Tracer Burnout

Air Force veteran, host of the Welcome Home podcast, and Director of Culinary Services for Willing Warriors, Mr. Larry Zilliox, joins us in our virtual studio to tell us all about the Warrior Retreat at Bull Run.  Larry has been with the organization pretty much from the start and knew right away that he wanted to contribute to this organization that is dedicated to helping, not just the service m...

Army veteran Mr. Dale Knollinger didn't have many options that appealed to him after graduating high school in a small Ohio town. A persistent recruiter convinced him to try the Army, and life has never been the same. Assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, he deployed to Afghanistan before he was even given a barracks room. Upon returning stateside, a new chain of command with a new approach...

The new Executive Director of the Airborne and Special Operations Museum Foundation, Mrs. Margaret Britten, joins us to tell us a little bit about herself and some exciting projects that she and the Foundation are working on. Long overdue renovations, upcoming family events, fundraising for projects, and a special bourbon inspired by Iron Mike! Theme song by EduardBykovets via Pixabay. Support the...

Marine Corps veteran, Mr. Evan Eldridge, was home sick from school watching the 2003 invasion of Iraq and felt like he was missing out on something that would shape his generation. Not only did that change his immediate plans for college, but it changed his whole life. Over the next decade, Evan would have jobs in the Corps that he hated and jobs that he loved. He would deploy to Iraq and Afghanis...

The VA's Suicide Data Report was released back in 2012 and was instrumental in raising awareness of the epidemic plaguing service members and veterans, but it's been more than a decade and the issue persists. We're all aware of the problem, but why hasn't anything gotten better?  We asked the President of America's Warrior Partnership and Air Force veteran, Mr. Jim Lorrain...

Rashon Walker wanted to play college football at Louisiana State University, but when an offer didn't arrive, he chose to serve his country like many other members of his family. Enlisting in the Army as a Logistics Manager, Rashon was given the guidance and mentorship he hadn't received elsewhere.  His leadership qualities developed, and they would be sorely needed in the years ahead. A...

As a young man, Anthony Bongi had two choices: pursue acting and modeling in New York City or accept a last-minute opportunity to West Point. He chose West Point, and there he began a whirlwind military career that would see him booted from West Point, enlisted in Alaska, deployed as a member of the Air National Guard, and it only gets wilder from there. Over a decade later, Anthony achieved his d...

Founder and owner of Vestibular Training Services (VTS), Mrs. Sheila Thelen, joins us for this Tracer Burnout Quick Hit to tell us all about VTS and how she and her team are helping improve the lives of veterans, athletes, and everyday people.  She tells us all about the vestibular system, how the treatment affects everything from sleep to your sense of humor, and some of the future outlooks for m...

After a failed college experiment, David Mueller wasn't happy with where he was in life, so he decided to enlist. Knowing full well there were two wars going on, David wound up as an infantryman in the 3rd Ranger Battalion and never looked back. For the next 20 years, David threw himself into the profession of arms, deployed to combat zones numerous times, and faced every challenge head-on. F...

“When times get hard and people crumble, it shows you who they are.” Army veteran, public speaker, and author, Mr. Greg Archbold, was headed down a rough path in life until a couple of veterans saw his potential and convinced him to enlist. The desire to improve his life led Greg to a career of more than three decades and from an enlisted medic to a Military Police officer. He treated POWs during...

In this Quick Hit, we chat with Army veteran, actress, nurse, and author, Ms. Mindy Dougherty. Mindy tells us about her book, A Dragon's Voice, helping children learn valuable life lessons as well as learning to read. She also tells us about some of her childhood struggles, why she's unsure of writing a follow-up, and how Dan and Roger may get involved in the audio version! Theme song by...

“Know a vet? Tell a vet.” Air Force veteran, Mr. Jim Lorraine, always knew he wanted to serve, but he didn't know exactly how until his mother told him to be a nurse. So that's what Jim did, and he's never looked back.  As a flight nurse, the Air Force took Jim all over the world: caretaker flights in Europe, combat zones in the Middle East and Africa, and renditions anywhere and ev...

In this episode, Navy veteran Tim Eliopoulos joins us in the virtual studio to tell us about his journey from college dropout to SWAT officer. The Navy was the beginning of his journey, but certainly not the end, as Tim became a gym manager, a mortgage broker, a government contractor, and a campus cop - then made his way through the law enforcement ranks to achieve his dream of being on a SWAT tea...

