VBC Scuttlebutt is a virtual watering hole where camaraderie and connection flow as freely as laughter and shared stories. Join us to swap stories, good and bad, at home and overseas, old and new. At the VBC, veterans from every era and branch are drawn together by the warm glow of shared purpose. The stories bridge the gap and the years with veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, late Cold War, Iraq and Afghanistan, and other eras and deployments. Non-veterans also join the c...
Jun 10, 2024•2 hr 42 min•Ep 153•Transcript available on Metacast We mark Memorial Day with the PFC Lawrence Gordon Foundation's Jed Henry (https://www.pfclawrencegordonfoundati...) who, along with Operation Benjamin (https://www.operationbenjamin.org/nat..., recently recovered the remains of 1st Lt. Nathan Baskind, who was killed in Normandy near Utah Beach in 1944. In June 1944, Baskind was assigned to Company C, 899th Tank Destroyer Battalion, as a platoon commander of four M-10 tank destroyers. According to historical war records, 1st Lt. Baskind and anoth...
Jun 03, 2024•2 hr 45 min•Ep 152•Transcript available on Metacast Marine Stew Blackwell joins us to talk about his new book, Savages: Infantry Culture in the Global War on Terror. In his debut book, Blackwell explores the complex culture, complete with its own value system, of the American warrior serving during the Global War on Terror, known as “GWOT.” The GWOT began after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and includes the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that followed. “My hope is to immerse the reader in a vastly different society that values...
May 27, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep 151•Transcript available on Metacast “We had Japanese faces but American hearts.” So says our special guest Yoshio Nakamura, a Japanese-American born in California. Yoshio experienced first-hand the upheaval of World War II when Japanese-Americans were classified as enemy aliens. He endured internment at Tulare Racetrack and Gila River Camp, facing humiliation and loss of freedom. Despite the injustice, he demonstrated loyalty to the U.S. by joining the Army, serving in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Nakamura participated in key...
May 20, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Ep 150•Transcript available on Metacast We have another fast-moving, free-for-all Open Conversation with the Veterans Breakfast Club. This is National Nurses Week, in honor of Florence Nightengale's birthday on May 12, so we discuss military nursing and ask our nurses about their service. We also ask veterans who were treated--and perhaps lives were saved--by nurses in battle zones around the world. Nancy Smoyer asks what Vietnam War movies are the best and worthy of screening for a course on the war. We'll discuss the relative merits...
May 13, 2024•2 hr 36 min•Ep 149•Transcript available on Metacast Vietnam Veteran Chuck Theusch discusses his transformative journey from the battlegrounds of Vietnam to the peaceful mission of building libraries in Vietnam and Cambodia. In 1969-70, Chuck served in the 4/3 Infantry, 11th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division in Vietnam. Like many others, he experienced the harsh realities of combat, witnessing the devastation of war and its profound impact on both the land and its people. These experiences left an indelible mark on him. After his military servic...
May 06, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Ep 148•Transcript available on Metacast A large group of Veterans gathered to discuss their military service for a Veterans Breakfast Club Open Conversation. We talked about the 4/9 24th Infantry Division "Manchus," the experience of PTSD, and the use of buttons vs. brass zippers on Army fatigues. But the most robust, disturbing, and important aspect of the conversation was a discussion of drug use among US Servicemembers during the Vietnam War, especially 1970-1973. During the Vietnam War, drug use was much more prevalent than in pre...
Apr 15, 2024•2 hr 34 min•Ep 147•Transcript available on Metacast Beth Reuschel is a professional military records researcher who helps families discover their legacies of service. She conducts research for people and also coaches them to do their own detective work. Through her expertise and guidance, dozens of people have tracked down service records of veteran parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, as well as brothers and sisters. Beth joins The Scuttlebutt to give us “Military Records Research 101” briefing. She’ll offer tips and tricks to guide fa...
Apr 08, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep 146•Transcript available on Metacast In November and December last year, 21 of us—including five veterans who had served in-country during the war—traveled to Vietnam, from Hanoi and Halong Bay in the North to Saigon and the Mekong Delta in the South. Vietnam is a beautiful and often bewildering place, ancient in history and now yoked to American culture and memory. The country presents to the traveler more than can be absorbed. Tonight, we’ll talk with those who traveled with us and gather their impressions of the country, the peo...
Apr 01, 2024•2 hr 36 min•Ep 145•Transcript available on Metacast Ray Mabus served as the 75th United States Secretary of the Navy, the longest to serve as leader of the Navy and Marine Corps since World War I. Secretary Mabus is a Navy veteran himself, having served two years in the Navy as a surface warfare officer from 1970 to 1972 aboard the cruiser USS Little Rock (CLG-4), achieving the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade. Ray Mabus has been Secretary of the US Navy, Governor, Ambassador and CEO. As Secretary during President Obama’s Administration, he revolu...
