John "Tig" Tiegen John “Tig” Tiegen was one of a handful of warriors that kept the September 11 2012 attacks on the US Consulate and CIA Annex in Benghazi from turning into another “Alamo”. Tig enlisted in the Marines at 17 in the delayed entry program and when the recruiter’s call came he literally walked out of class to prepare for boot camp. Following his service in the Marines, Tig began working as a contractor for private security firms before taking an interest in the CIA Global Response Staff.  The CIA required 8 years of Special Forces experience [...]

A military brat faces many challenges, but the lifestyle also builds very resilient adults. November is Month of the Military Family and we are joined by Army Veteran and Author Michael Joseph Lyons & Command Chief Master Sergeant Charles Neal of the Arizona Air National Guard. Michael Joseph Lyons Michael was not alive when his father went off to World War II, but he does recall his father being deployed to Korea.  After being raised a military brat, he went on to join the Army and raise a brood of military brats himself. He believes that being raised [...]

Bobby Henline could have given up.  But he didn’t. Now he uses humor to help others heal as well. Henline joined the Army at the age of 17 and deployed as part of Operation Desert Storm.  He served for three years before leaving the Army to move on with his life. Like many Veterans, Bobby was compelled to re-enlist following the 9/11 attacks and went through boot camp again as a 30 year old. On April 7, 2007 - three weeks into his fourth deployment an IED exploded under his vehicle, killing 4 crew members and leaving Bobby with severe [...]

The story of Richard Stayskal is by no means complete. The ending remains to be written. He survived a snipers’ bullet but is now fighting for his life against cancer and the bureaucracy. Richard Stayskal We need YOUR help to write the ending to this story. I take pride in show prep.  I read books before having authors on the show. I watch documentaries before we feature their producers. And, on occasion, we reject guests because they just don’t fit. But sometimes the best laid show outline doesn’t survive first contact with the guest. This turned out not [...]

Catkiller was the call sign for the Army 220th Aviation Company over Vietnam.  They flew light, slow, single engine aircraft with virtually no armament.  Ray Caryl was one of them. The role of these Birddog pilots is described in his new book “Catkiller 3-2: An Army Pilot Flying for the Marines in Vietnam”. Ray and his fellow “Birddog” pilots flew the O-1, a military version of the Cessna. Perhaps not very sexy but the O-1 has been called the deadliest aircraft in the US inventory because of its ability to bring artillery and air support to bear upon the enemy.  [...]

Like many of his generation, Army Ranger Ray McPadden joined the military following the 9/11 attacks. He served seven years with the 2nd Ranger Battalion and 10th Mountain Division – including four combat tours. Ray spent almost two years on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border during which time his unit established the first American foothold in the notorious Korengal Valley – the same valley made famous in Sebastian Junger’s award winning documentary “Restrepo”. Ray also served in Iraq where he helped form special operations task force comprised of elite Army Rangers and Navy SEALS.  His unit conducted highly classified missions against agents [...]