Operation Insight

Join us on Operation Insight as we celebrate Independence Day with World War II veteran Tom Lacey of the U.S. Army!   When our founding fathers signed and ratified the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, they made a bold stance against tyranny and oppression. They asserted, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator w...

Join us on Operation Insight as we celebrate our nation's semiquincentennial (250th Birthday) by hosting Missouri State Representative and Navy veteran Terri Violet!   As we celebrate 250 years of our nation's independence, we honor a connection to the very beginning of the American story and the leaders shaping its future today. Rep. Violet’s life is a masterclass in servant leadership, and her t...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Sergeant First Class Cheryl Rowland of the U.S. Army and Army Reserve!   (00:00) Disclaimer (01:01) Opening Theme (01:30) Introduction (55:54) Building a Family & the Toll of PTSD (1:09:13) Part II (1:50:12) The NCOA (1:56:25) Closing

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Master Sergeant Kathy Nix of the U.S. Air Force & Air National Guard!   (00:00) Disclaimer (01:01) Opening Theme (01:30) Introduction (38:54) Part II (56:21) Don't Ask, Don't Tell (1:16:03) Closing

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Petty Officer First Class Ken Carey of the U.S. Navy!   From a horse farm in Leonard, Michigan to the thunder of carrier flight decks, Ken’s story is precise, human, and unforgettable. We begin with family: great-uncles on the WWI battlefields, brothers and cousins in WWII and Korea, and a father who returned with a piece of shrapnel and a story that would b...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Airman First Class Cynthia McCrea of the U.S. Air Force Reserve and founder of Veteran Women of Influence!   (00:00) Disclaimer (01:01) Opening Theme (01:30) Introduction (41:21) Part II (1:13:40) Closing

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Sergeant Teegan LeClair of the U.S. Army! (00:00) Disclaimer (01:01) Opening Theme (01:30) Introduction (52:07) Part II (1:27:26) SALUTE (1:31:40) Closing

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Lieutenant Colonel Jim Craig of the U.S. Army!   (00:00) Disclaimer (01:01) Opening Theme (01:30) Introduction (1:16:16) Waking Up to 9/11 in Hawaii (1:25:16) Part II (1:58:47) Blue Collar Colonels (2:06:28) The UMSL Veterans Center (2:17:30) “The Veterans Left Behind” & the Issue of Military Discharges (2:25:34) The GWOT Memorial (2:39:16) Closing

Join us on Operation Insight as we host veteran couple, Paul & Sue McCool of the U.S. Air Force!   (00:00) Disclaimer (01:01) Opening Theme (01:30) Introduction (37:13) Vietnam & Maintaining Airmanship (1:01:40) Meeting Each Other (1:04:44) Life Together Begins (1:18:51) Finding Other Veterans (1:35:11) Closing

Join us on Operation Insight as we host veteran couple, Nick & Carrie Schwartzkopf of the U.S. Navy!   They met by chance on a base, but their lives read like two converging novels of America — one threaded through mission fields and chapels, the other forged in the streets of Detroit. Nick and Carrie Schwartzkopf discuss their extraordinary shared life: a Marine who asked to be sent to Vietna...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Charley Wright (Founder), Matt Wilson (President), and Steve Siress (Coordinator) of LifeWaters!   The goal of LifeWaters has always been to provide training and scuba opportunities while trying to decrease the cost of training and travel for people with disabilities. Life with a disability is expensive, no matter how great your insurance or VA coverage. LW...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Sergeant John Lawrence & Sally Haywood, Co-coordinators of Team River Runner St. Louis!   This episode traces how a national adaptive paddling program founded at Walter Reed has grown into a life-changing community for veterans across the St. Louis region. Through stories that move from the vulnerability of the pool to the exhilaration of whitewater, lis...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Gold Star Father Mark Schmitz, whose son, Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, was killed in the Abbey Gate Bombing on August 26th, 2021.   Monday, May 25th, marks this year's Memorial Day. Americans all across this great nation will commemorate loved ones lost in service to our country and honor their sacrifices. This Memorial Day, we remember one such hero: LCpl...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Airman First Class Art Minor of the U.S. Air Force!   For as much time as Art spent in and around airports, one might think he would seek out a career in Aviation. In fact, Art did decide to join the Air Force, perhaps as a way to finally realize that dream. But no. In fact, Art would have even less to do with Aviation as an Airman than he had as a civilian....

