POPULARITY
Carey spoke with Tim Kolczak, a veteran of the Texas Army National Guard, the founder of The Veterans Project, and a media director at Team RWB. This episode is sponsored by Go Pills. Use "VM15" at checkout for 15% off your order. Intro Song composed and produced by Cleod9. SOCIALS: https://www.instagram.com/veteranmade.ck/ https://www.instagram.com/timktvp/ https://www.instagram.com/theveteransproject/ https://www.instagram.com/teamrwb/
Geraint is joined by Marine Corps veteran Jesse R Phillips, and former US Army soldier Tim Kolczak of the Veterans Project. They discuss the cost of freedom; the importance and danger of language; and the World War Two veterans that they've been fortunate enough to meet.You can connect with Geraint at @grjbooks across social media, and find his Afghanistan memoir Brothers in Arms in all good book stores. If you'd like to support the podcast by purchasing merchandise, you can find it at www.vsomstore.comJesse is on insta @thejesserphillips, and Tim is online at www.thevetsproject.comIf you are a veteran struggling with mental health, or you just want a bit of help adjusting to civvie life, then say hello to the Royal British Legion at @royalbritishlegion or www.rbl.orgThank you to Kamouflage Ltd, Altberg Boots, and Frontier Risks Group for making this episode possible. You can find them at www.kamouflage.co.uk, www.altberg.co.uk, @zulualphastraps, and Frontier Risks Group, www.frontierrisks.comFor clips and content from the show, behind the scenes, and photos and videos of the guests' time on operations, follow @veteranstateofmind on Facebook and Instagram, and go to www.vsompodcast.com for links to all the connected sites, and an online submissions form for sending in your questions to the show. Cheers!Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=Ea-uUc26ENbNBYWd6-2779MBUZrl6WymCW_b0GdibwrG6-xBlWcpjLS6osk9OqZFbR9wOm&country.x=GB&locale.x=GB)Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=Ea-uUc26ENbNBYWd6-2779MBUZrl6WymCW_b0GdibwrG6-xBlWcpjLS6osk9OqZFbR9wOm&country.x=GB&locale.x=GB)
Tim K. is the founder of The Veterans Project which is an online journal that profiles the experiences of veterans. He is the host of The Veterans Project podcast and he also started The Caregiver Project. Tim shares how he grew up with a proud military tradition. His father suggested he do the honorable thing when Tim was looking for ways to pay for college. Tim decided to enlist and be a cook. He finished high school, went to basic training, and started college. Tim was in for the surprise of his life when he ended up being deployed in Iraq in a mostly infantry mixed unit. In retrospect, this turned out to be one of the best experiences of his life and what enabled him to embark on his meaningful and impactful passion of sharing stories of other veterans. Tim shares his journey and a very touching story from one of his first interviews. He also shares why it was so important to evolve from just focusing on the stories of veterans and start The Caregiver Project. Tim also shares the surprising impact of his podcast and how it has enabled him to reach a new audience. This is the perfect story of passion and work creating a real impact. Highlights from This Episode [01:08] Tim is from South Texas. They have a proud military tradition there. His dad was in the Air Force for about 10 years. [02:01] He grew up in San Antonio with a respect for military tradition. [04:15] In 2005, Tim needed college funds, so he became a cook in the military. [05:48] He went to basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Basic training was rough. [08:01] He became a cook, then halfway through his college career he was deployed to Iraq. [09:04] Tim was called into a mixed unit with mostly infantry. It became one of the best experiences of his life. [10:39] Without having gone to combat, Tim wouldn't have The Veterans Project. [10:53] His deployment taught him a lot about himself and the rigors of deployment overseas. [11:39] After returning from Iraq, Tim went into a Master's program. He began learning photography. [14:53] His teacher suggested that he tell veteran's stories for his capstone project. He was so impacted by the process, that he couldn't imagine not doing this. [18:28] The Veterans Project is a comprehensive black and white essay where Tim follows veterans around and tells their stories. He also talks about reintegration and their lives before the military. [18:55] He began with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. He then expanded into World War II. His first interview