Semper Try

What does perseverance look like at 84? In this episode of the Semper Try Podcast, Bill sits down with Ed Manley, a 21-year U.S. Navy veteran, former FMF Corpsman with the United States Marine Corps, educator, and author — recorded live at Podfest in Florida. Despite a recent Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Ed is still creating, still teaching, and still moving forward. From joining the Navy at 17 in 1959,...

In Episode 10 of the Semper Try Podcast, Bill sits down with Riley Jordan, USMC, a Marine veteran whose journey proves that trying really does beat quitting. Riley shares his path from a small-town upbringing to Marine Corps boot camp, serving as a heavy equipment operator, and deploying overseas to Okinawa and beyond. Along the way, he learned hard lessons about leadership, discipline, camaraderi...

In this episode of Semper Try, the story turns from escorting fallen Marines home… to being interrogated while still in uniform. After Vietnam, while stationed at a Naval Air Station in California, this Marine found himself under repeated investigation by the Naval Intelligence Division (NID). What started as questions turned into a sweeping probe of an entire barracks filled with decorated combat...

In Part 2, John Meade, a United States Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran, continues his story with the chilling aftermath of the Christmas Eve 1966 perimeter incident—when his foxhole partner admitted, “I did it. I killed the other Marine.” John shares the unanswered questions that still haunt him: missing rounds, missing memory, and the six hours in the foxhole he cannot recall. That gap becomes a...

In Part 1 of this multi-part conversation, Bill sits down with John Meade, a United States Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran and author of Confessions of a Surviving Alien. John shares his early life growing up in Minnesota, the lessons learned from hard work at a young age, and the experiences that shaped his determination to always try. From boot camp and advanced Marine Corps infantry training t...

Sometimes the biggest moments in life happen when you least expect them. In episode 8 of Semper Try, Bill shares a personal story from a freezing Friday night just before Christmas. What started as a simple dinner with family turned into a life-changing moment when he noticed a young man alone in a parking lot, clearly in distress. What followed was a conversation between two strangers — one tryin...

Navy Veteran Todd Wohl USS INGERSOLL DD-990

Be The One to talk to a Veteran Be The One to Listen to a Veteran Be The One to reach out to a Veteran Nick Nelson and Struggles with mental health and how it affects everyone

Nick Nelson Coming back from war.

Nick Nelson Mn National Guard  18 Months in Iraq 

Marine Veteran Ben's Transition to life after the Uniform. Being a Flight Paramedic Hockey Dad

Marine Veteran Ben Nelson His 4-year Marine Corp Journey  Flight Paramedic Hockey Dad Gunsmith 

Jennifer Lowe Wife, CRMC Foundation Director, Smiles for Jake President, Cuyuna Chamber Vice President. Mental Health Awareness Be Kind

Audio ONLY Brainerd American Legion Commander Wayne Harting

Audio ONLY Happy Birthday Marine Corp Meeting Host Bill Lowe

I talk with Commander of the Brainerd American Legion Wayne Harting. Mn National Guard Veteran Coaching Volunteering   

Episode One of the Semper Try Podcast launches on the 250th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. In this episode, Bill shares the personal story behind the name Semper Try—inspired by the Marine Corps motto Semper Fidelis and built on the belief that trying beats quitting. Bill walks through his journey from high school to becoming a Marine Corps F/A-18 mechanic, including boot camp setback...

Semper Try INTRO