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Master Sergeant Rebecca Tallman of the U.S. Air Force and Traveling Executive Director of the Veterans Community Project!   In this episode, Rebecca guides us through the places that formed her: El Sobrante and San Pablo, a childhood threaded with family military service and the sudden loss of a beloved brother, and the poor choices that drove a young woman...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Sergeant First Class Diane Cole Phipps of the U.S. Army! In this episode, SFC Diane Cole Phipps takes us on a journey through family, service, and a career that sat at the intersection of history and humanity. Born and raised in St. Louis with a Southern family legacy, Diane’s story begins amid motorcycles, hard work, and a household where the rules were cle...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Specialist Phil Wight of the U.S. Army!   While you're here, check out Phil's upcoming event: Boots & Bling! Enjoy a night of cars, casino games, fashion, and country music! This great event will take place on Wednesday, April 29th, from 6-10PM at the Piazza Messina in Cottleville, Missouri. Purchase your ticket at www. STLTopRides.com/Tickets   (00:00)...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Staff Sergeant Tom Bommarito of the U.S. Army!   (00:00) Disclaimer (01:01) Opening Theme (01:30) Introduction (38:21) Vietnam Preparation & Deployment (49:24) SFC Douglas ”Woody” Woodward (54:32) Two Purple Hearts & Mortar Fire (1:06:35) The Futility of War & Honoring the ”Unwritten Contract” (1:15:35) No Rest & No Recuperation (1:20:36) "We...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Sergeant First Class Sheldon Hartsfield of the U.S. Marine Corps & the Missouri National Guard!   Collins Horton and Tai Shan's Live Performance of "Just What We Do" as featured by Songs for Heroes: https://youtu.be/nxru5MHTBRk?si=5Y_w3LBluT8SN26t   (00:00) Disclaimer (01:01) Opening Theme (01:30) Introduction (42:52) Training for Anything & Extracti...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Captain Mike Lavin of the U.S. Army!   (00:00) Disclaimer (01:01) Opening Theme (01:30) Introduction (35:40) Once a Scout, Always a Scout (38:52) Vietnam & the 515th Transportation Company (1:07:47) Part II (1:12:16) "Born on the Fourth of July" & PTSD (1:18:48) The Westminster Seven & Returing to 'Nam (1:24:45) The Veteran Experience (1:34:04) M...

Join us on Operation Insight as we welcome Sergeant Brandon Eichholz of the U.S. Army, founder and owner of Sky Soldier Dog Training!   (00:00) Disclaimer (01:01) Opening Theme (01:31) Introduction (49:41) 173rd Airborne Brigade & the Sky Soldiers (1:18:34) Part II (1:27:15) COVID (1:37:49) Sky Soldier Dog Training (1:44:21) Closing

Operation Insight is proud to support The Freedom 13 organization and its upcoming Salute Our Troops Gala Night! WHAT: This special event includes a full-plated dinner, entertainment, a keynote address by former Green Beret veteran Adam Smith, and an unforgettable night! WHEN: Friday, February 27th (two days after Jared's birthday) from 6-11 PM WHERE: The Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles, Missour...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Sergeant William "Sif" Sifford of the U.S. Army!   "You have the spirit that will make this country the greatest the sun has ever shone upon." When Harry S. Truman said those words, he spoke from experience. Raised on a humble Missouri farm and born with poor vision, not much was expected of Harry's future. Yet, the farmboy from Independence would go on to s...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host First Lieutenant Repps Hudson of the U.S. Army!   “In order to write about life, first you must live it.” Ernest Hemingway knew that from experience, one could say, life experience. While others drew inspiration from silence and solitude, Hemingway dwelt in the catastrophic and chaotic pulse of the front lines, literally. His swashbuckling ways began as a vo...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Captains Kim & Dakota, co-founders of the Reveille & Retreat Project and co-hosts of Dog Tag Diaries!   It's June 11th, 2001, and millions of Americans are tuning in for NBC's newest reality television show. Coupled with overly dramatic music and a montage of contestants attempting seemingly death-defying stunts, the narration begins, "Imagine a worl...