Jason Riley enlisted in the U.S. Army right out of high school, going to the 82nd Airborne Division. His first tour to Korea lasted longer than expected due to the Gulf War. When he returned, he only had a limited time left on his contract, so he became a gunner on a UH-60. He left the Army to go to school in Ohio, but in 1993 enlisted in the New Mexico National Guard where he served 20 more years. For more than a decade, Riley has been addressing the issue of the award process and equalizing th...
Mar 01, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 261
John Pray's father was a career Army officer who served during WWII where he survived the Bataan Death March and three and a half years as a POW. John's father later reflected on how hard it must have been on his mother during all of his years of service. His example and sentiment were driving forces in John's future. Pray joined the United States Air Force and retired after serving 27 years in a variety of roles including Director of the White House Situation Room. After retirement, Pray didn't...
Feb 22, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 260
Bradley Walker is a self- suggestion through our website coming on to tell his journey to the military. He grew up in a small town playing football. In his high school years, he realized he was headed in the wrong direction with the wrong crowd and needed to make a change. He turned to the military even though he didn't have any family members in the military or much support in his decision. Although his initial training had him second guessing his decision, he made it through training, became a...
Feb 15, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 259
Patrick Dossett is a graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy and SEAL training where he later became an officer. He spent 9 years in service before leaving the military and taking on the Wharton School of Business where he became a Tillman Scholar. Afterwards, Dossett spent some time at Google and also co-founded the Tip of the Spear foundation, a non-profit that serves the special operations community. His current position is the President/CEO of Madefor, a company that offers learning tools curat...
Feb 08, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 258
Jason Gardner knew from the early age of 7 that he would enter the military. That journey took him to the U.S. Navy where he spent nearly three decades with the SEAL team with nine deployments across the globe. Gardner brings perspective from all aspects of leadership from the front lines as a SEAL sniper to a SEAL Team Five Command Master Chief and now, in retirement, he serves as a leadership instructor, speaker, and strategic advisor at Echelon Front. Support the podcast by supporting our spo...
Feb 01, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 257
Michael Denehy served in the U.S. Army as a Green Beret and deployed 7 times. The first face he encountered off the plane of his first deployment was none other than Mark Zinno. Denehy retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2017 and went into small business ownership. He owned Chattabrewchee brewery that won several awards. Although Denehy owned the brewery, he doesn't drink alcohol anymore and is very open about his personal struggles to overcome alcoholism. Currently, he serves as Director of Comm...
Jan 25, 2022•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 256
Daniel Kearney grew up as an Army brat but now calls Georgia home. After earning a Marketing degree, Kearney commissioned in 2002 as a Second Lieutenant. In his 19 years of service, he has 13 combat deployments including one in the well-known Korengal Valley of Afghanistan. Colonel Kearney continues his service and, at the time of this recording, serves as the Director of Future Operations an AI-Enabled Corps efforts known as PROJECT RIDGWAY. Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors at www...
Jan 18, 2022•2 hr 15 min•Ep. 255
John Wayne Troxell enlisted in the U.S. Army as an armored reconnaissance specialist in 1982 and later served on 5 combat deployments including 2 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Troxell capped off his military career by serving as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Trump administration. Although his 37 years of service ended in 2020, he's continued to share his stories and experiences. Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors at www.hazardgr...
Jan 11, 2022•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 254
Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson both served in the U.S. Navy, Andrews on a fast-attack submarine and Wilson as a Combat Surgeon with the U.S. Marines and Navy SEALs through multiple deployments. After serving, both have moved on to writing military thrillers. Their latest endeavor, Sons of Valor , is the first book in their new Tier One series, a Wall Street Journal and Amazon Best-selling series. https://www.andrews-wilson.com/ Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors at www.hazardground...
Jan 04, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 253
Colonel John "Coke" Blocher received his commission from the Air Force Academy in 1999. He is a senior pilot with more than 1500 flying hours in the A/OA-10 "Warthog" and the AT-38 as an instructor pilot. Blocher was on the ground with the U.S. Army on March 20th as they breached the berm into Iraq, fought battles in Tallil, Al Kifl, Karbala and Baghdad. Just one month later for Operation Monty, Blocher's story intersects with our guests from Ep. 218, Greg "Billy Bob" Thornton and Raymond "Donk"...
