Inspirational

"Homefront Stories" is a collection of fictional short stories written by Victoria Kelly inspired by her life as a military spouse.  Her 2015 work, “When Men Go Off to War” is a collection of poems written while her husband was deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and captures the hopes, anxieties and intimacies of the military spouse during times of war. “Prayers of an American Wife” is a collection of poems that highlights the displacement women experience when their husbands deploy [...]

Joe Lowrey was deployed with the 7th Special Forces Group in Afghanistan. In July of 2014 an enemy machine gun round pierced the front of his helmet, traveled across the top of his skull and exited the back of his head.  He was given an 11% chance of survival and his Green Beret teammates gathered by his bedside while Joe was administered the Last Rites. After thirty days in a coma, Joe DID survive with all his mental faculties but [...]

“The Pledge to America” author Drago Dzieran grew up under the oppressive socialist/communist government in Poland. The book describes his journey from political prisoner to a Navy SEAL. Drago says that “The Pledge to America” was not intended to be a “SEAL book”. Rather, his reasoning for writing the book was to provide a lens for fellow Americans to recognize how special our country is. Drago had a rough upbringing in poverty and soon turned to violence as a survival [...]

Independence Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. While I was born a US citizen, my first nine years were spent overseas. This has embedded in me a deep appreciation for how special this country is. Joining me to discuss this topic is Jeff Utsch.  He is a constitutional scholar and Senior Faculty Lead Instructor at the Leadership and Freedom Center in Gettysburg. Jeff also founded the Heirs of the Republic. He is a former All-American swimmer and [...]

EOD Fudge founder Aaron Hale could have easily given up after losing his sight to an IED blast in 2011. Two years later he lost his hearing. Instead of retreating, Aaron decided if he was going to be blind, he would be “the best blind guy I could be.” Following his injuries he has climbed mountains, gone white water kayaking and run the Boston Marathon – twice. Aaron joined the Navy as a cook. Following the 9/11 attacks he felt [...]

“Fly Girls Revolt” by Dr. Eileen Bjorkman tell the stories of the pioneering woman who had to fight in order to allow women to fly in combat. Eileen logged more than 700 hours in 25 different types of military aircraft as a flight test engineer and retired from the Air Force as a Colonel. Two of the first pioneers were well known aviatrixes Jaqueline Cochran and Nancy Harness Love. Each convinced authorities to create sanctioned groups of female pilots to [...]

“I Married the War” is a powerful new documentary from husband & wife independent filmmakers Betty & Ken Rodgers. It tells the stories of 11 military wives whose lives were forever changed when their husbands returned from combat. The women span from World War II to present day. Betty and Ken previously produced another great documentary named “Bravo; Common Men, Uncommon Valor.” That film relates the stories of the Marines that fought at the siege of Khe Sahn. Ken fought [...]

Space Shuttle Commander Eileen Collins has spent more than 872 hours in space and logged 6,751 hours in the cockpits of 30 different types of aircraft.  In 1995 she became the first woman to pilot a space shuttle and then in 1999, the first woman to command a space shuttle mission.  Eileen joins us as part of our educational partnership with the Distinguished Flying Cross Society. Eileen’s father used to take the family to the airport to watch airplanes take [...]

Nate Boyer is the embodiment of the idea that anything can be achieved with the proper dedication and focused effort. After high school, Nate decided to give a Hollywood a try but he didn’t feel like he really belonged.  When he read about the tragedies associated with the civil war in Sudan, he offered to volunteer. However, without a special skill set, none of the organizations working with refugees wanted him. So Nate bought a ticket anyway and faked his [...]