https://www.westpoint.edu/directory/rj-garcia Summary In this episode of the Word for the Week podcast, host Pete Stone interviews Brigadier General R.J. Garcia, the Commandant of Cadets at West Point. They discuss Garcia's journey from a West Point cadet to a leader in the military, the influence of his family on his leadership style, and his experiences as an AH-64 pilot. Garcia shares valuable lessons learned from combat, his leadership philosophy focused on making others successful, and pers...
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 12 min
Jackie Brewton never planned to be a speaker and an author. While managing a successful career in corporate America, Jackie volunteered her time mentoring younger ladies. It was in this role as a mentor that she kept hearing over and over about the regrets these younger ladies had because of poor relationship choices they had made. Jackie felt so burdened by this that 16 years ago she walked away from her successful corporate career to dedicate her life to helping teens make good choices. She is...
Jun 10, 2024•32 min•Ep. 30
Joe Lawhorn, recently served as the garrison chaplain for USAG Hawaii. In this conversation, Joe shares his inspiring story of overcoming a dysfunctional and broken childhood to finding faith and purpose in the Army. He credits the sovereignty of God for his transformation and emphasizes the importance of relationships and personal connections in his ministry. Joe's journey led him to become a chaplain and he highlights the significance of one-on-one encounters and small moments of grace in his ...
Jun 09, 2024•1 hr 30 min
Chaplain (COL) Gary Fisher just completed his tour as the USARPAC Chaplain. In this conversation, he shares his experiences as a chaplain in combat, and discusses the concept of moral injury. He talks about his upcoming book on trauma and the importance of addressing the whole person when dealing with trauma. He also shares personal stories, including an incident during a combat logistics patrol and a dignified transfer ceremony. Chaplain Fisher emphasizes the role of faith in processing and fin...
Jun 09, 2024•1 hr 4 min
War Stories is a collection of conversations with Servicemembers who share the memories that helped define their service. This collection is designed to preserve the legacy of military service, and honor the memory of those who served.
Jun 20, 2023•40 min
War Stories is a collection of conversations with Servicemembers who share the memories that helped define their service. This collection is designed to preserve the legacy of military service, and honor the memory of those who served.
Jun 20, 2023•51 min
Recently, The Greatest Generations Foundation brought a group of WW2 and Vietnam War veterans to the island of Oahu to observe the 80th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Attack. I was fortunate enough to meet these veterans at the Navy Hale Keiki School who has a close relationship with the Foundation. The students welcomed them as heroes and sang patriotic songs in honor of their service. After the program, these veterans were kind enough to share their stories for this podcast. This particular i...
Dec 17, 2021•15 min
Recently, The Greatest Generations Foundation brought a group of WW2 and Vietnam War veterans to the island of Oahu to observe the 80th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Attack. I was fortunate enough to meet these veterans at the Navy Hale Keiki School who has a close relationship with the Foundation. The students welcomed them as heroes and sang patriotic songs in honor of their service. After the program, these veterans were kind enough to share their stories for this podcast. War Stories is a ...
Dec 17, 2021•13 min
Recently, The Greatest Generations Foundation brought a group of WW2 and Vietnam War veterans to the island of Oahu to observe the 80th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Attack. I was fortunate enough to meet these veterans at the Navy Hale Keiki School who has a close relationship with the Foundation. The students welcomed them as heroes and sang patriotic songs in honor of their service. After the program, these veterans were kind enough to share their stories for this podcast. War Stories is a ...
Dec 17, 2021•21 min
Recently, The Greatest Generations Foundation brought a group of WW2 and Vietnam War veterans to the island of Oahu to observe the 80th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Attack. I was fortunate enough to meet these veterans at the Navy Hale Keiki School who has a close relationship with the Foundation. The students welcomed them as heroes and sang patriotic songs in honor of their service. After the program, these veterans were kind enough to share their stories for this podcast. War Stories is a ...
