Host Tim K. sits down in College Station, Texas with Chris Thompson who is a former member of 3rd Special Forces Group. Throughout the podcast, Thompson discusses his reason for joining, his seven deployments to some of the most dangerous places in the world, and his reluctant decision to step away from the space he’d come to love. Chris speaks with a refreshing candor about the things most important in his life and the strength he found in realizing his own weaknesses.
Read MoreTeam Red, White & Blue (Team RWB) is a nonprofit organization forging the nation’s leading health and wellness community. Founded in 2010, Team RWB supports veterans as they prioritize their well-being by offering real-life and virtual opportunities to build healthier lifestyles. Team RWB believes that a strong focus on mental and physical health impacts every aspect of life and is essential for veterans to unlock their full potential. For more information about Team RWB and its 200,000 members visit teamrwb.org.
Read MoreIt’s becoming more and more vital that we share the stories of our WWII Veterans, as we are losing them so quickly. After all, legacy is the essence of the project. The popularity of our Memorial Day social media post on Medal of Honor Recipient Woody Williams made us realize this even more. "The Greatest Generation" is the term they are known by, and this particular podcast on Alfred Haws' harrowing experience during the Bataan Death March serves as a great reminder of why. You can read the story at the link below or follow along on Instagram and Facebook as we share his story daily. This podcast was narrated by our founder, Tim K.
Read MoreHost Tim K. sits down in Washington D.C. with Tiffany Myrick (CST-2), Annie Kleiman (CST-3), and Eve Mayoral (CST-5). All three were integral to the Army’s Cultural Support Team Program. On the podcast, the three discuss their various paths into the military and what led them to become groundbreakers in an otherwise unexplored space overseas. This podcast is a special edition recorded at the AllTru Gather 2022 which was held at the Women’s Military Memorial at Arlington National Cemetary. To learn more about AllTru and their mission hit the link.
Read MoreHost Tim K. sits down in Sandpoint, Idaho with We Defy The Norm’s Founder, Cody Alford. On the podcast, Cody discusses his decision to join the Marine Corps, baptism by fire at 18 years old at the hands of a fierce enemy in Fallujah, a storied career in Special Operations, early retirement, and finding a new cause. Alford also discusses his ideals and vision for a movement dedicated to a renewed mentality built on resilience.
Find out more about Cody’s mission at www.wedefythenorm.com. You can also follow him on Instagram: @wedefythenorm and @codyalford. This is Episode No. 47 and Project No. 57. To read the project follow the link.
Read MoreHost Tim K. sits down in Salt Lake City, Utah with Lucas O’Hara, a veteran of Iraq and owner of Grizzly Forge. Lucas discusses his tumultuous youth and the path that brought him to the Army on the podcast. He also discusses the advent of Grizzly Forge, his journey in becoming a blade smith, and how those dreams were almost never realized. O’Hara speaks openly about self-sabotage, the dangers of depression, and how some of the most difficult moments in life led him to become the caring father and husband he is today.
To learn more about Grizzly Forge and check out Lucas’ work, visit his website: www.thegrizzlyforge.com or Instagram: @grizzly_forge. This podcast and project is sponsored by our friends at Eberlestock. To learn more about the world-renowned outfitter and their first-class lineup of gear, visit the link.
Read MoreHost Tim K. sits down in Benbrook, Texas with Vietnam Veteran, Doug Petersen. It’s hard to imagine for many being 21 years old, flying a multi million dollar machine headlong into the jungles of Vietnam… much less doing it with nothing more than a .38 revolver to defend you and your crew. On the podcast, Doug discusses the life of being a dust off pilot during the Vietnam War. He speaks on the harsh truths of an unseen enemy and a seemingly never-ending mission; where exhaustion was just as much a danger as the enemy below. Petersen speaks on not only surviving Vietnam but going on to serve a distinguished career as an aviator and aviation instructor in the United States Army.
To follow Doug’s journey check him out on Facebook.
Read MoreHost Tim K. sits down with former Navy SEAL Terry Houin at the Cienega Fort in Shafter, Texas at Cibolo Creek Ranch. Terry spent almost three decades with a good part of that as a member of a National Missions Force. Throughout his time in this elite unit, he found himself a part of integral missions, including the rescue of Jessica Lynch and Captain Phillips. On the podcast Terry speaks on his multiple combat deployments as a sniper, spending most of his life in Special Operations, the difficulties of transitioning out of the military, and rediscovering his sense of serving selflessly in a different capacity.