Dec 21, 2021•2 hr 21 min•Ep. 252
Command Chief Master Sergeant William Markham had a 30 year career in the Air Force starting in 1986. During that time he directed several airstrikes and in 2001, he was the first Airman in Afghanistan as a Combat Controller attached to "Triple Nickel" which he later received a silver star for actions of gallantry. After his retirement, Markham continued to serve his community first with the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and then later co-founded Project OVAT (One Vet @ a Time) that cons...
Dec 14, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 251
Ryan Robicheaux grew up in Arkansas where he earned his Pilot's license in high school. After witnessing the tragedy of 9/11, Robicheaux enlisted in the Army National Guard and after college became Army active duty where he attended Warrant Officer Candidate School. He was awarded a slot to fly the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior. Robicheaux deployed twice to Afghanistan and has translated his experiences into "Scouts Out!", his memoir. https://www.scoutsoutbook.com/ Support the podcast by supporting our s...
Dec 07, 2021•58 min•Ep. 250
Gregg F. Martin, PhD, Major General, US Army (Retired), served on active duty for 36 years, until May 2015. He is a combat veteran, Bipolar Survivor, Airborne-Ranger-Engineer qualified soldier, and Army Strategist. He commanded an engineer company, battalion, the 130th Engineer Brigade in combat during the first year of the Iraq War in 2003-04, including the attack from Kuwait, up the Euphrates River Valley, to Baghdad and beyond. Martin is a strong advocate for destigmatizing seeking help for m...
Dec 01, 2021•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 249
Kevin Haley joined the Army at 21-years-old as Military Police. His position quickly escalated to Protective Services Detachment (PSD). His work included guarding USAREUR HQ and the USAREUR 4 Star General's house. In addition, Haley was asked by General David McKiernan to deploy to Afghanistan as his PSD mission leader from 2008 to 2009. Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors at www.hazardground.com/sponsors ! Shop Amazon ! As an Amazon Associate We Earn From Qualifying Purchases...You K...
Nov 23, 2021•59 min•Ep. 248
Timothy Grovenburg is a U.S. Army Veteran who joined the Army in 2017 and became part of the 101st Airborne Division. He relatively quickly deployed to Erbil, Iraq for a 9-month tour where he experienced moments of uncertainty. All of that time encouraged him to start Easy Company Outfitters, a boutique apparel brand delivering premium vintage Hawaiian shirts and beach lifestyle apparel. The company is known for producing 100% American made products that help support surf therapy programs for Ve...
Nov 17, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 247
Mike Lamonica served 24 years in the Air Force as a Combat Controller (CCT). It was more than just a job for him - it was what he was built for. The passion he had for the job is something you still hear in his voice today. Over the course of his career - which spanned from the first Gulf War up to 2011 - he executed multiple combat jumps and played key roles in pivotal operations throughout the Global War on Terror. It's a career that not only carries a rich history with it, but would easily in...
Nov 09, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 246
Partly inspired by his grandfather’s stories of combat and survival from WWII, David Bellavia decided to enlist as an Army Infantryman. It was pre-9/11, and the world was relatively quiet. Fast forward to the early days of OIF, and Bellavia is now in the thick of it, experiencing combat like his grandfather had. One of those battles - taking place in Fallujah on November 10, 2004 - would ultimately lead to Bellavia receiving the Medal of Honor, for his actions wiping out an enemy squad element. ...
Nov 02, 2021•2 hr 6 min•Ep. 245
Laura Nicholson is a British Army Air Corps aviator who has flown multiple combat tours in Afghanistan. Her bravery under fire while flying Chinooks during one of those deployments earned her the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). During the operation for which she was awarded the DFC, she not only braved Taliban rockets to save a U.S. Marine, but she also rescued a wounded Afghan mother caught in the cross-fire. She entered the firefight twice to make the rescues. Laura's story is amazing, and i...
Oct 26, 2021•55 min•Ep. 244
Ray McPadden is a former Army Ranger, serving with 2nd Battalion/75th Ranger Regiment. Inspired to serve after 9/11, he began his time in the Army as an Infantry Officer with the 10th Mountain Division. Between Iraq and Afghanistan, he served four combat deployments, spending nearly two years fighting along the Afghan-Pakistan border during one of those tours. In fact, his unit established the first American foothold in the notorious Korengal Valley. In his relatively short time in the Army, Ray...
Oct 19, 2021•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 243
Sara Wilkinson is the wife of Navy SEAL, Chad Wilkinson. After 21 years of service, Chad took his own life - the result of the compounding effects of blast wave injury, TBI, and PTSD. He left behind Sara and their two teenage children. Sara's story is one of triumph, heartbreak, resilience, and strength - the strength that Sara not only displayed as the spouse of a Navy SEAL who was deployed constantly, but also the strength she displays to this day, sharing her and Chad's story. We can't thank ...
