The Raven Report Podcast

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ravenreport.substack.com

Jonathon Burton is behind the brand @thebeardedburton. He teaches survival courses and bush crafting skills throughout the US. In building his business, he leveraged social media to connect with people and build community. He talks to us about survival skills, the outdoors, music, and more in this episode. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get ac...

This episode of the Raven Report podcast interviews the Instagram sensation @TomtheRomanHelmetGuy. Tom produces short videos highlighting battles and individuals who made a difference throughout history. From these short clips, we can extract battlefield tactics, character attributes, and a sense of adventure that we want to emulate ourselves and instill in our Soldiers. You can connect with Tom a...

1LT Jacques van Rooyen is a former member of the 81st SBCT. Upon his return from a deployment to Poland with the Dark Rifles, he entered the US Air Force as a chaplain. Prior to serving in the 81st, he spent a considerable amount of time as a teacher in China. In this episode, he provides us with a street-level perspective of the changes discussed in our previous two episodes. This is a public epi...

Jeremy Goldkorn is co-host of the Sinica podcast and editor-in-chief of SupChina.com. He moved to China in 1995 and became managing editor of Beijing's first independent English-language entertainment magazine. In 2003, he founded the website and research firm Danwei, which tracked Chinese media, markets, politics, and business. He has lived in a workers’ dormitory, produced a documentary about Af...

David Dollar (November 21, 1954 – October 8, 2023) was an American economist and China scholar who served as a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s John L. Thornton China Center between July 2017 and October 2023. His research focused on economic reform in China and US-China economic relations. He hosted Brookings' "Dollar and Sense" trade podcast. This is a public episode. If you would li...

MAJ Ben Siems is a highly experienced coach with diverse qualifications and expertise. With a Master's degree in Human Performance, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and countless certifications, he brings a wealth of knowledge to his work. While specializing in working with tactical Athletes such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, and military personnel, Ben also has...

Colonel Matthew James is the commander of the 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team. He is a known force in the Washington National Guard and a familiar voice on this podcast. He began his career as an active-duty infantry officer before transitioning to the AGR program in our State.  This episode delves into his command philosophy, lessons learned from years of service, and what lies ahead for the 81s...

Major General Ronald (Win) Burkett II is the commander of the 36th Infantry Division in Austin, Texas. As a subordinate unit, the 81st SBCT would fall under his command in the event of a large-scale mobilization.  In this episode, the commander of the 81st SBCT, COL Matthew James, sits down to have an in-depth discussion of what it means to be a member of the Arrowhead Team. This is a public episo...

Lieutenant General Jon A. Jensen is the Director of the Army National Guard. He guides the formulation, development, and implementation of all programs and policies affecting the Army National Guard, a force of nearly 335,000 Soldiers in the 50 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia. In this conversation, Washington’s Assistant Adjutant General, BG Paul Sellars, joins me in talkin...

Nick Freitas, a former Green Beret, dedicated a years of service to the US Army and one year in the Washington National Guard in 19th Group following a remarkable tenure on active duty. After leaving the Army, he established his own business and attained a position in the Virginia House of Delegates, where he currently serves. In our conversation with Nick, we discuss his military experience, b ei...

Rob Shaul is the Founder and Head Coach of Mountain Tactical Institute. With a strong emphasis on sport-specific program design, Rob works closely with professional mountain guides, alpine climbers, freeskiers, kayakers, backcountry hunters, and a diverse range of athletes. Rob’s expertise extends to training military, law enforcement, and firefighter personnel from various countries. He has condu...

Dennis Buckingham is a biologist for depart of Public Works on JBLM  to provide visitors with safe, high-quality hunting and outdoor recreation opportunities by managing the installation's ecosystems and biodiversity through conservation, protection, and restoration while prioritizing and supporting the military mission responsibly.  Justin Spurriel with Backcountry Hunting and Anglers Armed Force...

