The attack on the Alamo in 1836 was not a 13-day siege and slaughter as often portrayed in film and television. Don't get me wrong – the defenders of the mission-turned-fortress were killed en masse as Mexican troops stormed the structure. It's just that not everyone inside the Alamo died that day.
Jumping into freezing water is just part of the legacy of being a Navy SEAL. During World War II, the U.S. Navy Combat Demolition Units were just a handful of guys equipped only with a pair of shorts, a knife, and maybe some explosives. But the roots of being amphibious is still close to the Navy special warfare community – that's why they still call themselves "Frogmen." Some 74 years ago, these Navy Combat Demolition Units braved the freezing waters of the English Channel in the predawn hours ...
Our guest Sebastian Junger is not a military veteran. He makes that clear, but he sure sounds like one. Maybe it's because he's seen more conflict than many in the United States military. If there's an expert on modern warfare and the long-term effects of those who live it, that person is Sebastian Junger. He joins us to discuss his new PBS documentary airing on Memorial Day "Going To War" and explains how people transform before, during and after combat.
The real James Bond is finally revealed: A few years ago Larry Loftis decided to stop publishing legal articles and work full-time on researching and writing the story of Dusko Popov, the daring World War II double agent who worked tirelessly to keep the Nazis off guard about the upcoming D-Day invasions. That work became his book Into the Lion's Mouth: The True Story of Dusko Popov: World War II Spy, Patriot, and the Real-Life Inspiration for James Bond. Loftis received his undergraduate degree...
When Doc Todd left the Navy after spending three years as a corpsman, he didn’t have any transition assistance or training. He lost friends. He lost Marines. After separating from the military, he saw even more of his Marines take their own lives through substance abuse and suicide. It’s wasn’t the ending he had expected when he joined. He joined the Navy in 2007 after spending four years in sales and restaurant jobs. He wanted to experience some meaningful growth in his life and be part of some...
"It was like walking onto the surface of the moon," Graham Elwood says of his first experience walking off of a C-17 in Afghanistan. His experience was not unlike many of our own first times deploying to a far-off edge of the world. We take a long, long C-17 (or god help you, C-130) ride for seemingly endless hours. There are no windows. The plane is packed. Forget about an in-flight movie or looking out the window. And when you walk off, it's invariably the middle of the night and you and the h...
Clint Emerson is not your average U.S. Navy retiree. He's not your average anything and he never was. That might be why so many Fortune 500 companies want Emerson to not only speak at their corporate gatherings but also teach them how to survive some extreme circumstances. Emerson is a former Navy SEAL and the author of a number of books, notably "1 00 Deadly Skills: The SEAL Operative's Guide Eluding Pursuers, Evading Capture, and Surviving Any Dangerous Situation ." He also wrote "100 Deadly S...
In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, the gang comments on some of the biggest coming the U.S. military will face in the coming days. Because external challenges are easy for a fighting force like ours, the internal struggles are the ones we really want to talk about. These affect not only the troops themselves, but potentially their families, friends, and morale as well. New physical standards for all The recent years have been huge for the military community in terms of change. The mos...
In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, the crew discusses what military movies veterans need to see in 2018. Since all veterans have their own idea of what makes a good military movie, Blake, Tim, and even the new WATM contributor, Sean chime in what they think makes a solid war film. Is having a war film base on a true story more important than having epic explosions? Or a movie where the real heroes of the day play themselves make for a better cinematic experience? 1. 12 Strong Directed...
In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, the crew speaks with standup comedian turned actor Tone Bell. Tone isn't a veteran, but as always, there's a connection. On the Netflix show Disjointed, Tone plays a veteran who has served on three Iraq combat deployments and now deals with the everyday struggle of veteran issues. To play the role, Tone prepped for multiple levels of PTS, the process of veteran transition, the culture of cannabis, all while bringing his comedic charm to the character...
In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we speak with standup comedian turned actor Tone Bell. Tone isn't a veteran, but he plays an Army veteran with multiple combat deployments under his belt and now who deals with everyday veteran issues like PTS and transitioning out of the military on the Netflix show Disjointed . You may remember Tone from a few other shows he's been on like 9JKL, The Flash, Truth Be Told , and Bad Judge with Kate Walsh. Disjointed' s producers and creative minds wen...
In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we speak actor, TV host, and former U.S. Army Green Beret Terry Schappert . You may remember Terry from the popular History Channel show Warriors, and now, Hollywood Weapons on the Outdoor Channel with Israel Defense Forces reconnaissance man, Larry Zanoff. Terry was a Special Forces Team Sergeant who happened to serve alongside WATM's own Chase Milsap. Hollywood Weapons gears up to take on the most insane challenges to tactfully reproduce our favori...