Oct 12, 2021•2 hr 2 min•Ep. 242
Dick Thompson is a Vietnam combat veteran and Green Beret. When he started his military career, he volunteered for the most dangerous path he could take, ending up in Vietnam with MACV-SOG, where he served as a Team Leader. With MACV-SOG he conducted covert unconventional warfare operations, never knowing if he and/or his entire team would return to base once they left the wire. It was a process that would galvanize him into a military leader who served across multiple high-profile organizations...
Sep 28, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 240
It's not often that we get someone from the AC-130 community on the podcast, but this time we were lucky enough to get someone who is a bit of an establishment in the community. Bill Walter is a retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant and former AC-130 Gunner. He has played key roles in the AC-130 world for decades. In this episode he talks about his impact on that world from the early days and Operation EAGLE CLAW to the Global War on Terror. Bill is a member of the Air Commando Hall of Fame an...
Sep 21, 2021•58 min•Ep. 239
This episode is all about leadership - leadership in combat, in government, and in business. Tommy Sowers is a former Green Beret who is also a multi-sector leader in the political, military, government, academia, and entrepreneurial worlds. He and Mark also worked together during Mark's first deployment to Iraq. Following multiple Iraq combat deployments as a Green Beret, Tommy went on to become the youngest Senate-confirmed Asst. Secretary at the VA as well as serve as the senior advisor to Ir...
Sep 14, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 238
Growing up on a farm in Kentucky, Luke Coffey had an urge from a young age to join the Infantry, turning the agrarian landscape into a makeshift battlefield whenever he could. After high school and a short attempt at college, he made joining the Infantry a reality. He would see two combat deployments in one relatively short enlistment - one to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. His Afghanistan deployment, the most dangerous of the two, would take him to the Panjwai District of Afghanistan, a Taliban s...
Sep 07, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 237
From an early age, it was Tyler Mendelson's dream to become a United States Marine. His father was a Marine, and he wanted to serve his country after 9/11. He also grew up about an hour and a half from NYC, and his father had helped with the World Trade Center recovery effort, so the attacks hit extra close to home. His second dream was to become a filmmaker, partly so he could tell other veterans' stories, and just make great films in the process. His first major short film, "The Hun" - a drama...
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 236
Our thoughts on the current situation in Afghanistan... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 31, 2021•13 min•Ep. 235
Rick Dickson's initial combat deployment was to Diyala Province, Iraq in 2006. He spent 15 months there with his unit, when violence in the country was reaching an all-time high. It was combat and survival in the truest sense. Following that deployment he would go on to become an Armor Officer through the Army's Green to Gold program, and eventually transition to Public Affairs, where he still serves today on Active Duty. Rick shares his experiences from that long deployment in 2006, as well as ...
Aug 24, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 234
If ever there was a warning shot for the detrimental effects of long-term, sustained combat operations on soldiers in modern warfare, Curtis Grace's deployment to Afghanistan in 2012 fits the bill pretty well. In this episode, Grace talks about that greuling deployment to the Panjwai District of Afghanistan, a Taliban stronghold. A deployment that dovetails with the Panjwai Massacre, orchestrated by U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales in March of 2012. Grace also discusses his transition from ...
Aug 17, 2021•1 hr 20 min
Kim "Rooster" Rossiter is a retired Marine Corps Major and combat veteran of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. His story is tightly interwoven with his daughter Ainsley's, who was born with a terminal illness in 2003. Instead of shirking from the difficult task of facing Ainsley's inevitable fate, Rooster and his wife embraced it to ensure Ainsley lived every moment of her time on earth. The Rossiter's eventually started Ainsley’s Angels in honor of Ainsley. Ainsley's Angels builds awareness about Americ...
Aug 10, 2021•1 hr 23 min
This week we explore the lighter side of combat in the War on Terror, with former Cavalry officer and aspiring writer, Brett Allen. Inspired by the events of September 11, 2001, Brett went into the Army as an officer a fews years later. His quest to serve in combat took him to Afghanistan in 2009, and while not immune to the effects of a well placed IED, his experience in combat fell short of what he had expected, catalyzing his desire to portray it in his recently published novel, “Kilroy Was H...
Aug 03, 2021•1 hr 22 min