Mar 25, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep 144•Transcript available on Metacast Author and Vietnam veteran Bob Orkand discusses what he calls the “tragic failure” of the M16 rifle in Vietnam, a story captured in his book, Misfire. The M16 rifle in the Vietnam War was marred by a series of critical problems that severely undermined its effectiveness and tarnished its reputation among soldiers. Initially introduced as a replacement for the M14, the M16 faced immediate challenges in the harsh and demanding conditions of the Vietnamese jungles. One of the primary issues stemmed...
Mar 18, 2024•2 hr 34 min•Ep 143•Transcript available on Metacast War Movie is a five-part documentary series that examines not only the history of war in American cinema but how this medium has shaped our country's perspective on conflict, foreign policy, race, masculinity, and national identity. Cinematic depictions of military conflict have been common since the first crank of a shutter. From early films like The Birth of a Nation to recent entries The Hurt Locker and Dunkirk, the atrocities of war have never strayed far from the silver screen. Whether prai...
Mar 11, 2024•59 min•Ep 142•Transcript available on Metacast Dogs for Our Brave’s mission is to provide professionally trained service dogs at no cost to veterans who have suffered debilitating injury or illness while in service to our country. Their goal is to use rescue dogs at every opportunity, thus saving two lives at once. In order to fully realize their mission without adding financial burden, they also provide a continuum of free support that covers all food, veterinary care, and pharmaceuticals for the life of the dog. Bryan Pieschel has joined t...
Mar 04, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep 141•Transcript available on Metacast Victoria Kelly is the author of Homefront, Mrs. Houdini, and When the Men Go Off to War. Victoria graduated Summa Cum Laude from Harvard University. She received her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and her M.Phil. in Creative Writing from Trinity College Dublin, where she was a U.S. Mitchell Scholar. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in Best American Poetry, The Autumn House Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry, Prairie Schooner, Southwest Review and dozen...
Feb 26, 2024•54 min•Ep 140•Transcript available on Metacast Charles Warner is a veteran and social anthropologist studying at the University of Leuven, Belgium. His research interests primarily revolve around war veterans (a.k.a. the emerging field of “Veterans Studies”), strategic peacebuilding, and post-conflict dialogue/resolution in Southeast Europe. Within this research, he incorporates or centers visual art and poetry/prose-poetry/narrative nonfiction to express ethnographic engagements, research insights, temporality and polyvocal (re)presentation...
Feb 19, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep 139•Transcript available on Metacast This week on The Scuttlebutt we talk with the Chair of the Military Chess Committee and Navy veteran, Rob Getty about the upcoming 65th Annual US Armed Forces Chess Championship. Rob talks about his service, how chess launched his military career, beginner tips, and lessons learned. https://www.facebook.com/usafochess/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces_Chess_Championship Thank you to our sponsors: UPMC for Life: http://upmchealthplan.com/medicare Tobacco Free Adagio Health...
Feb 12, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep 138•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Mitchell T. Maki is the President and CEO of the Go For Broke National Education Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the legacy and lessons of the Nisei (a person born in the US whose parents were immigrants from Japan) World War II veterans. The mission of GO FOR BROKE is to educate and inspire character and equality through the virtue and valor of our World War II American veterans of Japanese ancestry. Dr. Maki is also the lead author of the award-winning book, Achie...
Jan 29, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep 137•Transcript available on Metacast Have you ever received a challenge coin and thought about its history? Who started this tradition? What is the etiquette of keeping them on hand? How are they made? Who designs them? The Scuttlebutt attempts to answer these questions and more with Vietnam Navy Veteran Donn Nemchick and longtime VBC member Henry Schoepke. We dive into the history and hear stories of the challenge coins Henry and Donn have received over the years. Henry also dives into his vast collection of signatures and stories...
Jan 22, 2024•45 min•Ep 136•Transcript available on Metacast Al Smith was an Infantry Platoon Officer during the Vietnam War. He believes that his military service taught him how to work well with people from all backgrounds regardless of race, gender, or political beliefs. Today, he is a member of the Military & Veterans Group within the organization Braver Angels . The MV Group's mission is to bring together veterans whose military service has instilled them with the importance of unity, teamwork, and a country-first mentality in order to promote wo...
Jan 15, 2024•58 min•Ep 135•Transcript available on Metacast Joining me on The Scuttlebutt this week to kick off our ninth season is Navy SEAL Veteran Rick Kaiser. Born and raised in Milwaukee Wisconsin, Rick Kaiser joined the U.S. Navy at age 17. He attended Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL (BUD/S) training Class 109 in Coronado, CA. Rick was assigned to SEAL Team TWO in Little Creek, VA in 1980. He served at SEAL Team TWO from 1980 until 1985, specializing in winter warfare, combat diving, and sniping until he was selected for duty at SEAL Team SIX in 1...