To follow along with Houin’s journey follow him on Instagram: @terry.houin and be sure to check out his entire project.
Read MoreThis is Part Two of a two-part podcast. Host Tim K. sits down in Portales, New Mexico with a legend of MAC V SOG, Mike Stahl. The Studies and Observations Group (also known as SOG, MACSOG, and MACV-SOG) was a top-secret, joint unconventional warfare task force created on January 24th, 1964 by the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a subsidiary command of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV). The unit would eventually consist primarily of personnel from the United States Army Special Forces, the United States Navy SEALs, the United States Air Force (USAF), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and elements of the United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance units.
The mission of MAC V SOG was to execute an intensified program of harassment, diversion, political pressure, the capture of prisoners, physical destruction, acquisition of intelligence, generation of propaganda, and diversion of resources, against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Throughout Part Two, Mike discusses his time in leaving the military and the difficulty of transitioning from one of the most specialized units in the world to a civilian world that despised him.
Check out The Veterans Project 2021 Summer Raffle at thevetsproject.com/raffle.
Read MoreTim K. sits down in Montana with the Founder of Heroes and Horses, Micah Fink. Fink worked as a lineman in New York City when the World Trade Center was attacked, sending his life on a path he’d never before imagined. After a lengthy career in the Navy SEALs, Micah experienced the difficulties of transitioning out of the military but found purpose through that tumultuous time in helping others who were experiencing their own loss of purpose. On the podcast, Micah discusses the choice to lean into his own adversity and the beauty of discovering his identity through that process.
To learn more about Heroes and Horses, please visit them at www.heroesandhorses.org, on IG: @heroesandhorses, and on Facebook: @HeroesAndHorses.
Read MoreHost Tim K. sits down in West Colombia, South Carolina with Army Veteran, Jay Fain Jr. Jay is a veteran of Iraq who was wounded in action when his convoy was hit en-route to Taji, Iraq by an IED/EFP (Improvised Explosive Device). On the podcast, Fain Jr. talks about his road to both physical and mental recovery through the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center. After leaving the Army, Jay has since worked as contractor for the United States Government and finds himself routinely working in support of Black Rifle Coffee Company. Fain also speaks about being included in Portraits of Courage, an award-winning portraiture book by President George W. Bush.
To follow along with Jay’s journey check him out on Instagram: @jaylimp.
Read MoreHost Tim K. joins Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge of the Special Operations Combat Medical Skills Sustainment Course (SOCMSSC), Sergeant First Class Rob Ottesen, in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Rob is considered an expert in the field of Special Operations medicine as his role within the Army is heading up the recertification of Special Operations medical personnel. On the podcast, Ottesen discusses his rigorous path into the world of Special Operations having been previously wounded in combat even before attending SFAS (Special Forces Assessment & Selection); while serving with 1st Infantry Division in Iraq at a tumultuous time during the first surge. He also discusses his time in the teams on multiple deployments to Afghanistan and his journey to his current role as one of the foremost authorities on battlefield trauma care.
Read MoreThis is part one of a two part series. Host Tim K. sits down in Jacksonville, NC with the legendary Major James Capers Jr. a veteran of Vietnam and nominee for the Congressional Medal of Honor. On the podcast, Major Capers discusses growing up as the son of sharecroppers, his path to the Marine Corps, his time in Vietnam, and persevering against all odds. Capers was the first black Marine Recon officer in our nation's history and is known by many as the father of Marine Corps Special Operations. He was inducted into the Commando Hall of Honor at MacDill AFB in 2012, and is hailed as one of the primary ambassadors of the United States Marine Corps.
This podcast is sponsored by the Marine Reconnaissance Foundation. Check them out at reconfoundation.org, Instagram: @marinereconfoundation, and on Facebook: @marinereconfoundation. To donate please visit their donation portal at the website or their PayPal: https://bit.ly/3mDCS9M.
