Douglas Dillard convinced his mother to let him enlist on July 3rd, 1942 when he was still 16 years old. He spent a number of Christmas holidays away from home – the Battle of the Bulge was his first. Dillard made his first combat jump into France as part of the 551st Parachute Infantry Regiment one month shy of his 18th birthday. He is proud that his company captured TWO German Generals within 24 hours of landing. One of those [...]
Just in time for the holidays we check back in with Vet Tix, one of our favorite national military & Veteran support organizations. Joining us for the broadcast is Marine and Vet Tix Chief Strategy Officer Steve Weintraub. Vet Tix is a non-profit that has given away over 2,560,015 event and attraction tickets in all 50 US States and Washington DC. They are ranked among the nation’s top non-profits with over 96% of their donated funds going directly to support [...]
Lacz with team mates Chris Kyle & Marc Lee The Last Punisher is a book by Kevin Lacz that records his time as a member of SEAL Team 3, also known as “The Punishers”. This no-holds barred account of the Battle of Ramadi has become a New York Times best seller. One of Kevin’s close friends lost his father in the World Trade Center bombings and those 9/11 attacks inspired Kevin to join the military. He was initially [...]
“Rocco” has had some ups and downs. But his work ethic and indomitable spirit have led Vince Vargas to be one of the most hardworking Veteran entrepreneurs we have ever had on the show. His father started him playing baseball at the age of 4 as a way of keeping him out of trouble. Rocco became sufficiently adept to earn a college baseball scholarship. But he still had a lot of growing up to do and a lack of focus [...]
The mission of Customs and Border Protection is to protect our nation from threats seen and unseen. We continue or conversation with the men & women of our nation’s largest law enforcement agency. Today’s interview involves a special emphasis on the Air and Marine Operations (AMO). AMO is comprised of approximately 1,800 agents, 240 aircraft and 300 marine vessels. They operate a variety of both fixed and rotor wing aircraft, marine vehicles and even unmanned aerial vehicles. Their mission includes [...]
Don Collier enlisted in the Navy while he was still in high school. But by the time he became eligible at 17 years old, the Second World War had been over for two months. Nonetheless, Don completed his commitment to the Navy, serving aboard the light cruiser USS Astoria. He volunteered for duty peeling potatoes in the ship’s “Spud Shack” because at least that got him up onto the deck level of the ship. Don accepted a football scholarship following [...]
Rowdy Johnson Our special Veterans Day show features two Veterans, both with upcoming debuts. Rowdy Johnson is a Navy Veteran and a talented country music artist. He recently encountered a homeless Veteran on the streets of Tucson and was compelled to put that man’s story to music in the song “Unwanted Man”. Rowdy has also organized a special concert at the Fox Tucson Theatre Nov. 15 to raise funds for the Tucson Community Foodbank and homeless vets. This [...]
The Distinguished Flying Cross was established to recognize any member of our armed services who distinguished themselves by “heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight.” Colonels Kim and Scott Campbell are both Air Force fighter pilots, both fly A-10 aircraft, they are married and..they both have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. On April 7, 2003, then Captain Kim Campbell was flying a combat air support mission over Baghdad. While exiting the area, her aircraft was hit [...]
Dr. Gary McLeod is a Vietnam Veteran and dentist that provides free emergency dental services to any veteran in need. Gary’s father and two uncles all served in the military during World War II. One uncle was a Navy Corpsman who was captured on Guam spent three years as a POW. In accordance with his family tradition of military service, Gary enlisted in the Air Force early in the Vietnam period. During the Vietnam War, he supported Air Force operations [...]
Few historical military personalities arouse more inspiration and controversy than George Custer. Most know about his defeat at the Little Bighorn, but not as many about his success as a cavalry commander during the Civil War. We are joined by Eric Wittenberg, acclaimed and award winning civil war historian, author and lecturer. Eric has authored 16 books about the civil war and focuses his topics on the lives of the average cavalryman during the war. Three of his books deal [...]