is a “conservative with a conscience.” Rich is a 23 year Army veteran who retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his years of service. Additionally, he was awarded two Bronze Stars with “V” for Valor and Heroism in ground combat, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry while serving with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Dr Rich now publishes the the "drrichswier.com report". A daily review of news, issues and commentary! TOPIC: OPERATION OVERLORD JUNE 7, 2022: MAGA Invades the Disinformation Governance Board Frank Vernuccio serves as editor-in-chief of the New York Analysis of Policy & Government, providing objective coverage of key issues facing the United States today. Frank is the co-host of the Vernuccio/Novak Report, nationally both on broadcast radio and the web at amfm247.com. FRANK also co-hosts of the “The American Political Zone,” Broadcast on the AUN-TV Network and on cable in eastern Connecticut. TOPIC: Biden's Stealth Disarmament

Today the garb brings you Joseph Whiteman.  Joe is the Director of Safety Services for the American Society of Concrete Contractors and brings over 17 years of safety experience gathered from working for Turner Construction (largest domestic contractor in the United States as of 2020) and Morley Construction (specialty concrete contractor).  Joseph joined ASCC full time in the fall of 2019 to help implement one of ASCC's goals in having the safest concrete contractors in the industry!   Joseph received an Associate of Science degree in Environmental Technology - Occupational Health and Safety and holds both the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and the Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST) certification through the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP).   Mr. Whiteman also served as a scout team leader with Alpha company fourth light armored reconnaissance battalion, United States marine core. He received the National Defense medal, received the Presidential Unit Citation along with receiving the Purple Heart.   Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce Joe Whiteman, with The American Society of Concrete Contractors! Let's do this!   #ConstructionSafetyWeek #ConstrucitonSafetyWeek2022   WWW.ASCConline.org  

On Episode 3 of the Story Craft Cafe we welcome Richard Fox to talk about writing space opera, military science fiction, and finding your passion as a story teller.  Richard Fox is the winner of the 2017 Dragon Award for Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy novel. He's best known for The Ember War Saga, a military science fiction and space opera series. His writing draws extensively from his experiences in the United States Army, where he served two combat tours in Iraq and was awarded the Bronze Star, Combat Action Badge and Presidential Unit Citation. He lives in fabulous Las Vegas with his incredible wife and three boys, amazing children bent on anarchy. Subscribe to Richard's spam free email list and get free short stories set during the Ember War Saga (and more as they become available) at: http://eepurl.com/bLj1gf Like him on Facebook (best place to reach him): https://www.facebook.com/Richard-Fox-Author-1377447982503883/ Website: www.richardfoxauthor.com

On Episode 3 of the Story Craft Cafe we welcome Richard Fox to talk about writing space opera, military science fiction, and finding your passion as a story teller.  Richard Fox is the winner of the 2017 Dragon Award for Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy novel. He's best known for The Ember War Saga, a military science fiction and space opera series. His writing draws extensively from his experiences in the United States Army, where he served two combat tours in Iraq and was awarded the Bronze Star, Combat Action Badge and Presidential Unit Citation. He lives in fabulous Las Vegas with his incredible wife and three boys, amazing children bent on anarchy. Subscribe to Richard's spam free email list and get free short stories set during the Ember War Saga (and more as they become available) at: http://eepurl.com/bLj1gf Like him on Facebook (best place to reach him): https://www.facebook.com/Richard-Fox-Author-1377447982503883/ Website: www.richardfoxauthor.com