Read MoreA combined five tours and 20 years of combat unit experience between the two of them, Vinse Edwards and Will Struckman truly lived the dream of the Army combat infantryman. Our host Tim K., sat down with them in Fayetteville, North Carolina for the podcast where they discussed the volatility of being on the frontlines in some of the harshest parts of Iraq. The three also speak on the value of finding humor in even the darkest of situations in combat. Vinse and Will also talked about their new path as they founded a tech startup after leaving the Army. They’ve committed themselves to creating swim safe, hearing protection in the form of wind resistant earbuds. Although it’s a strenuous undertaking, they’re fully committed to creating the world’s most reliable communications systems.
Check out www.capellaaudio.com to stay up to date with all the latest.
Read MoreHost Tim K. sits down in Colorado Springs, Colorado with Tu Lam who enjoyed a 23 year career in the Army, with 18 of those years in a Special Operations capacity. He went on to start an extremely successful tactical company known as “Ronin Tactics.” On the podcast Tu discusses his journey to positive mental health after decades of serving in some of the hottest spots in the world. Lam also speaks about the mastery of Bushido and his journey to live up to that distinct code.
To learn more about Tu Lam, read his legacy project, follow him on Instagram: @ronintactics and check out www.ronintactics.com. Also, check him out on Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare as the first ever character to be modeled directly after a veteran of the Global War On Terror.
Read MoreHost Tim K. Sits down with Donna Kiernan Carter, a Gold Star Wife who lost her husband Chris Kiernan when he was Killed in Action on May 6, 2007 in Iraq.
Read MoreOur host, Tim K. sits down at the Black Rifle Coffee Company HQ with Logan Stark. Logan was an elite member of our United States Marine Corps Scout Snipers, a group known for its scathing psychological impact on the battlefield. To don the hogs tooth is to gain a singular status as a member of the cream of the crop, the dealers of death from a distance. Although his time of close calls in Afghanistan’s hellish landscape of Helmand Province certainly made a profound impact upon his life, ultimately the follow-up chapters were to be some of the more defining moments that have led him to a position as the digital content producer of the fastest-rising coffee brand in the nation. Throughout our podcast with Logan you will gain the humble insight of a truly exceptional artist, an eagle-eyed warrior who honed his craft on the battlefield then through that same unsurpassed attention to detail and a project that would forever change his life, found a new path to possibly one of the most coveted positions in content creation. Logan discusses everything from his time in Sangin, to his growth as a creative, to how he employs various creative ideologies when it comes to managing social media for Black Rifle Coffee.
Read MoreOur founder and host, Tim K., sat down with Rudy Reyes in Newport Beach, California to speak about his life lately. Rudy grew up in a merciless sequence of loveless behavior, one in which he found himself as a youth defending his brothers on the streets while being shuttled from one relative's home to another. Growing up in a rough neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri with few ways to break the cycle, Rudy turned to the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor as a beacon of hope layered in a structure of transformation. His path to becoming the warrior started as a youth, but the Marines would teach him how to harness his energy and shape him into the most efficient version of the Devil Dog, ready to take on the enemy at every turn. Like many veterans, Rudy's transition out of the Marine Corps wasn't seamless, but he found his identity again through a transcendent path into the world of the arts. He's an actor (HBO's Generation Kill, Apocalypse Man, Ultimate Survival Alaska), philanthropist, fitness expert and world renowned martial artist. Check out Rudy's philanthropic efforts with Force Blue Team, to learn more about how you can help former Special Operations warriors save the coral reefs.
This episode is sponsored by Mayday Hemp Company, a veteran (Marine Force Recon) owned CBD company devoted to bringing the purest form of CBD products to market.
Read MoreDon Graves is a Marine Corps Veteran who fought in WWII and served in one of our bloodiest Pacific campaign battles, Iwo Jima. He was a member of the 5th Marine Division when he hit those black sand beaches at 19 years old, as a flamethrower. The education he was about to receive was one of a baptism into the inferno of combat, in a place where almost 7,000 Marines were killed and 20,000 wounded in six weeks of hellish battle. 335 men in Don's outfit hit the beach that day and only 18 made it out alive. Corporal Graves survived the battle but his greatest saving grace came after the war, with a statement of faith that changed his life forever. He's a nationally renowned speaker, minister, a singer/entertainer, and the last remaining of those 335 Marines in his outfit.
Check out oscarmike.org/pages/foundation to learn more about Oscar Mike Foundation and what they're doing for wounded and disabled veterans across the country.
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