was so amazing that it was almost unbelievable. [25:10] He did a project that included all of the prescriptions and struggles of a vet after the military. This story has such an impact on students he shared it with. Unfortunately, this vet took his own life a year later. [27:12] Tim wanted to share the family stories too. This began The Caregiver Project. He began with a white star family and then moved immediately to a gold star family. [30:58] Many of these families have made the ultimate sacrifice, and it never goes away. Even after they've moved on with their lives. [32:13] Tim has to tell the stories of ultimate sacrifices made. [33:07] Tim would love for his work to one day be a permanent Smithsonian exhibit. [33:39] His goal is to constantly keep the project funded, so he can continue to tell the stories. [34:56] Civilians also make sacrifices at home. The podcast focuses on some of the support provided by the civilian community. It bridges the gap and shares stories of veterans, civilians, and caregivers. [37:21] He had some fear and trepidation about starting the podcast. It's been going for about 6 months now. [37:49] Tim realized by starting the podcast, he was reaching a whole new demographic of people. It's another way to tell stories, and he's making every effort to share those stories. Links and Resources The Veterans Project The Veterans Project Podcast The Veterans Project on Facebook The Veterans Project on Twitter The Veterans Project on Instagram The Caregiver Project The Caregiver Project on Facebook The Caregiver Project on Instagram
Tim Kolczak is a 2012 graduate from SAGU. As a member of the Army National Guard, he left college for more than a year after being called up to serve overseas in live combat in Iraq with Delta Company 3rd Battalion 141st Infantry of the 36th Infantry Division. After finishing his tour of duty, he returned to school and completed his undergraduate degree in Communications. He went on to earn a Master's Degree in Emerging Media & Communication from The University of Texas at Dallas. Tim is the founder of The Veteran's Project, an online photographical essay on U.S. veterans who have returned from the battlefield. He is also founder of The Caregiver Project, an online photographic essay bringing attention to the families of those injured or killed in military service.For more information about The Veteran's Project visit:Website: thevetsproject.comInstagram: @theveteransprojectFB: The Veteran's ProjectTwitter: @project_veteranFor more information about The Caregiver Project visit:Website: thecaregiverproject.comInstagram: @the_caregiver_projectFB: The Caregiver Project
This week’s podcast was recorded in July 2017 with Kurdish fighter Joanna Palani. Joanna is currently in prison in Denmark due to their laws against Danish citizens traveling to Syria to fight. Joanna’s family is from the western region of Iran. She was born in a U.N refugee camp in the desert of Ramadi, Iraq. Growing up there were sections of the road her brother and his peers traversed en route to school that was littered with IED’s. During a commute to school, he was killed by a roadside bomb. Eventually, her immediate family moved to Denmark where she spent several years living before dropping out of college to go join the uprising in Syria. If you want to hear from a woman on the ground this is a must listen. This episode is sponsored by War Dragons. War Dragons is a 3D, real time, strategy video game – right on your phone. For the month of July, War Dragons are partnering with Stack Up, an organization dedicated to bringing military personnel, veterans and civilian supporters together through a shared love of video gaming. War Dragons will match all donations made through the link in the game between July 4th through July 31st, up to a maximum of $10,000. Donors will also get an exclusive, in-game portrait. Can’t donate but want to support Stack Up’s work? Breeding your dragons in-game can also help contribute an additional $10,000 donation by War Dragons. Visit www.podcast.wardragons.com/recon 0:00-News reports on the fighting in Syria 5:00-Introduction to Joanna Palani, a Kurdish female fighter with the YPJ Follow Global Recon below: www.Globalrecon.net https://www.instagram.com/igrecon https://www.instagram.com/blackopsmatter www.twitter.com/igrecon https://www.facebook.com/GlobalReconPodcast/ Chantel Taylor: https://www.instagram.com/mission_critical https://www.instagram.com/altern8rv Tim Kolczak: www.thevetsproject.com www.instagram.com/theveteransproject Music provided by Caspian: www.caspianmusic.net .