From humble beginnings living in his family's boat while working as a Scuba instructor, to being a combat-recognized Navy SEAL Sniper, to building multiple 8-figure businesses, Brandon Webb is this week's guest on “The Jake Dunlap Show.”Brandon's family made the decision to live on a boat, while he took a job at 13 years old as a janitor for the scuba diving boat. After a blow up with his father at 16 years old, he left home to work on the boat. Fast forward, Brandon started his Navy SEAL class with 220, and he was 1/23 others who did graduate his class. During his time with the US Navy, he held multiple positions, including his time as a helicopter rescue swimmer crew chief. He was deployed to Afghanistan where he led several combat sniper reconnaissance missions, nad was ranked as the #1 SEAL. Brandon also served as a Navy SEAL sniper school course manager, which produced some of America's most legendary snipers. He has received numerous distinguished service awards, including Top Frog at Team 3 (best combat diver), the Presidential Unit Citation (awarded by President George W. Bush), and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medal with “V” device for valor in combat. Webb ended his Navy career early to spend more time with his children and focus on entrepreneurship. Brandon took on Crate Club Group to a successful exit in 2020 after achieving 8-figure revenue. Now, for the past 10 years, Brandon is the CEO of SOFREP Media, a niche content (military) news, podcast, publishing, and streaming site (SOFREP.com). Brandon's creative side comes out when he is writing, and has written or co-written multiple NYT bestselling books in non-fiction, and sold his first thriller series, Steel Fear in 2020 to Random House.  Find out more about Brandon in the following links:Website: www.brandontylerwebb.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandontwebb/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandonwebbsealTwitter: https://twitter.com/BrandonTWebb?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-webb-navy-seal-ceo/Amazon Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/Steel-Fear-Thriller-Brandon-Webb/dp/0593356284/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&linkCode=sl1&tag=s07119-20&linkId=2fe63dc0ab075397bbe806131a330960&language=en_US  Learn more about Jake Dunlap and Skaled by visiting the links below:Jake Dunlap:Personal Site - http://jakedunlap.com/LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakedunlap/Twitter - https://twitter.com/JakeTDunlap  Instagram - http://instagram.com/jake_dunlap _Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JakeTDunlap/Skaled:Website - https://skaled.com/  LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/skaledYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsw_03rSlbGQkeLGMGiDf4Q

Christopher J. Cassidy was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 2004 and is a veteran of three space flights, STS‐127, Expedition 35, and Expedition 63. During STS‐127, Cassidy served as a Mission Specialist and was the 500th person in history to fly into space. This mission delivered the Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility (JEM‐EF) and the Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section (ELM‐ES) to the station. For Expedition 35, Cassidy and the European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Luca Parmitano had their unplanned spacewalk to replace a pump controller box cut short when Parmitano had cooling water leak into his helmet. Cassidy, a U.S. Navy SEAL, has been deployed twice to the Mediterranean and twice to Afghanistan. He has been the recipient of Bronze Star with combat ‘V' and Presidential Unit Citation for leading a nine‐day operation at the Zharwar Kili Cave on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. Cassidy recently served as Commander on the International Space Station for Expedition 63.

What are the essentials of Leadership Development? How does Competence, Character, and Connectedness play a part? How do you achieve those "C's" while serving in the organization, and on your own? ADM Richardson reveals what he would do differently as a Midshipman, if he could do it all over again. Admiral John Richardson graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982. He was the 31st Chief of Naval Operations.Admiral John Richardson graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science in Physics. He holds master's degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and National Security Strategy from the National War College.At sea, Richardson served on USS Parche (SSN 683), USS George C. Marshall (SSBN 654) and USS Salt Lake City (SSN 716). He commanded USS Honolulu (SSN 718) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.Richardson also served as commodore of Submarine Development Squadron (DEVRON) 12; commander, Submarine Group 8; commander, Submarine Allied Naval Forces South; deputy commander, U.S. 6th Fleet; chief of staff, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. Naval Forces Africa; commander, Naval Submarine Forces, and director of Naval Reactors.His staff assignments include duty in the attack submarine division on the Chief of Naval Operations staff; naval aide to the President; prospective commanding officer instructor for Commander, Submarine Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet; assistant deputy director for Regional Operations on the Joint Staff; and director of Strategy and Policy at U.S. Joint Forces Command.Richardson served on teams that have been awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Navy Unit Commendation, and the Navy “E” Ribbon. He was awarded the Vice Admiral Stockdale Award for his time in command of USS Honolulu.Admiral John Richardson was the 31st Chief of Naval Operations.