Dec 17, 2021•22 min
Recently, The Greatest Generations Foundation brought a group of WW2 and Vietnam War veterans to the island of Oahu to observe the 80th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Attack. I was fortunate enough to meet these veterans at the Navy Hale Keiki School who has a close relationship with the Foundation. The students welcomed them as heroes and sang patriotic songs in honor of their service. After the program, these veterans were kind enough to share their stories for this podcast....
Dec 17, 2021•15 min
Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Huynh’s father fought for the South Vietnamese Army during the Viet Nam War. After the war, he was captured and imprisoned in a communist re-education camp. He was finally released after enduring years of abuse and torture. CSM Huynh’s father eventually escaped from Viet Nam, and he took CSM Huynh and several other refugees with him. CSM Huynh shares his incredible story of survival, endurance and pure grit as he made his way to the USA, grew up in a rural Iowa commu...
Dec 17, 2021•33 min
Cheri Hogrefe is never content with average and loves challenges. She’s a wife, a mother of three, and serves as the children’s curriculum developer at her church. Cheri enjoys drawing from her passion and experience as a college athlete, physical education teacher and coach not only to write curriculum, but to face the challenges of life. I grew up with Cheri and learned first hand how much she loves life and those around her. And if there’s anything I appreciate as much as her infectious laugh...
May 23, 2020•45 min
Jason Forte and I deployed to Iraq together from 2009-2010. I quickly learned how passionate he is about serving Soldiers and their families, and we’ve been good friends ever since. Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash I’ve learned a lot from Jason about intentional leadership and serving others. His example has made a big impact on my life. Recently, I asked Jason to share several of his thoughts regarding the current crisis our nation is facing. One of the big themes he's experiencing has to do ...
May 15, 2020•34 min
There is a fascinating dimension in the mind that has incredible power to determine how we perform—in our professional and in our personal lives. That space is the sweet spot where Dr. Mary Rose Blank loves to operate. Mary Rose (or “M.R.” as her clients affectionately call her) is a mental performance coach specializing in sport and performance psychology. Her passion for excellence fuels her work with professional athletes and warriors to optimize their performance. I always enjoy sharing conv...
May 14, 2020•32 min
James Evans founded the Nashville-based nonprofit, Benchmark Adventure Ministries ( www.benchmark.org ), because of his passion to use outdoor adventure to foster experiential learning. James designs adventure programs that are specifically tailored for different teams and uses his programs to enhance building teamwork and resilience, and to generate self assessment. I’ve gotten to know James through his work with the military and have enjoyed seeing him in action. You’ll see why in our conversa...
May 13, 2020•32 min
One of the great privileges of serving in the military is getting to know and work alongside others who see the world from different perspectives than my own, while at the same time partnering with them to serve others. I have come to respect and admire John Christian for his passion to help others through his work as a psychologist, and while there are ways we do see the world differently, we share a mutual appreciation for how our professional disciplines intersect for the good of those around...
May 13, 2020•47 min
Whether talking sports, current events, classic literature or theology, conversations with Jay Outen never disappoint. In this conversation Jay shares three thoughts that have been shaping his perspective as he observes our culture in the current Covid crisis: 1) The control we have in our lives is just an illusion 2) What is my comfort? 3) How can I capitalize on this time? We also dive into the classics and a little pop culture and discuss Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, the Netflix documentary...
May 12, 2020•39 min
Chip Satterlee shares three thoughts that have been shaping his perspective over the last few months, and talks about a couple books that have been influencing his mind and heart amidst the Covid-19 crisis. This, too, shall pass—there’ a season for everything Use this as an opportunity to grow God is with us...Matthew 1:24
May 08, 2020•23 min
Nick Stavlund shares two essential insights that have been keeping his heart and mind in the right place during the current global crisis. 1) God is pursuing us, and (2) contentment and happiness doesn’t lie on the other side of achievement. He also shares about why he became a CrossFit coach and eventually started a box, CrossFit Chaparral, before becoming an Active Duty Army Chaplain. Before becoming an Active Duty Army Chaplain, Nick ran a CrossFit box called CrossFit Chaparral Credits for co...
