Stand-Up comedian and Marine Corps Veteran Erik Knowles got an early start with a set of Nickelodeon jokes at 4th grade summer camp. He joined the Marine Corps because he was looking for a father figure. In fact, a Marine Corps Drill Instructor taught him to shave. Erik soon learned that being a comedian does not always fly in the military. He got busted down in rank a couple of times. His Sergeant liked him but realized he couldn’t bust [...]
Havok Journal writer Dave Chamberlain joins us to discuss some of his recently published articles. Chamberlain served 38 years in the Air Force and Air National Guard as an aircraft crew chief. He retired at the rank of Chief Master Sergeant. Dave is one of the more prolific contributors to the Havok Journal. We discuss a rather unusual situation early on in Dave’s military career. (Outlined in his article “How to go from Basic Training to Instructor in One Step”.) [...]
TAC-P (Tactical Air Control Party) personnel are the Air Force’s premiere close air support and joint fires integration specialists. JTAC (Joint Terminal Air Controller) is a certification that allows an individual to say “cleared hot” on the radio. Ethan Brown spent 11 years serving as an Air Force TAC-P and had six deployments to multiple combat zones. His book “Visual Friendlies, Tally Target” uses the stories of multiple Forward Air Controllers to show how close air support in the war [...]
New York Homicide host Robert K Boyce spent 35 years with the New York Police Department – the largest municipal police for in the country. He served as Chief of Detectives for the last four years of his career, overseeing a team of 5,800 uniformed and civilian members. New York Homicide is entering its third season broadcasting on the Oxygen Channel True Crime Network. Bob was approached about hosting show at the peak of the George Floyd riots. He jumped [...]
“The Houdini Club” by Mir Bahmanyar describes the formation and exploits of “Darby’s Rangers” during World War II. Mir’s father served in the Iranian military until the 1960’s. His family immigrated to the US when Mir was fifteen years old. He served with the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. After being medically discharged from the Army, Mir decided to pursue a career in Hollywood. While there he was introduced to Phil Stern, one of Hollywood’s most famous photographers. During World [...]
Gary Sinise makes a return visit to American Warrior Radio to share updates on his foundation and a very special initiative to honor the legacy of his son Mac. The Gary Sinise Foundation is one of the most effective and respected non-profit organizations working to support military and first responder families. Since their inception in 2011 they have raised over $500 million in support of these communities. We begin by introducing listeners to Gary’s “why”. It began when he took [...]
The original Jeep was not manufactured by Willys or even Ford. The small, bankrupt American Bantam Car Company won the original bid and built the first prototype in an amazing forty-nine days. The progression from concept to mass manufacture is the subject of Paul Bruno’s book “The Original Jeeps.” Paul is recognized as one of the foremost experts on the creation and evolution of the Jeep. He has conducted 25 years of research and written three books on the subject. [...]
The Modern War Institute at West Point generates new knowledge for the profession of arms, enhances the West Point curriculum, and serves as an intellectual resource for solving military problems. The West Point Superintendent approved the MWI concept in December of 2014 when he saw a need to reconnect West Point intellectual capital to the broader force. Charles Faint serves as the Managing Editor for the Modern War Institute and joins us to share more information about this fascinating West [...]
Team Alpha was an eclectic group of CIA linguists, tribal experts and paramilitary officers inserted into Afghanistan shortly after the September 11th attacks. Their mission was to work with tribal warlords in the fight against the Taliban. Linguist David Tyson was part of that team. He is fluent in Russian, Uzbek, Turkmen, Turkish and Farsi/Dari. Much of David’s story is told in the book “First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11” by Toby Harnden. David [...]
National Vietnam Veterans Day is observed on March 29. March 29, 1973 was the day the US Military Assistance Command – Vietnam stood down. This year has a bit of added significance; it is the 50th anniversary of the war. The Department of Veteran’s Affairs estimates there are still 7 million Americans who served on active duty during the Vietnam war still living. Commander Brian Wierzbiki, Chief of Public Engagement for the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration [...]