Andy Stumpf is a former Navy SEAL, host of the Cleared Hot Podcast, base jumper, and a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has received the Purple Heart, five Bronze Star Medals, and the Presidential Unit Citation, among other medals.   Without further ado, sit back and enjoy the podcast.   Find LMNT here: drinkLMNT.com/growinggorillas   You can watch the video version of this podcast here: https://youtu.be/EDbieYI9OUQ

The story of a Livingston Parish Resident, Walker High School Graduate, and Former Decorated Special Forces Green Beret, Brett McMasters. Brett saw what occurred on 9/11 and made the decision to go fight for his Country. He did that and he did it well.  Check out his story here. Recognition & Awards- Honored with the Bronze Star for actions during Iraqi Freedom hunting down the #3 Terrorist (Abu Saad) on Iraq's Most Wanted List- Earned an Army Commendation Medal with "Valor" device for saving the life of a NATO affiliated Iraqi female during the bombing of the United Nations building in Iraq in 2003. - Awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for serving in the invasion of Iraq in 2003.- Awarded the Joint Commendation Service Medal and NATO medal for serving in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. - Awarded 6 Army Commendation Medals, 9 Army Achievement Medals, 3 Army Good Conduct Medals, One Combat Action Badge, and the Special Forces Tab and Beret. - Earned Honor Graduate and Top Shot/Sniper Team at the Advanced Special Forces Qualification Course. - Selected to the Coveted Sergeant Audie Murphy Club as a Sergeant promotable. - Won NCO of the Year at Fort Polk, LA in 2006 competing against 12 of the best NCO's in the Fort Knox Installation.- Won NCO of the Year at Fort Polk, LA in 2006 competing against 20 of the best NCO's in the Fort Polk Installation.- Qualified Expert with M4 Carbine and M9/Glock Pistol; designated marksmen for the Company.

Strategic leadership uses the concept of the leadership tree, where you nurture the people under your leadership until they develop to become leaders on their own. Former Division I athlete, West Point graduate, Army Colonel, and leadership coach John O'Grady joins host John Livesay in this episode to share his experience in strategic leadership in challenging situations. He is a distinguished combat leader whose unit was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for “extraordinary heroism in the face of an armed enemy” in recognition of their exemplary work in Afghanistan. John attributed this success to their values-based culture and used what he learned from this experience to drive his leadership coaching career. His empowering message now benefits coaches, athletes, and corporate organizations through his coaching firm, O'Grady Leadership and Consulting Services, LLC.Wanna Host Your Own Podcast?Click here to see how my friends at Brandcasting You can helpGet your FREE Sneak Peek of John's new book Better Selling Through Storytellinghttp://sellingsecretsforfunding.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=655c123123cd21ff7a24d914e&id=6f12bc74af John Livesay, The Pitch WhispererShare The ShowDid you enjoy the show? I'd love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review!Click this linkClick on the ‘Subscribe' button below the artworkGo to the ‘Ratings and Reviews' sectionClick on ‘Write a Review'Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here's How »Join The Successful Pitch community today:JohnLivesay.comJohn Livesay FacebookJohn Livesay TwitterJohn Livesay LinkedInJohn Livesay YouTube

