Inspirational

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 [...]

Larry Cripps was drafted into the Army in the summer of 1969. He would see combat with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in both Vietnam and Cambodia. His experiences in combat profoundly influenced his understanding of faith during times of conflict. Following his discharge from active duty in 1971, Larry pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Biblical Education and History and attended Seminary School. He returned to the military and served as a Navy Chaplain for three decades. He says he [...]

“Letters From the Front” is a unique project that takes letters sent home from the battle front and puts them to musical scores featuring four voices and a piano. Twelve letters spanning from the Revolutionary War through the Gulf War will be transcribed.  Classical pianist and Illinois National Guard member Ian Gindes is the project’s Executive Producer. New York and Paris based composer Patrick Zimmerli will be taking the lead on composition. The idea was born out of a series [...]

Military suicide is a scourge in our nation. As someone who has never been impacted by a suicide in my family, I have always struggled to understand. Lt. Col. Angelina “Strike” Stephens opened my eyes. “Strike” had been an Air Force ambassador for suicide prevention for over a decade. She says she knew what it looked like on someone else and knew what it sounded like. In many ways, suicide became a dominant theme in her military career. The first [...]

“The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11 – From Tragedy to Triumph” is a new documentary scheduled to be released in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Producer Chris Meek and Director Michael Gier join us to discuss the project. Chris experienced the attacks firsthand and was responsible for getting 29 people to safety. He would go on to found Soldier Strong, a non-profit helping Veterans by donating revolutionary medical devices. Michael is an award-winning director and founder of [...]

Taking Chance is an HBO original film that chronicles the experiences of Lt. Col. Michael Strobl while escorting the remains of fallen Marine Pvt. Chance Phelps to his hometown for burial. The film was HBO’s most watched original in five years and starred Kevin Bacon in the lead role as Mike Strobl. Pvt Phelps’s unit was providing convoy escort duty April 9, 2004 near Ar-Ramadi Iraq. The convoy came under heavy fire. Despite being wounded, Phelps continued to man his [...]

The HER Campaign was founded by Britney Higgs and her husband Sammy in 2016 after Britney returned from filming a documentary in Iraq. The mission of the HER Foundation is to help survivors of human trafficking heal, grow and find purpose. They operate shelter/recovery facilities in Billings, Montana and Denver, Colorado. Britney and Sammy were hired by a Non-Governmental Organization to produce a documentary regarding the victims of human trafficking in war torn regions. They went to Iraq right after [...]

The Fuji Fire is considered by many to be one of the most serious peacetime disasters suffered by our United States Marine Corps.  Among the 54 Marines badly burned, thirteen Marines lost their lives. Yet, many people have never heard of it. Marine Corps Veteran Chas Henry has written a book to try and remedy that situation. It is called “Fuji Fire; Sifting Ashes of a Forgotten U.S. Marine Corps Tragedy”. Chas is a combat decorated Marine Corps Veteran himself [...]