This week we sit down with SSG Tyler Buttersworth, also known as @buttersworthdasyrup on Instagram. SSG Buttersworth is a rising star in the US Army's recruiting world, having achieved his recruiting goals well ahead of schedule. What's more, he's managed to generate over 200 leads for other states through his Instagram account alone. In this episode, we'll dive deep into SSG Buttersworth's story,...

SFC Ethan Long is a highly experienced and dedicated soldier who has served in the United States Army since January 2009. He began his military journey as a 19K armor crewman, demonstrating his early commitment to serving on the front lines and operating heavy armored vehicles. In 2012, SFC Long decided to reclassify his military occupational specialty (MOS) to become a 14E, or Patriot Fire Contro...

Coach Brian Grout started his high school football career as a player in Puyallup. He fell in love hard with Puyallup football and proclaimed he would one day return to be the head football coach. Those claims were largely dismissed as dreams of an uniformed teenager until he came on staff as a assistant coach. In 2021, he replaced long time head football coach Gary Jeffers. Today, he talks to us...

Balancing the military with any career is difficult, but it takes a special person to be both a commanding officer and a high school coach. LTC Patrick Johnson serves as a commander on Camp Murray while also coaching full time at Stadium High School in Tacoma, WA. Our conversation explores his coaching journey and gleans the value of relationships both on the gridiron and in uniform. . This is a p...

Good leaders are good coaches. Therefore, if we are going to be and train excellent leaders we need to gather best practices from coaches. In this episode and the next, we will be interviewing local coaches to glean leadership lessons from the gridiron. Coach Justin Callander has been a high school football coach for well over a decade. In that time he has seen a variety of athletes grow from bein...

MAJ Jess Dawson is an Academy Professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Her research interests focus on nationalism, white supremacy and extremism, religion and what binds people together, guns and the role of American civil religion, and the digital disruption of technology on aspects of society. As the Information Operations Division Chief for the Army Cyber Institute. Our c...

It is now official. The U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers have established themselves as the foremost snipers globally. In the 2023 International Sniper Competition, four sniper teams from the National Guard proved to be the strongest contenders, achieving top 10 positions. Notably, team 7 secured the first-place position. The International Sniper Competition centers on combat, evaluating teams' c...

Lieutenant Colonel Tsukano is the former commanding officer at the Marine Detachment Fort Lee, Virginia. His background is in logistics and includes support globally to conventional and unconventional operations. He helped co found the Lethal Minds journal giving service members from across the Department of Defense a place to share their thoughts, insights, and wisdom. His Instagram account, @the...

PSYOP Soldiers contribute to the Army's objectives through the utilization of unconventional tactics. They employ their intellect, interpersonal abilities, cultural awareness, and proficiency in foreign languages to influence the beliefs and behaviors of foreign governments, organizations, and individuals. The art of psychological warfare necessitates flexibility, determination, and adept problem-...

Nate Boyer is what many would deem a Renaissance man.  The former active-duty Green Beret is also a world traveler, a philanthropist and community leader, and a professional athlete as a former member of the Seattle Seahawks. After joining the US Army in 2005, Boyer earned the coveted Green Beret in December 2006.  He was stationed in Okinawa throughout most of 2007 with the 1st Special Forces Gro...

The School of Advanced Military Studies educates members of our Armed Forces, our Allies, and the Interagency at the graduate level to become agile and adaptive leaders who are critical and creative thinkers who produce viable options to solve operational and strategic problems. Dr. G. Scott Gorman, Deputy Director for Academics, Colonel, US Air Force  Retired, holds a Bachelor of Science in Engin...

Mike Tuchscherer is a Father, Husband, veteran, and Gold Medalist at the 2009 World Games (the first male in USA Powerlifting history to do this). He won 8 USA Powerlifting National Championships, Bronze, 3 Silver, and 1 Gold medal in IPF World Championships, set 3 IPF World Records multiple times, and competed internationally both in single ply and unequipped. He is the founder of Reactive traini...