Navy Pilot Charlie Plumb had complete 74 combat missions over Vietnam and was five days away from completing his tour of duty when a surface to air missile brought down his F-4 Phantom near Hanoi. He would endure 2,103 days as a POW and recounts these experiences – and lessons learned – in his book “I’m No Hero”. The book is now in its 33rd publication and is filled with stories of resilience, inventiveness and the power of the human [...]
Resiliency is defined as the ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity or the like. Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein recently stated “Suicide is an adversary that is killing more of our airmen than any enemy on the planet” and ordered a branch wide Resiliency Operational Pause. Master Sergeant Lisa Goad served more than 20 years as an Air Force Security Forces Defender. She took pride in the idea that she was protecting others every day. [...]
Providing close protection and security for high profile clients wasn’t Glen Burton’s first career. He initially learned the applicable skills, strategies and instincts while serving with an elite unit of the British Army. The stories of his rather adventurous life and lessons learned along the way are the subjects of the book “In Harm’s Way; Always Moving Forward”. As a 21 year old, he was offered the opportunity to serve as part of the personal detail for General Sir Michael [...]
Sgt. Will Gardner was a labor of love for Max Martini. An accomplished actor, he has played military roles in many films including “13 Hours”, “The Great Raid”, “Captain Phillips” and the TV Series “The Unit”. While Max has relatives who served in the military and law enforcement, it wasn’t until his role in "Saving Private Ryan" that he was inspired to create a calling for himself to help Veterans. He feels that “Saving Private Ryan” was key to allowing [...]
“Hunting the Caliphate: America’s War on ISIS and the Dawn of the Strike Cell” is a compelling new book that tells the story of America’s war against ISIS from the first hand perspective of the men who started it. Co-Authors Major General Dana Pittard (US Army Ret) and Master Sergeant Wes Bryant (US Air Force Ret) share a preview. Master Sergeant Wes Bryant Major General Dana Pittard Dana is a highly decorated combat leader who was [...]
The Arizona 9/11 “Never Forgotten” Tower Challenge is believed to be the nation’s largest Sept. 11 memorial event using exclusively first responders, military members and their families. Last year over 2,000 participants accepted the challenge to climb 2,071 steps, equal to the number of floors in the World Trade Center Towers. The event has raised nearly $200,000 for charities that support military and first responder families. Rob Brandt is a Tucson Police Dept. Sergeant and President of the 9/11 Tower [...]
Undersea Rescue Command is one of the US Navy’s most specialized commands. Their mission is to be prepared to mobilize anytime to rescue any US or NATO submarine anywhere in the world. MCPO Patrick Bunker with BBG Master Chief Petty Officer Patrick Bunker is also a Captain in the Tucson Fire Department and was serving with Undersea Rescue Command when they were deployed to assist with search and rescue mission for the Argentinian submarine ARA San Juan in [...]
(L-R) Jack Bewly, Dan Pederson, BBG, Scott Bader Top Gun founder Dan Pederson began his Navy career as a mechanic. Thanks to a great mentor, he would become a pilot and play a critical role in creating one of the most storied Fighter Weapons Schools in the world. He wrote “Top Gun: An American Story” to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Despite dominating air to air combat in World War II and Korea, the Navy kill ratio early in [...]
Life Flight personnel save lives. And they risk their own lives in doing so. Beth Anne Laos Beth Anne Laos served as a Life flight nurse for eight years during which she experienced both the highs and lows of being an “Angel with Rotors”. She was drawn to the field because she wanted to fly and started her career as an American Airlines flight nurse for long term medical transport overseas. However, after three extremely grueling and long [...]
The National Museum of the United States Army will be the largest military museum on the planet when it opens in 2020. It will tell the entire history of our Army and the 30 million men & women who have worn the uniform since 1775. Actor Joe Mantegna is the national spokesperson for the fundraising campaign and provides updates on the project. Joe has a very personal connection to this project; he had five uncles serve during the Second World [...]