In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we speak with U.S. Navy SEAL veteran turned entrepreneur Eli Crane. You may have seen Eli pitch his business Bottle Breacher on the hit TV show Shark Tank. Eli's appearance landed him a partnership with celebrity businessmen Mark Cuban and Kevin O'Leary. Eli stopped by our show to talk about what military strategies he uses to run his multi-million dollar business. "A lot of the tactics that we use on the SEAL teams actually work really well in busin...
In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we speak with Scott Huesing, a retired U.S. Marine Corps Infantry Major with 24 years of service as an enlisted and commissioned officer. During his career spanning ten deployments, he operated in over 60 countries worldwide. Throughout his numerous deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa he planned, led, and conducted hundreds of combat missions under some of the most austere and challenging conditions. Before the Marines on-the-gro...
In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we speak with poet, activist, filmmaker, actor, and Navy SEAL veteran of 22 years, Mikal Vega. Mr. Vega joined the Navy at 17, entered the EOD profession for roughly nine-years, deployed multiple times throughout the world in support of a few SEAL teams when he decided that's what he wanted to do with the rest of his career. At 28, Vega earned a spot on the SEAL teams and added a few more tours of duty to his already impressive resume. After being ho...
In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we speak with respected book author, speaker, publisher, and Vice President of Production at Warriors, Inc — Julia Dye . Warriors, Inc. is a unique organization that provides technical advice to the entertainment industry. Mrs. Dye is the daughter of a World War 2 bomber pilot and is married to Hollywood’s drill instructor Capt. Dale Dye — who is featured in episode 37 of the Mandatory Fun podcast. Although growing up as a military brat has its issue...
In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we once again speak with Army veteran, national speaker, and acclaimed author of the 2017 Independent Publishing Award-winning book The Frontline Generation: How We Served Post 9/11 — Marjorie K. Eastman . Marjorie is also an accomplished executive and operational professional with over 20-years experience in leading people and various organizations. Her award-winning book began as a personal memoir for her son. Marjorie's goal was to capture the les...
In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we talk to former Air Force Chief of Staff, General Merrill A. McPeak , who served as a military adviser to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council, and the President. He’s also a career fighter pilot with more than 6,000 hours under his belt, including time as a solo pilot with the elite Thunderbirds . The General currently has three books out, Below The Zone , Roles and Missions, and Hangar Flying , about his time being ringside during ...
In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake speaks formerAir Force Chief of Staff General Merrill A. McPeak who served as a military adviser to the secretary of defense, National Security Council, and the president. He’s also a career fighter pilot with more than 6,000 hours under his belt, including time as a solo pilot with the elite Thunderbirds. The General's book Hangar Flying is about his time being ringside during one of the most tumultuous times in recent history as an attack pil...
In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake speaks once again with Jimmy Blackmon , the author of Pale Horse , a book about his time commanding an Army aviation task force with the 101st Airborne Division at the height of combat in the Afghan War. Set in the very valleys where the 9/11 attacks were conceived, and where 10 Medals of Honor were earned. These are the stories of the pilots behind the lethal Apache helicopters who strike fear into the heart of their enemies as they work with ...
In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast , we talk to veterans Mike Lui and Buck Jordan from RMR Laboratories, an over-the-counter cannabis pharmaceutical company about the best qualities investors love in veteran entrepreneurs. RMR Laboratories produces cannabinoid oil that's applied as a topical cream to relieve pain and other medical ailments. Mike served in the Army for eight-years and deployed to Iraq where he led teams that helped rebuild the country by setting up its first democratic ...
In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake speaks with Army veteran turned co-founder and CEO of RMR Laboratories, Mike Lui, about his over-the-counter cannabis pharmaceutical company. RMR Laboratories produces cannabinoid oil that's applied as a topical cream to the skin for pain relief and to treat other medical alignments. Mike served in the Army for eight-years and deployed to Iraq where he led teams to help rebuild the country by setting up its first democratic elections. Even our ...
In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake speaks with Jimmy Blackmon the author of Pale Horse a book about his time commanding an Army aviation task force with the 101st Airborne Division at the height of combat in the Afghan War. Set in the very valleys where the 9/11 attacks were conceived, and where 10 Medals of Honor were earned. These are the stories of the pilots behind the lethal Apache helicopters who strike fear into the heart of their enemies as they work with medevac crews w...