Today we have a US Navy combat Veteran of 3 wars with 22 years of service to the United States Navy and his wife Melinda as our honored guests. He is a proud Mustang LDO with submarine, Surface Ship and Naval Special Warfare leadership experience. Melinda has been self-employed since 2006 and is the co-owner if Navy Paddles and makes her own way in business, looking forward to digging in. Kyle Nyseth served on several different ships that include the USS Norfolk where he was in enemy territory off the coast of Bosnia, the USS Parche where he participated in three top secret missions in the Berean Sea and received the Presidential Unit Citation. During that duty station there were NASA scientists on board studying the sailor's behavior in a closed and isolated environment for the upcoming Mars Mission and was honored to fly the Jolly Roger. Then 9-11 happened and he took the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit to Iraq on the USS Duluth. At his next duty station he served as Chief Engineer for Special Boat Team 12 and deployed with a MK-V (Mark 5 patrol boat) squadron to the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia. In 2007 Kyle was one of the commissioning officers at Riverine Squadron 3 in Yorktown Virginia. There he took “Blue Water” sailors and trained them in the Marine School of Infantry to be warfighters. They performed boots on the ground force protection on the Euphrates River from the Syrian border to Baghdad. Kyle finished his career at Special Boat Team 12 as Chief Engineering Officer in San Diego, CA. Upon retiring from the US Navy in 2012, Kyle Nyseth followed his entrepreneurial drive by starting NavyPaddles.com. The paddle has become an icon of teamwork that stretches across all branches of the military, fire and police. This business provides unique and customized handmade memorabilia wooden products to military, fire and police to serve as a way of "Honoring their Achievements and Remembering Milestones". It is truly a "Craft of Honor" that allows Kyle to stay connected to the military community that was his family for so long and to continue to serve others that are sacrificing so much. Reach out! https://www.facebook.com/navypaddles/ https://www.instagram.com/navypaddles/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/navy-paddles-843212173/   https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylenyseth/ https://twitter.com/NavyPaddles From Stevens Desk:  Grab the pre-release of our book here “Unleash Your Humble Alpha” The Last Goal Setting Course You Will Ever Need - Transform Promises to Routines, Routines to Habits, and Habits into the Accountability System You Crave and make your DREAMS your new BASELINE. HIT SQUAD SWAG here!

A leader holds great responsibilities. It can be a challenging position to take, especially with many people relying on you for answers and solutions. However, to be an effective leader, you need to realize that you do not have all the answers, and humility is vital. Today's guest on the Winning Teams podcast is John O'Grady, the founder of O'Grady Leadership and Consulting Services. John is a former Division I athlete as well as a former member of the U.S. Military. He's a West Point graduate, an army colonel, and he's had a distinguished career with overseas tours. Now, he is devoting his time to developing and inspiring teams and leaders to become the best version of themselves in the most demanding challenging and complex environments. Check these highlights and tune in to the show to discover how you can be the best version of yourself! How His Background Shaped His Current Goals (1:13) John was born and raised in New York. Sports became an incredible part of his life growing up. He played in the NCAA as a West Point Cadet, which then launched him to his army career. His command awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. Surrounded by incredible leaders, he realized his passion for being part of high performing teams and helping others become the best version of themselves. Lessons Learned (3:03) One important lesson is his heightened awareness of the importance of humility. The other lesson is that no one person has all the answers, especially in today's ever-complex, chaotic, and high-paced environment. As a leader in an organization, he inevitably felt the pressure and responsibility to have all the answers. You need to realize that you don't have it all, and if you practice humility and can be vulnerable to admit that, you can rely on other people. Once people understand that you are relying on them as much as they're relying on you, it becomes a symbiotic leadership relationship instead of a command and control type. Working With Clients (8:04) Establish the idea of basic confidentiality. Create a level of trust. The most significant approach I take is not building or creating leaders. Instead, I guide an individual to realize the best parts of the leader they already are. Impact of Other People (10:18) He's been around great people who all played a role in influencing him to be a better communicator He also learned to be more inquisitive. Most importantly, he witnessed the value of collaborative spirit and being able to rely on others. The people who had an impact on him all showcased vulnerability that allowed them to do all the things he mentioned before. An important thing to consider when demonstrating vulnerability is having a culture of trust. Cultivating Trust (12:16) Trust is usually only brought up twice: in the beginning and once it is broken. John asks the question: What are we doing between the moment we stop talking about the importance of trust and when we bring it up again once it's broken? What have we done collectively and as individuals to increase awareness and cultivate trust, keeping its importance at the forefront of things? Book Recommendations and Habits (15:53) Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx “Basically start the day with a cup of coffee and reading a religious passage of the day. And then reflecting a little bit on what that is. And then also journaling, where I kind of lay out what it is that I expect of myself on that particular day. [...] At the end of the day, I circle back and just reflect on that and kind of “grade” myself a little bit. [...] And lastly, there's always some kind of physical component of fitness in there.” To get in touch with John, head over here, or shoot him an email: john.ogrady@strategicleadersacademy.com. You may also connect with John through LinkedIn or Twitter. For more podcast episodes and other resources, visit my website John Murphy International. Thank you for listening!

