Combat Controllers Mike Lamonica and Mike West
Combat Control Foundation founding members Mike Lamonica and Mike West join us to discuss some of our military’s most highly trained warriors. The motto of Combat Controllers is “First There” and is derived from World War II when Pathfinders were inserted in advance of other troops in order to provide weather information and visual guidance for inbound aircraft.
“Turn and Burn” – Darrell Ahrens
Darrell Ahrens recounts some of his adventures as a fighter pilot - some of them quite humrous. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and 13 Air Medals while flying combat in Vietnam.
Wade Hubbard – Five DFC’s in Five Years
Wade Hubbard only spent five years in the US Air Force. Duing that time he was awarded FIVE Distinguished Flying Cross Medals, 30 Air Medals and a Purple Heart flying as a "back seater" in an F-4 Phantom.
The Birth of the P-51
The P-51 Mustang changed the course of the air war in Europe, but it almost didn’t make it off the assembly line. The story of the Mustang’s evolution and the pilots that flew it in combat is the subject of a great new book by David & Margaret White titled “ Wings of War; The World War II Fighter Plane That Saved the Allies and the Believers Who Made It Fly.”
Operation Pineapple Express – Scott Mann
Operation Pineapple Express will likely go down as one of the greatest rescue missions in history. What makes it even more interesting and inspirational is the fact that it was mostly organized by civilians – retired Special Forces operators, Congressional staff, and state department personnel. In the midst of the horror and chaos of our withdrawal from Kabul, Pineapple Express was able to get approximately 1,000 Afghan allies and their families on evacuation flights. It was just one among several operations conducted by volunteer groups. Lt. Col Scott Mann is a retired Green Beret and was one of the principle [...]
Carry The Load – Stephen Holley
Carry the Load co-founders Stephen Holley and Clint Bruce are both Navy SEAL Veterans. The idea for their initiative was born out of anger and frustration, feeling that Americans were drifting away from the original purpose of Memorial Day. On Memorial Day 2010 Clint decided to undergo physical pain as an emotional purge. He loaded his pack with one pound for every comrade he had lost. During that walk he encountered a WWII Veteran who asked him; “Who are you carrying son?” Stephen joins us to share more information about their organization. Stephen and Clint organized their first Carry the [...]