GRP 124- “We accomplish what others cannot accomplish and go where others cannot go. On for this week’s podcast is my co host Tim Kolczak and U.S. intelligence specialist JT Patten. Patten, became involved in the intelligence and counter terrorism shortly after 9/11. Possessing a skill set uniquely suited to working specific elements of intelligence operations we were able to discuss some of what that entails. We touched on what is known as the “Deep State” as well as conspiracy theories, funding, and many other topics. Enjoy 0:00-Former CIA Director John Brennan’s intelligence speech 2:59-Tim Kolczak covering MOH recipient from WW2 28:44- JT Patten’s background in the intelligence community 01:02:00-The reality of what is considered the “Deep State” Follow J.T Patten Below: http://www.jtpattenbooks.com Follow Global Recon below: www.Globalrecon.net https://www.instagram.com/igrecon https://www.instagram.com/blackopsmatter www.twitter.com/igrecon https://www.facebook.com/GlobalReconPodcast/ Chantel Taylor: https://www.instagram.com/mission_critical https://www.instagram.com/altern8rv Tim Kolczak: www.thevetsproject.com www.instagram.com/theveteransproject Music provided by Caspian: www.caspianmusic.net
Episode 113: Back on the podcast co-hosting is Tim Kulczak, the creator of the Veterans Project. Our guest for today’s episode is author and British Army combat veteran Gez Jones. We took a dive into the conflict in Afghanistan from various points as it is a complex situation. Hilarious stories were told as were serious ones. We talked about the failures of western leadership regarding tactics and rules of engagement. We discussed the culture of rape that exist in some areas of Afghanistan where women and children are systematically abused. You guys are going to enjoy this. O:00-Intro 3:56-Inserting into Afghanistan 44:55-The perception of time 1:04:00-Combat story. Asymmetrical warfare. 1:53:26-Culture of rape: Abuse of women and children can keep up with Tim Kolczak at: www.thevetsproject.com www.instagram.com/theveteransproject Geraint Jones is on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/grjbooks Follow my co-host and my pages on social media. Links below. Global Recon: www.Globalrecon.net https://www.instagram.com/igrecon https://www.instagram.com/blackopsmatter www.twitter.com/igrecon https://www.facebook.com/GlobalReconPodcast/ HP Lefler: https://www.instagram.com/4runner.freyja Chantel Taylor: https://www.instagram.com/mission_critical https://www.instagram.com/altern8rv Music provided by Caspian: www.caspianmusic.net
Alex Lloyd speaks with Tim Kolczak, US Army veteran and man behind the camera of The Veterans Project. Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Every week we also have a bonus episode, where we speak to historians, authors and others in the veterans community. Tim Kolczak is a US Army veteran, and the founder and photographer of both The Veterans Project and The Caregiver Project; both seeking to raise an understanding of veterans' transitions to life after service. This is Tim's passionate conversation on documenting veterans with podcast creator Alex Lloyd.
