The Battle of Castle Itter was one of the most bizarre actions of World War II and just one of the interesting events we discuss with noted historian and author Professor John C. McManus. John is often called upon as a subject matter expert for numerous television programs and has authored 14 books on military history. Battle of Castle Itter began on May 5, 1945 during the last days of war in the European theatre and five days after Hitler [...]
September 11 survivors Matt Rosenberg and James Gagliano share their thoughts 20 years after the attacks. Matt was an Army Medic at the Pentagon and Jimmy was an FBI agent in lower Manhattan. Matt was assigned the position of Mass Casualty NCO at the Pentagon about two weeks before September 11. His primary duty was as a medic in the minor surgery clinic and emergency response teams. Because the plane that hit the Pentagon impacted a section recently been renovated [...]
“Eagle Down; The Last Special Forces Fighting the Forever War” is a powerful book by Jessica Donati that is receiving high praise from many including Sebastian Junger. Jessica currently covers foreign affairs for the Wall Street Journal. She was the bureau chief in Kabul in 2015 and lived four years in Afghanistan. Eagle Down tells the personal stories of several Green Berets posted to Afghanistan conducting “training operations” following the official declaration that the “longest war in American history was [...]
Mount Elbert is the second highest peak in the contiguous United States, rising to 14,440 feet above sea level. On September 15, Shannon vonDriska will be part of a Challenge America team of four severely injured Veterans climbing the mountain. Their mission is to inspire Veterans and others struggling to overcome their physical and psychological scars. Shannon had hoped to become an Army medic. However, on a nighttime march she fell and immediately knew something serious was wrong. She continued [...]
GORUCK co-founder and CEO Jason McCarthy says his path from leaving the Special Forces to building a $100 million company is a “cautionary tale”. He even wrote a book titled “How Not to Start a Backpack Company.” Jason served with the Green Berets and his wife Emily was a CIA Case Officer deployed to West Africa. Jason put together a “go-ruck” for Emily to carry in her vehicle and home. This planted the seeds for GORUCK, but it was a [...]
Bone Frog Cellars and Bone Frog Coffee Founder and CEO Tim Cruickshank says “giving is the reason we exist as a company.” I bet you won’t find that mission statement on many company websites. Tim served with SEAL teams on both coasts. In addition to being the team corpsman he was also the primarily responsible for demolitions. “My kids knew nothing but me being at war the entire time. I was gone for half my son’s life at one time.” [...]
“Bone Rattle” author Marc Cameron is quite familiar with some of the scenarios presented in his latest thriller. He lived them during his long career with the US Marshals Service. Bone Rattle is the latest addition to his “Arliss Cutter” series and joins Marc’s bestselling Jericho Quinn thriller collection. Marc was also chosen to continue the very popular Tom Clancy books. Much of Marc’s career was in judicial protection but he most enjoyed his time in fugitive apprehension units. He [...]
CIA Case Officer Barry Broman recruited 41 agents during his 26 year career with the agency. He recounts some of the most interesting moments in his book “Risk Taker, Spy Maker” He first fell in love with East Asia when his Air Force officer father invited him along on an assignment with the Thai Air Force. A caveat was that Barry would find a job so he secured a position with the Associated Press, becoming the youngest AP photographer in [...]
Volition is a powerful concept first introduced to John Sapiente by Air Force pilot Dan Rooney. Rooney advocates; “It’s the most empowering force in the world. Volition is the POWER of choice. Every day we wake up we have a choice; we can be positive, we can be negative. We can choose to love, we can choose to hate. We can choose to pursue our dreams and our passions in life. But understand, our choices will culminate to write the [...]
Declan James Watch Company founder Brian Dougherty is applying the attitude and mental toughness he was taught as a Navy SEAL to help with his career as an entrepreneur. Excerpts from the SEAL’s creed give credence to his belief. Examples include; “We demand discipline. We expect innovation. The lives of my teammates and the success of our mission depend on me – my technical skill, tactical proficiency, and attention to detail. My training is never complete.” Brian thinks he may [...]