Desert Storm and Forward

The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is the highest-ranking enlisted member of the Marine Corps. The role of the SMMC is to advise the Commandant on matters affecting enlisted Marines, represent the enlisted force in discussions with Senior Leadership and oversee the implementation of policies and programs that impact enlisted personnel. Carlos A. Ruiz assumed the post as the 20th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps on August 10, 2023. Carlos and his family immigrated to the United States [...]

The Devil’s Playground was the name given to the Arghandab Valley of Afghanistan by the US troops who fought there. It is also the title of a book written by Andrew Bragg about his fellow paratroopers of Charlie Company’s 2nd Platoon and their 2009-2010 deployment to the valley. His unit experienced fifty percent casualties and six KIA during that deployment. Andrew says “I thought about the guys in my platoon every single day for 12 years, but I never reached [...]

“Grit to Glory” by Green Beret Veteran Darrell Utt recounts his journey from the woods of West Virginia to his role as team Sergeant for ODA 043 in the streets of Baghdad during some of the most vicious fighting. Darell grew up “dirt poor” and he says a trip to Burger King was “fine dining” for his family. He spent a great deal of time in the woods hunting, fishing and trapping with his father, which he says would later [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

“Brothers After War” is a documentary film directed by Jake Radenmacher in partnership with the Gary Sinise Foundation. Brothers After War debuted in 140 movie theatres nationwide. I strongly recommend both Veterans and civilians see this film. Between 2005-2007, Jake risked everything, including his life, to tell the story of his brothers serving Iraq. He embedded with multiple units, filmed numerous combat engagements, and interviewed more than forty combat Veterans in the warzone. The result was the award winning “Brothers [...]

“This Troubled Ground” by  is part memoir/part fiction. Les served our nation for 28 years, beginning with four years in the active duty Air Force and the remainder in the National Guard. He retired at the rank of Lt. Colonel in 2013. Dover Air Force Base is often the first domestic stop for the remains of the fallen coming from overseas. During the height of the Afghanistan War, President Obama changed the policies to allow families to have media presence [...]