May 07, 2020•29 min
Mike Krog is the kind of friend that always builds you up with truth, speaks words of encouragement, and offers timely words of wisdom that are insightful and relevant to whatever situation you’re in. I first got to know Mike when we worked as Army Chaplains together in the mighty 101st ABN Division at Fort Campbell, and since then our paths have crossed on several occasions in school and at work. I asked Mike to share three thoughts that offer the right perspective, and which offer help and hop...
May 04, 2020•39 min
Brandon Bayne is a religion professor at the University of North Carolina. We attended seminary together in Boston and have stayed in touch ever since. I have admired his journey through academia and love how passionate he is about pursuing knowledge and understanding the world around him. As the COVID-19 crisis first unfolded, and universities were sending students home and trying to figure out how to restructure the university classroom, Brandon sat down and wrote out five principles that woul...
May 01, 2020•43 min
I was classmates with Brock Morgan at Bryan College, and the last time I saw him was 26 years ago when he was moving out of his dorm after graduation. Since then, Brock has written 15 books and works as a speaker and youth pastor. His most recent book, Beautiful Rebellion, was written for teenagers, encouraging them to join a movement that brings lasting change to our personal lives, and to the world. He and his wife currently live in Washington D.C. I recently caught up with Brock and asked him...
Apr 27, 2020•35 min
Chris Auger enlisted in the Navy in 1987, earned his Navy SEAL Trident in 1988, then served in the SEAL teams until his retirement in 2015. In his almost 28 years he deployed six times all over the globe. After 10 years of service, Chris came to realize that the man in the mirror was not who his wife deserved as a husband or the man he would like his daughter to marry someday. His bride of almost 28 years help Chris with this revelation with a note she left him one night he came home after midni...
Dec 20, 2019•55 min
Joey Odell graduated from West Point , and then served 10 years as an Army Kiowa Pilot . After a conversion of faith, he left the Army to become a pastor before God called him back to the military as an Army Chaplain . His first tour as a chaplain was with 1/327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. Joey shares some of his experience as a chaplain serving in combat with Screaming Eagles in the Pech River Valley of Afghanistan during OEF 10-11. Since that deployment, Joey has served several years ...
Sep 19, 2019•40 min
I recently met SGM Jesus “Chuy” Almonte at a leadership conference in Fayetteville, NC. He was asked to sit on a panel of military leaders advising chaplains on how to more effectively care for Soldiers and Families. As I listened to Chuy, two things became immediately clear to me. First, this guy is serious about good leadership, and second, this guy loves his family. As a senior Green Beret, I was curious to know how he and his wife have navigated the challenges of raising a family of 5 childr...
May 30, 2019•42 min
Casey signed up to fight his nation’s wars the year after 9/11. After 17 years of service—12 of them in Special Operations—and after going on 42 different training trips and combat deployments literally all around the globe, he has gained some perspective on being a husband and father. He’s quick to declare up front how failure has played a big role in shaping his understanding of what it means to be a good father, and how much grace his wife and kids have extended to him throughout his frequent...
May 16, 2019•59 min
In the journey toward becoming a man, every boy needs to hear that his father loves and affirms him. But sometimes it's not easy for fathers to know what to do or say to express that love and affirmation, especially if fathers didn't grow up receiving it themselves. John Brantley has a vision to equip fathers to do this effectively. He started BAM (or Becoming A Man) Adventures with the mission to provide a healthy and constructive framework for fathers, stepfathers, guardians, and mentors to co...
May 08, 2019•44 min
Chaplain (COL) Keith Croom was 15 years old when he knew God called him to vocational ministry. While preparing to become an Army Chaplain, he met his future wife, Kelly. Three weeks later he told her he loved her. After twenty five years of marriage, they continue to come alongside, and help serve the spiritual needs of Army Families. Currently, Keith serves as the senior chaplain in the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). Recently, my fellow chaplain, Michael Krog, and I sa...
Mar 01, 2019•43 min
There are lots of misconceptions about how our bodies interact with alcohol. For example, does alcohol help you sleep better? Lauren answers this question and explains how alcohol impacts our sleep, hormones, performance, and how our bodies metabolize it.
Dec 29, 2018•16 min