GRP 104- This episode is co-hosted by the creator of The Veterans Project U.S. Army Veteran Tim Kolczak. Our guest for today is British Army combat veteran Geraint Jones. Gez served multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. We took a dive into what it was like serving during the height of the Iraq war in Basra where the British military was primarily operating. Basra at the time was like the wild west and Gez shares stories of his time patrolling into some of these areas as well as the complexity of dealing with very tight rules of engagement as a British warfighter. He shares some hilarious and tragic stories of life in Basra. We touched on several topics to include tourniquet use, politics in war, dealing with extreme heat while conducting operations, and searching for roadside bombs. This is a good one. 0:00-Intro 11:48-British Army Infantry 24:28-Basra, Iraq 43:07-Rules of engagement 54:30-Operating in Iraqi heat 1:00:38- “Orders Are Orders” checking for roadside bombs in Iraq 1:13:50-Tourniquet use 1:20:42-Don’t mix politics and war You can keep up with Tim Kolczak at: www.thevetsproject.com www.instagram.com/theveteransproject Geraint Jones is on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/grjbooks Follow my co-host and my pages on social media. Links below. Global Recon: www.Globalrecon.net https://www.instagram.com/igrecon https://www.instagram.com/blackopsmatter www.twitter.com/igrecon https://www.facebook.com/GlobalReconPodcast/ HP Lefler: https://www.instagram.com/4runner.freyja Chantel Taylor: https://www.instagram.com/mission_critical https://www.instagram.com/altern8rv Music provided by Caspian: www.caspianmusic.net
GRP 81- Co-hosting for this episode is Army veteran Tim Kolczak founder of The Veterans Project. On with us are two medically retired Green Berets. Mark Belden is a former 18 Delta (Special Forces Medic) who received several traumatic brain injuries during his operational service, and Jared Bullock a former 18 Echo (Special Forces Communications Sergeant) who rode over an IED in Afghanistan. Jared lost his right arm and right leg as well as one of his best friends in the blast. We discuss how both of these men have dealt with their injuries and what it took for them to adjust. We also touched on the topic of terrorism in today's day and age with the recent terror attacks taking place in the United Kingdom. Below is an excerpt. Tim Kolzcak: I love freedom. I love the freedom of speech. There are certain dangerous viewpoints that can affect the nation. At what point does it become almost like a minority report where you're arresting people for thoughts and speech. Actions are really the problem. I'd rather we stop those types of people from coming in before we get to the point of having to go after people over speech. Jared Bullock: I didn't want to sit in an office for another 8 years before I retired. I told the Sergeant Major I wanted to retire, and he was kind of butt hurt about it. I'm like ahh well I'm missing half of my body. I started making goals. I did races. I did a bodybuilding competition. John: That's awesome. JB: I beat dudes with four limbs. That's got to make you feel like shit (Laughs). This past weekend I met Clint Eastwood. I was speaking to raise money for the Gary Sinise Foundation because they are building up my new home. I made some amputee jokes and they actually laughed at them. John: Jared and I were in a group chat. They started to joke about his arms, and I remember looking at my phone horrified. I see Jared laughing and going along with the jokes. I guess it takes some getting used to if you haven't been around that. Tim Kolczak: www.thevetsproject.com Jared Bullock: Instagram: Jared_Bullock Social Media: The Veterans Project Global Recon: www.globalrecon.net IgRecon – Instagram BlackOpsMatter- Instagram Mission_Critical – Instagram IgRecon- Twitter Music provided by Caspian: www.caspianmusic.net
GRP 65-On for this week's podcast is Tim Kolczak of the Veterans Project and G from Zulu Foxtrot. Tim is an Army veteran, and G is a Marine Corps veteran. Both have trips to Iraq. G was in Fallujah, and Ramadi during the worst of the fighting there and he shares a story from his time in the country. We discuss the transitional process and the struggle that G experienced once he separated from the Marine Corps. We discuss what it takes to be successful as a veteran coming out of the military, and as a civilian. G talking about his struggles is very powerful and I suggest you guys check this episode out. Below is an excerpt: John: You have two trips into Iraq during some of the heaviest fightings. Can you share a story of your experiences over seas? G Zulu Foxtrot: We were in Ramadi. It was the deadliest city in the world at that point. The enemy was not afraid to show themselves. We had a couple of blocks that belonged to us. It was our green zone. The minute you ventured out the entire city came down on you. We went out with our platoon. During those days you have to literally run from one spot to the other. The minute you stopped you were taking fire. We get to the Ramadi hospital. Anyone who's been there has fond memories of that. There's a huge open parking lot. We spread out because we don't want to take fire and lose four guys in one shot. I'm not going to mention any names because he was that asshole dude. We had a new guy it was his first deployment. I looked out the corner of my eye and I saw dust lift off his flak jacket and the kid just dropped. He's yelling "I'm hit, I'm hit". We all dove for cover. We're trying to figure out what happened. We think it's a sniper. My SGT is like" go get em" and I'm like "fuck you, you go get em, dude". What happened was this Iraqi kid threw a rock at him from a window. G-Zulu Foxtrot: www.zerofoxtrot.com Facebook-Zero Foxtrot Instagram-ZuluFucxs Tim Kolczak: www.thevetsproject.com Social Media: The Veterans Project Outro music provided by Caspian: www.caspianmusic.net Outro audio: Bruce Lee