Marine Corps veteran, Mr. Joe "Bulldog" Adcox had a lot going on when he came to the studio for a quick chat! He just attended the annual gathering of Leathernecks Motorcycle Club, got married, and is in the middle of a road trip to get together with several Bulldog Essential Fitness (BEF) clients.  Our second returning guest, Joe tells us about his history with the Leathernecks, the cha...

Just a few months into her retirement, Navy veteran Candace Esquivel joins us to battle her allergies and tell us about her career as a Navy cryptologist (not cryptozoologist).  Leaving the "freakshow" of Twinsburg, Ohio, to follow her interest in military intelligence, the Navy took Candace across the world to gather intelligence on America's adversaries. She chased new challenges...

Special Forces veteran, Mr. Kevin "Edge" Edgerton, joins us in the virtual studio to tell us a bit about his own personal fitness journey, how his Special Forces experience helped him find his niche, and why 18A Fitness is the place to go if you want to be physically prepared for Army or Air Force Special Operations selection.  Whether you want to be an operator or you're just getti...

"That was the first time I saw anti-aircraft artillery getting shot up at us." With a legendary military family history going back to the Revolution, it's almost as if Air Force veteran, nurse, and writer, Ms. Mary Howe, was genetically predisposed to service. She tells us about choosing enlistment over college, the extensive training pipeline to become an AC-130 gunner, her multipl...

For our third annual Memorial Day episode, Gold Star Mother, Mrs. Christina Kazakavage, joins us in the studio to tell us about her son, Air Force Technical Sergeant Adam Ginnet, who was killed in Afghanistan by an IED.  We talk about her family’s long history of service, why Adam chose the Air Force and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), and the things that he valued most. We also discuss the ard...

Our guest for this Quick Hit is Marine Corps veteran, Mr. Mark O'Loughlin, who has written a new book on leadership. With decades of leadership experience in both the military and civilian sectors, Mark has five simple rules that any leader at any level in any field can learn and implement to improve their team and themselves. Whether you're a CEO or a junior NCO, Mark's Validated L...

Warrior Dad speaks Old battles echo through smoke We sit and listen. Mr. TJ Baird, aka The Warrior Dad, stopped by the Tracer Burnout studio to tell us about his multiple decades in the Army - or at least some of that time. Willing to add another few decades to an already long lineage of service, TJ knew it wasn't going to be in the Navy, and it wasn't going to be as an infantryman.  Fro...

“That’s where I got my callsign, Yoko, because I broke up the band.” Navy veteran, history podcaster, and YouTuber, Mrs. Jenn Bennie (aka Yoko), joins us in our virtual studio for this episode to tell us about her time as a Navy helicopter pilot.  From growing up as a military brat to falling in love with aviation and from search and rescue missions to finding new passions in American history and...

Army veteran and veteran filmmaker, Mr. Erik Bernard, joins us from exotic Canada for this Quick Hit. We discuss what got him interested in filmmaking, the events that pushed him to pursue it as a second career, and some of the industry ups and downs that he's learned along the way. Plus diva directors, clueless film students, and so much more! Theme song by EduardBykovets via Pixabay. Suppor...

“Drugs and nurses, son.” All he wanted to be when he enlisted was a "hard hat, torch burning diver,” but Navy veteran, Mr. Brenden McMullen, ended up doing everything else instead. From a short stint in a hospital basement, to 1st Force Recon, to capturing enemy prisoners in Operation Desert Storm, to training disobedient dolphins to find enemy divers; Mr. McMullen's time in the Navy was...

“You’re not gonna make it here.” Army veteran and host of The Strategic Veteran Podcast, Mr. Adam Peters, swings through the Tracer Burnout studio to tell us all about the highs and lows of a military career cut short by injuries (and possibly malpractice). From growing up in rural Indiana and being rejected by other military branches to multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and from leade...

Army Veteran and fellow podcaster, Mr. Leo Bañuelos, joins us in the Tracer Burnout Studio for this Quick Hit - and he brought tequila! He tells us about the training exercise that ended his career prematurely, how he got into podcasting, some of the challenges of being a one-man operation, and why sometimes the only option is to “keep going in wet boots.” Theme song by EduardBykovets via Pixabay....