Podcast Archives - American Warrior Radio

Mon 10/5/2026

US Disciplinary Barracks Ft. Leavenworth – SGM Daniel Dodds

Ben Buehler-Garcia2026-10-05T17:32:05-07:00October 5th, 2026|

The US Disciplinary Barracks is our military’s only Level III maximum security prison. The USDB sits on the post at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Sergeant Major Daniel Dodds is retiring as the Director of Operations Sergeant Major for the US Disciplinary Barracks. He joins us to share some history of the institution and discuss their reform and rehabilitation programs. Prior to construction of the USDB, military prisoners were held at various stockades and state penitentiaries scattered around the county. Then Army [...]

Mon 9/28/2026

“Operation Sparrow” – Jason Bell

Ben Buehler-Garcia2026-09-28T13:47:37-07:00September 28th, 2026|

Operation Sparrow was an audacious secret mission during World War II that may have saved thousands of lives. Author Jason Bell joins us to introduce the mission as chronicled in his book “Operation Sparrow: The Incredible True Story of the Spies Who Tricked Hitler and Won the War.” Operation Sparrow was a subset of the larger Operation Bodyguard, which included several plans designed to deceived German leadership about the site of the eventual European invasion. Sparrow was either genius or [...]

Mon 9/21/2026

“Born From War” – Patrick Naughton

Ben Buehler-Garcia2026-09-22T19:24:32-07:00September 21st, 2026|

“Born From War” author Patrick Naughton’s family has a long tradition of military service. Someone in his family fought in every conflict going back to the Revolutionary War. Patrick himself began as an enlisted soldier, enrolled in ROTC and returned to the Army as an officer. We begin discussing my feelings about an emerging “Spartan class”. It seems that the burden of protecting our nation continues to fall upon a smaller segment of families whose service is intergenerational. While Patrick [...]

Mon 9/14/2026

“Soldier to Saint” – Father Ed McKenzie

Ben Buehler-Garcia2026-09-20T17:54:19-07:00September 14th, 2026|

Father Ed McKenzie served in Vietnam as a crew member with the 38th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron. The combat search and rescue motto is “These Things We Do That Others May Live.” Like many Vietnam Veterans, Father McKenzie faced challenges upon returning to civilian life. When he sought some respite by seeking to join the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post, his membership was declined. He was told that Vietnam was a “police action” and therefor he didn’t qualify [...]

Mon 9/7/2026

Van of Valor: Mission Accomplished – Kevin and Lauren Wallace

Ben Buehler-Garcia2026-09-07T14:21:18-07:00September 7th, 2026|

Van of Valor co-founders Kevin and Lauren Wallace first appeared on American Warrior Radio just before they undertook a cross-country odyssey to collect the stories of 100 Purple Heart recipients and Gold Star families. They make a return appearance after traveling 27,000 miles though 48 states over 280 days. They recorded 317 stories for inclusion in their book “Van of Valor: a 27,000 Mile Journey Through American Sacrifice.” Kevin was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star with Valor during [...]

Mon 8/31/2026

“Hidden War” – John Nores

Ben Buehler-Garcia2026-08-31T14:02:25-07:00August 31st, 2026|

“Hidden War; How Special Operations Game Wardens are reclaiming America’s Wildlands from the Drug Cartels” was written by John Nores, a 26-year veteran of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It describes the very real war with drug cartels that is taking place in our own backyards. Very few people have an appreciation of all the roles played by game wardens and how dangerous the job can be. FBI data shows that state game wardens are SEVEN times more [...]

Mon 8/24/2026

“The Generosity of Scars” – Scott Mann

Ben Buehler-Garcia2026-08-30T16:58:28-07:00August 24th, 2026|

Lt. Col Scott Mann is a retired Green Beret with combat tours in Columbia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Scott’s newest book is “The Generosity of Scars: How Your Stories of Struggle Can Change Lives – Especially Your Own.” We first met Scott in 2022 with the release of his NY Times best-selling book “Operation Pineapple Express”. Pineapple Express may be one of the greatest rescue missions in history, successfully getting approximately 1,000 of our Afghan allies and their families out of [...]

Mon 8/10/2026

TAPS – Bonnie Carroll

Ben Buehler-Garcia2026-08-26T15:44:31-07:00August 10th, 2026|

TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) Founder Bonnie Carrol learned, in the most unfortunate manner possible, how deeply inadequate it is to have solely government support services available for the surviving family members of military personnel who lost their life in service. Bonnie had been working on Capitol Hill when she decided to join the Air National Guard. She met her husband, Army officer Tom Carroll in the West Wing of the White House, introduced to each other by [...]

Mon 8/3/2026

“Sacrifice, Grief and Resilience” – Mark Murphy

Ben Buehler-Garcia2026-08-09T20:40:06-07:00August 3rd, 2026|

Mark Murphy is a two-time member of the club that no one wants to join – Gold Star families. For them, EVERY day is Memorial Day. Mark’s son Shawn was a champion wrestler who wanted to serve his nation. He became a paratrooper after having to “tap out” out of special forces training due to a case of mononucleosis. Two weeks before Christmas, Shawn was deployed downrange in Iraq. Mark’s 13-year-old son Spencer came down to the basement to tell [...]

Mon 7/27/2026

“Empire of Ashes” – James M. Scott

Ben Buehler-Garcia2026-08-03T07:31:42-07:00July 27th, 2026|

“Empire of Ashes; Truman, Hirohito, and the Descent Into Total War” is James M. Scott’s third book in a series about World War II in the Pacific. James is an acclaimed Pacific War historian and multiple New York Times bestselling author. His books are meticulously researched and well written. James has previously appeared on our program to discuss his books “Rampage; The Battle of Manila” and “Black Snow” about the firebombing of Japan. Empire of Ashes doesn’t focus on the [...]