GRP 61- The one-year anniversary of the passing of Staff Sergeant Matthew McClintock. Matthew was an Army Special Forces Engineer Sergeant. With news of his passing circulating through the United States, the online military community really came together to contribute what they could to support his wife and young son. I remember feeling proud to see how Americans rallied around a gold star family. Co-hosting for this week's episode is Tim Kolczak, the creator of the Veterans Project. Our special guest for this episode is one of Matthew's Special Forces teammates a retired Special Forces Medic named Chris. Chris talked about some of his experiences with Matthew as they had gone through the Special Forces selection course together, and eventually ended up on the same team deploying into a war zone together. Chris took out the time out of his busy schedule to record with us while he's in Afghanistan working as a contractor. We also talked a lot about Trauma medicine, bleeding control, and how the lessons learned from 16 years of hard war on the medical side are now being applied back here in the States raising the level of knowledge to new heights. We also touched on the veteran transitional process and what veterans can do to be successful as a civilian. Below is an excerpt. John: Can you share a story of when you treated a casualty overseas? Chris: This happened within the first week that I'd set up a VSO (Village Stability Operations) site in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border. I was still setting up my clinic, and it as told we had a patient at our gate. They told me he'd been shot in the foot. The guy comes in, and he'd been hit by an RPG. He had shrapnel sticking out of his skull. He had through and through gunshot wounds to both thighs. He had a partial evisceration of his stomach, so his intestines were sticking out. All of these obscure medical techniques that they teach you in the 18 Delta course (Special Forces Medical course) I got to experience on my very first week deployed. We got em out of there completely bundled up. The helo was there in 45 minutes he survived, and he was back with his unit when we left country 9 months later. I wasn't prepared, but the training I'd done over the past two years took over at that point. Chris: www.readywarriorllc.com Social Media: SpecialForcesMedics Tim Kolczak: www.thevetsproject.com Social Media: The Veterans Project Music provided by Caspian: www.caspianmusic.net
GRP 59- Co-hosting for this week's podcast is Tim Kolczak the creator of the Veterans Project. Tim was recording from the house of an American warrior who survived the Bataan Death March during World War 2. Tim's featuring this gentleman on his next project which will come out soon. It's very good. Our guest for this week is retired Army veteran, Mylee Cardenas. Mylee worked in several capacities throughout her Army career. She made her way into the Cultural Support Teams, a program that put women alongside Special Operations units in Afghanistan to assist in intelligence gathering and other aspects of the mission because of the culture sensitivity of Afghanistan. We talk about dealing with adversity and how to overcome it. Mylee discovered a lump in her breast while on deployment in a combat zone in which it was discovered to be stage 3 breast cancer. Below is an excerpt: John: You've been in the Special Operations community for a few years now. There was a need in Afghanistan because of the cultural differences to have women alongside Special Operators to deal with the women and children and to handle other facets, working in several capacities as the strategy was changing. Eventually, you signed up for the special job? Mylee Cardenas: 2009 I was voluntold to go to the school house at FT. Brag. The good idea fairy visited some people in SOCOM. For a while, in Afghanistan, there was a top-down approach to promoting governance and security. The Special Ops community decided that we needed to go back to the basics with a bottom-up approach. The Green Berets started setting up these Village Stability Operations camps all over of Afghanistan to train the local police, gather intelligence, and promote governance at the village level. As amazing as these men are they were only able to reach 50 percent of the population because of the cultural differences. A message came out about the program and I said nope I'm not doing it. I felt like it was a knee-jerk reaction, and there wasn't enough time put into setting this program up. The second time around it was more like you're going. The reactions to the program from the guys also made me not want to do it. I didn't want them talking about me the way they talked about these other chicks. I knew the men weren’t happy with this program.
