Semper Try

Part 2 of Episode 24 of the Semper Try Podcast is here. In this episode, I sit back down with Navy submariner David as we go deeper into what life is really like beneath the surface. From serving on the USS Ohio and USS West Virginia to spending over a decade at sea, this conversation pulls back the curtain on a world most people will never experience. We talk about long patrols lasting 80 to 100+...

Bill sits down with his cousin David Albert, a retired U.S. Navy submariner with 20 years of service beneath the surface. What started as a quick escape from a small town turned into a career inside one of the most demanding environments in the military. From freezing nights arriving at boot camp in Chicago… to surviving “sweat parties”… to learning how to make oxygen underwater… this episode pull...

On this episode of the Semper Try Podcast, I sit down with my uncle, Robert “Bob” Lowe, for a conversation that spans generations of military service and the stories that come with it. We start with my grandfather—a World War II Navy sailor who served on LSTs in the European Theater… and survived two ships being sunk. No spotlight. No recognition. Just came home and went back to farming in Minneso...

A conversation with Marine veteran Troy Hradsky, who served from 1986 to 1990. From small-town Brainerd to boot camp in San Diego, Troy shares what it was really like becoming a Marine in the 1980s — when drill instructors were still hands-on and the transformation was as mental as it was physical. We dive into: The mindset shift that boot camp creates Leadership lessons forged under pressure The...

In Episode 21 of the Semper Try Podcast, Bill sits down with Major Janelle Johnson of the Minnesota National Guard. With nearly 28 years of service, Major Johnson shares her journey from a 17-year-old recruit growing up near Camp Ripley to becoming a senior leader serving overseas in Norway through the State Partnership Program. This episode dives into: Joining the Guard before 9/11 and how everyt...

In Episode 20 of the Semper Try Podcast, Bill sits down with Minnesota National Guard veteran Jake Thesing to talk about his journey from joining the Guard in high school to deploying to Iraq from 2005 to 2007. Jake shares what it was like training as a 19K M1 Abrams tanker, working with tank units out of Wadena and Sauk Centre, and eventually serving on convoy escort missions in Iraq. He talks ab...

In Episode 19 of the Semper Try Podcast, Wayne Harting returns to talk about what’s happening at the Brainerd American Legion, why membership matters, and how local posts can continue making a real difference for veterans and their families. Bill and Wayne talk about new events, live music, fish fries, growing membership, and the importance of keeping organizations like the Legion strong. They als...

This week on the Semper Try Podcast, Bill runs a solo episode after completing his 15th Polar Plunge for the Minnesota Special Olympics with the Brainerd American Legion and CTC team, raising over $5,000 for an incredible cause. Bill then dives into military history surrounding March 9th, including Operation Meetinghouse, the devastating B-29 firebombing of Tokyo in 1945, one of the deadliest air...

On this episode of Semper Try, I’m joined by Tom Getty — Air Force veteran and longtime Minnesota National Guard soldier who’s also serving with me on the Brainerd American Legion board. We recorded this one on a windy “no snow” vacation, but the stories are worth it. Tom comes from a strong military family (WWII Navy, Vietnam-era Air Force, sons and grandsons serving today), and he takes us insid...

In Episode 16 of Semper Try (Because Trying Beats Quitting), Bill sits down in an undisclosed, snow-free location with Canadian veteran Jeff McCrae. Jeff’s story is one you don’t hear every day. He served across Canada’s integrated military system, working with the Army, Navy, and Air Force—including time supporting NORAD in Colorado Springs before commissioning as a military air traffic controlle...

In Episode 15 of Semper Try, I sit down with Bill from B93.3 and the Brainerd Elks to talk about what service organizations really do—and why they still matter today. We break down the Elks Lodge, how it’s different from groups like the Legion, VFW, Eagles, and JCs, and why their focus on youth and veterans continues to make a real impact in the community. From the Minnesota Elks Youth Camp to Hoo...

What drives someone to keep volunteering season after season—long after the wins fade and the time commitment grows? In this episode of Semper Try, Bill sits down with Nate Olson—coach, official, Sports Booster board member, and lifelong athlete—to talk about why coaching youth sports matters far beyond the scoreboard. Nate shares how growing up in a sports-centered family shaped his life, how coa...

In this episode of the Semper Try Podcast, Bill sits down with Deanna Olson — volunteer, wellness coach, and founder of a memorial fund inspired by her father, a 51-year employee at Camp Ripley, lifelong farmer, and amputee who defined what service to others truly looks like. After her father’s passing, Deanna and her sisters asked a simple question: How do we keep Dad’s legacy of helping people a...

In Part 2 of Episode 012, Bill continues his conversation with Leroy, a retired Minnesota State Trooper with 36 years in law enforcement, diving into the moments that define a career — the ones you never forget. Leroy walks through life after State Patrol School, field training, and years working the interstate, including a career-defining multi-agency pursuit on Interstate 90 tied to one of the l...

In this episode of the Semper Try Podcast, Bill sits down with longtime friend and fellow Legion member Leroy, a U.S. Army veteran who served as a Military Police officer during the Cold War. Leroy shares how his decision to join the Army in 1974 was inspired by his father—a World War II veteran who lost his leg in combat in the Philippines and earned a Purple Heart. From basic training at Fort Le...

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