Jan 08, 2024•59 min•Ep 134•Transcript available on Metacast Emily Bleeker is the best-selling author of seven novels. Combined, her books have reached over 2 million readers. She is a two-time Whitney Award finalist, a Wall Street Journal bestseller, Amazon charts bestseller and was recently listed as one of the top 100 Kindle authors “of all time.” Emily lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago with her four kids and a growing menagerie of animals. Between writing and being a mom, she attempts to learn guitar, sings along to the radio (loudly), performs...
Dec 18, 2023•50 min•Ep 133•Transcript available on Metacast Pat D’Amico, is a Corporate Adviser to Fortune 500 Executives and the CEO of About-Face Development, LLC. From the explosive front lines of the battlefield to the high-stakes world of Fortune 500 companies, Pat D'Amico has mastered the art of leadership under fire. His story begins as a mere teenager, enlisting in the U.S. Army and, against all odds, rising through the ranks to Captain. In the harshest conditions imaginable, Pat led global deployments leaving an indelible mark on the Army’s lega...
Dec 04, 2023•57 min•Ep 132•Transcript available on Metacast Paul Woodadge is a battlefield guide, historian, and YouTuber. He hosts the popular YouTube channel WW2TV which has nearly 900 videos. With 59,000 subscribers, he is one of YouTubes most popular historians. Growing up in Great Britain with a grandfather who was proud to discuss his time in service, Paul developed a passion for history. Eventually settling in Normandy, Paul spends his time leading groups and producing his YouTube channel. WW2TV brings you the world's best military historians, aut...
Nov 20, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep 131•Transcript available on Metacast When Ian Fritz joined the Air Force at eighteen, he did so out of necessity. He hadn’t been accepted into college thanks to an indifferent high school career. He’d too often slept through his classes as he worked long hours at a Chinese restaurant to help pay the bills for his trailer-dwelling family in Lake City, Florida. But the Air Force recognized his potential and sent him to the elite Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, to learn Dari and Pashto, the main languages of Afghan...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep 130•Transcript available on Metacast Adam F. Jones is a former U.S. Army Captain, Black Hawk helicopter pilot, author of "Weapons of Mass Deception: Detect and Defeat the Four Weapons Destroying Your Peace, Purpose, and Power," host of the Leadership Accelerator Podcast, and founder of Kingdom Operatives. With 10 years of military experience and chosen for diverse roles such as serving as a criminal analyst for Interpol and strategic consultant for the Under Secretary of Defense, Adam is trained to build resilient teams for high-st...
Nov 06, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep 129•Transcript available on Metacast Julia Ling is an accomplished actress, dancer, producer, and a veteran. Hiram Murray is an accomplished actor and also a Marine Corps veteran. Together they are unstoppable! Their recent project is Veteran Powered Films a production company whose mission is to empower veterans and servicemembers to create and tell their stories through film. When military servicemen and women leave the service, they can experience a difficult transition back to civilian life. They leave behind a community and br...
Oct 23, 2023•50 min•Ep 128•Transcript available on Metacast Where Matt Louis’s previous book MISSION TRANSITION focused on transitioning servicemen and women by giving them an essential career-change guide for avoiding false starts and making optimal career choices following active duty. Matt’s new book HIRING VETERANS flips to the other side of the same coin and focuses on the organizations and companies hiring said veterans. Every year, about a quarter of a million veterans leave the military - most of whom are unprepared for the transition. These serv...
Oct 16, 2023•57 min•Ep 127•Transcript available on Metacast Matthew Landis served in the Air Force but when he transitioned to civilian life, he lost his direction and purpose. Falling heavily into addiction and finding himself homeless, Matthew flatlined from an overdose. Having been saved by the slimmest of margins, he knew he needed to change his life. It has not been easy but Matthew clawed his way back to life. His story of redemption is an inspirational one. Seeking holistic healing, Matthew found the Pacific Rim Trail and walked the entire length ...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep 126•Transcript available on Metacast Robin’s Home provides a full continuum of care for homeless, unstably housed and low-income female veterans and their children. Robin’s Home is located in Butler, PA but serves women veterans in seven counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Erie, Lawrence, and Mercer counties. Robin’s Home is named after a women veteran who served in the Army and was deployed in support of Desert Storm. After discharge, Robin had been receiving treatment for sexual trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disor...
Sep 11, 2023•54 min•Ep 125•Transcript available on Metacast Joining The Scuttlebutt this week is actor and host of American Homecoming Jack Maxwell. Jack has appeared on television in Lost, 24, House, Without a Trace, Beverly Hills 90210, General Hospital, and All My Children. He hosted all four seasons of Travel Channel’s Booze Traveler and has now turned his attention to helping spread the word about disabled veterans. It is an unfortunate fact that many of our veterans return from serving our country disabled, to a house that no longer serves them. Wh...
Aug 21, 2023•45 min•Ep 124•Transcript available on Metacast 
