“Turn and Burn: A Fighter Pilot’s Memories and Confessions” recounts Darrell Ahrens’ exploits as an Air Force fighter pilot. Darrell flew combat in Vietnam and was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross and 13 air medals. His children had been asking him to write some notes of his time in the Air Force but he kept putting it off. While visiting his mother on the family farm, he picked up a book about the history of Platte County, Nebraska. The bio [...]
Wade Hubbard only spent five years in the Air Force. During that time he was awarded FIVE Distinguished Flying Cross medals, Thirty Air Medals and the Purple Heart. “Mother” Hubbard joins us for our regular feature in partnership with the Distinguished Flying Cross Society. The mission of the DFC Society is to honor, preserve and teach the legacy or heroism or extraordinary achievement in aerial flight for which the Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded. Wade wanted to fly and decided [...]
The P-51 Mustang changed the course of the air war in Europe, but it almost didn’t make it off the assembly line. The story of the Mustang’s evolution and the pilots that flew it in combat is the subject of a great new book by David & Margaret White titled “ Wings of War; The World War II Fighter Plane That Saved the Allies and the Believers Who Made It Fly.” The genesis of the book is Margaret’s 103 year [...]
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 [...]
Diane Hight didn’t know why her father had become an alcoholic. It wasn’t until much later in life she realized that he was suffering silently from his experiences in World War II. This discovery and her abiding respect for the generation that fought in WWII and Korea led her to found Forever Young Veterans. “They are a generation that has never asked for anything. I thought at the very least I could grant some special wishes for them.” Since 2006 [...]
Central Intelligence Agency covert action officer Joe Goldberg has seen a lot of changes since his time with the agency. The advent of the digital age has made managing “propaganda” a whole new business. Joe always had a desire to be in public service and the opportunity to interview with the CIA matched his dual degrees in political science and communications. His role with the agency also allowed him to feed his creative side. During his time with the Central [...]
Fisher House Chairman & CEO Ken Fisher is carrying on the wonderful program first created by his great uncle Zachary Fisher. To date, the Fisher House has provided support to over 430,000 military and Veteran families in the form of free lodging and travel. Neither Ken nor Zachary served in the military. But when Zach heard the USS Intrepid was going to be scrapped he led an initiative to have the ship preserved and converted to a museum that hosts [...]
The transition from military to civilian life is the principle focus of our regular Havok Journal update with Editor Scott Faith. The transition can be more difficult for some than it is for others. Scott himself is retiring from the Army soon after 28 years in service. Several articles on the topic have been published on Havok Journal and we discuss highlights of each. “Observations of a Transitioning Officer – Time to Go” by Josh McKaskill “A Green Beret Leaves [...]
Traumatic Brain Injuries have been diagnosed in more than 450,000 service members between the years 2000 and 2021. These “invisible wounds” can cause physical, mental and emotional damage. A recent short film titled “Brainstorms” shows the impacts that these wounds can have upon the victims and their families. Two medical professionals join us to discuss this issue. Dr. Chrisanne Gordon is founder of the Resurrecting Lives Foundation and Dr. Josh Appel is Chief of Emergency Medicine at the Southern Arizona [...]
Operation Pineapple Express will likely go down as one of the greatest rescue missions in history. What makes it even more interesting and inspirational is the fact that it was mostly organized by civilians – retired Special Forces operators, Congressional staff, and state department personnel. In the midst of the horror and chaos of our withdrawal from Kabul, Pineapple Express was able to get approximately 1,000 Afghan allies and their families on evacuation flights. It was just one among several [...]