GRP 56-Co hosting for this podcast is Army veteran Tim Kolczak the man behind the Veterans Project. On with us for this podcast is Australian Special Forces Veteran Eddy Robinson. Eddy has multiple combat rotations with the 2 Commando Regiment. We discuss Eddy's career path, get into some combat stories, and honor Eddy's best friend Corporal Cameron Baird, VC, MG. Corporal Cameron Baird is the first Australian commando to be awarded a Victoria Cross and the first posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia. Corporal Baird is also the 100th Australian to be awarded a Victoria Cross. He's one of Australia’s most highly decorated soldiers of the modern era. We discuss Iraq, counter-terrorism, and Afghanistan. Below is an excerpt from the episode: John: I'm reading about the rise and roots of ISIS. A lot of it is credited a to the Jordanian-born terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The U.S. named him as one of the reasons for going into Iraq when he was just in charge of a small terror cell prior to that. After naming him it catapulted him into the spotlight. Making him a major player. He then stoked the flames for a civil war being Sunni and Shia Muslims throwing the country into chaos. Eddy Robinson: My experience there was from a contracting perspective 05-06 period. Every morning before 10'o clock you hear the huge IED's being detonated. For the guys on the ground, it was relentless. Zarqawi was the perfect catalyst for making the situation worse. We got our intelligence reports about mass graves being found on the side of the road. People being mass executed by these guys. It was a very difficult situation during that time. Tim Kolczak: I joined in 05 I was 17. My drill sergeants were coming back from their 18-month tours. You could just tell how it affected them. We were the first trainees to get trained up by these guys. I remember the recruiter telling me not to become a truck driver because 1 in 5 was getting killed. One of the guys I knew was killed by a Somali contingent in Samarra. We were fighting people from all over the globe.
GRP 51-This is the longest episode we've done. Just under three hours of madness is the best way to describe it. Co-hosting is British Army Combat Medic and author of "Battleworn" Chantel Taylor. Along with Tim Kolczak from the Veterans Project, and Tyler Grey. Tyler served for several years within Army Special Operations before he was wounded while on an operation that nearly cost him his arm. We talk about his injury, the recovery process, PTSD, Flame Throwers, MACV-SOG, suicide bombers and much more. Below is an excerpt from the episode: Chantel: At that time, you had all of this going on around you. Obviously, people needed to carry on with the mission. We all learn self-aid then buddy aid and care under fire. Were you the only one injured? Tyler Grey: As soon as it happened I had extreme pain in my arm. I had a feeling it wasn't there. I couldn't see anything. I was on my knees feeling around for my arm but I couldn't find it. There was a massive fight going on around me. There had been 3, or 4 people shot outside of the house. We went in and a guy got shot to the left of me. I got blown up and a guy to the right of me got blown up with me. Another guy came in the room then got blown out of it. It's so cliché to say. I hate to say it but it's like everything's in slow motion, well motherfucker yeah it was in slow motion (laughs). John: If you're going to build a bridge to connect the veteran community with society you would need people to build the bridge on both ends, and meet in the middle. It could really make things work. We have a huge community of people who support the military. Talented driven people who can bring a lot to the table. With the podcast, and social media, articles, what Tim's doing with the Veterans Project, through veterans telling stories with movies, or books. It can help bring the right people together and build this bridge the right way. We spoke about the differences between the way warriors were treated in the past and now with what can be perceived as a negative aspect of it. At the same time, we have made progress and can utilize these tools that are at our disposable. Send questions or comments to Podcast@globalrecon.net