The Total Tutor Neil Haley will interview Brandon Webb, Author of  The Killing School. Brandon Webb is one of the true “go-to's” for national media regarding combat situations in the global war on terror, both from the standpoint of USN SEALs in general, and snipers in particular. As he says in THE KILLING SCHOOL, “I have an unusual relationship with death. For most, death is a mystery, a thing we fear and seek to avoid…for me, the face of death is as familiar as the barista at my local coffee shop.  As a sniper, some might think I cheated death. I don't see it that way. And the sniper, his goal in the field isn't so much to take lives as to actually save them.” Webb's training curriculum is second to none. He also personally handled some of the finest ever to shoot in combat situations: Chris Kyle, Marcus Luttrell, Adam Brown, and scores more true American military heroes. The stories he can personally relate to, and those comrades he's shared the battle field with, will be of great interest to your readers and audience. I urge you to consider an interview with Brandon Webb and I eagerly look forward to your coverage of THE KILLING SCHOOL Brandon Webb Is the New York Times bestselling author of The Red Circle. A former U.S. Navy SEAL, he has received numerous distinguished service awards, including the Presidential Unit Citation. As the founder and CEO of Hurricane Group, Inc., which includes SOFREP, he runs the largest military content network on the Internet. Brandon lives in New York and California.  

Charles Strange: Seal Team 6 Deaths "Extortion 17" Osama Bin Laden RaidCharles and Mary Strange join The Opperman Report to discuss their son Michael. Michael was part of the SEAL team that raided the Osama bin Laden compound. Three months later he dies in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. This interview covers the families suspicions regarding the official accounts of these events. Their struggle to uncover the truth and their experiences of being targets of govt surveilance and harassment.We discuss the Afghanistan poppy trade, Taliban 'sex boys" their experience with Pres Barack Obama , the suspicious circumstances surround their sons death. Also discussed is an incredibly bizarre "Ramp Ceremony" where a Muslim Imam was allowed to perform an act of desecration over the coffins of these US soldiers. MichaelStrangeFoundation.orgCryptologic Technician (Collection) Petty Officer First Class Michael J. Strange was born on June 6, 1986 in Philadelphia. He attended St. Bartholomew Catholic School in the Wissinoming section of the city. He enjoyed the life of a typical Philadelphia kid surrounded by a loving family and great friends who he stayed close to all of his life. Michael had a great sense of humor and a kind and generous heart. As a little boy he loved spending summers with his dad, brother and sisters in Rehoboth Beach at his grandmothers house where he spent his days fishing and crabbing and playing in the pool.After graduating from North Catholic High School in June of 2004, Michael joined the United States Navy. After basic training in the Great Lakes he reported to the Naval Technical Training Center in Pensacola FL where he attended Cryptologic Technician (Collection) “A” School. He graduated second in his class.His first assignment was Naval Information Operations Command (NIOC) in Hawaii. At NIOC, Petty Officer Strange worked in several high profile signals intelligence gathering offices and became a first line supervisor in charge of multiple analysts. He completed a nine month deployment to Iraq with Seal Team TWO. During this deployment he earned the Expeditionary Warfare qualification. After an arduous screening process, Petty Officer Strange volunteered and was selected for duty at Naval Special Warfare Development Group.While stationed in Hawaii, Michael met his girlfriend. They enjoyed spending time after work surfing and touring the beautiful islands. After completing his tour of duty in Iraq, Michael and his girlfriend moved to Virginia Beach, VA where they made their home with their dog Schmayze.Cryptologic Technician (Collection) First Class Michael Strange was a highly decorated combat veteran with numerous awards, including the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Purple Heart Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, and other campaign and unit decorations.Michael is survived by his proud and loving family, his parents, his brother, sisters and his niece. He is also survived by his grandmother and many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, his girlfriend and many close friends.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/1198501/advertisement