Fortress On A Hill (FOH) Podcast

Being honorably discharged from the military is the reality most veterans face.  They receive all benefits from their time in service and help from the VA with healthcare and other significant issues.  To me, it’s always been a given.  I served my country and for that, I receive these services. But what if you had to leave the military and receive NONE of those benefits?  This would make sense if...

Whistleblowers are a divided and dense topic.  Bringing up Edward Snowden or Chelsea Manning generally invites conflict, especially for those who work in national security.  However, our government has worked hard to keep secrets while its citizens are kept in the dark.  So, often times, whistleblowers are the only remedy to bring these facts into the light. Barack Obama was supposed to be the mos...

Wow, these last few weeks have had so much news for Danny and I to comb through.  The gas attack in Douma and our government's response, John Bolton becoming national security adviser, the killing of Palestinian protesters in the Gaza Strip, and a whole host of other major stories.  Here's the Fortress breakdown of recent events.  Our whistleblower episode aires a week from today on the 20th, so k...

Nuclear weapons are a complicated and pretty morose topic.  Most of what Americans know about our nuclear capabilities comes more from movies and TV than actual news and content.  We might discuss how far and how much damage an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) from a nuke would cause or maybe discuss the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the natural result of those who wish to challenge the US.  As...

Here's Part 2 of our in-depth interview with Iona Craig of The Intercept on all things Yemen.  Thanks to Iona for taking so much time to talk with us and sitting in on some of our headlines. We also dig into the recent news involving denied claims for veterans and family members who were poisoned by drinking contaminated water at Camp Lejuene.  This is a far reaching issue, as anyone who lived or...

Journalism commitment comes in a variety of forms.  I've spent a lot of my time searching and reading news from all kinds of sources.  And as such, I read a lot of the same journalists, sometimes even at different outlets.  Glenn Greenwald would be a good example, as he appears on various outlets to share his work.  One day, you might be reading Glenn at the Intercept, and the next he might be app...

In Ep 8.0, Danny and Henri take the FOH lens back to Africa, as they attempt to make sense of new information (and lack thereof) on both the Niger ambush and the overall AFRICOM mission.  They also dig into new developments involving foreign born service members, suspected 'foreign born terrorists,' and the US government's failings toward badly needed reconstruction funds for rebuilding Iraq. 00:3...

Here is our first bonus episode!!  This one first appeared on Patreon only, but Danny and I wanted you all to have a chance to see a bonus episode without paying.  Enjoy!!! Enjoy the show?!  Please leave us a review right here. Got news to share about our military or veterans?! Or just need to cuss at us for a bit?! Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com Not a contributor on Patre...

Our national defense is an important subject for every American.  And certainly, not the least of which is how our capitalist society supports and enables our military, spending billion of dollars on troops and equipment, but very seldom discussing whether those dollars spent actually mean America is somehow safer. Here's our breakdown of the current state of our military industrial complex.  Enjo...

This week, we take a look at a new report on Veterans Affairs (VA) mental health care from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, then discuss a story about Senator Tom Cotton and his war mongering policies along with a breakdow...

This week, we take a look at a new report on Veterans Affairs (VA) mental health care from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, then discuss a story about Senator Tom Cotton and his war mongering policies along with a breakdown of President Trump's recent comments on the Iranian protests. 01:00 - National Academies’ report on evaluation of VA mental health care 07:15 - Pe...

We recently passed the 50th anniversary of the Tet Offensive.  As such a pivotal point in time to understand, we continue our sit down with COL (ret) Greg Daddis and discuss the factors that led to America's losses in Vietnam and how those lessons are still so important today. 4:50 - Nation building in Syria 14:37 - Veteran sizzle reel 19:05 - Trump admin’s new national security strategy 28:40 - C...

It's interview time today!!!!  We present part 1 of our sitdown with COL Greg Daddis.  COL Daddis is the expert's expert on Vietnam and today we will discuss the lessons from Vietnam that can be applied to the endless warfare our country wages.  Ep 6.5 will have part 2 of COL Daddis' interview, following our normal headlines, which will drop on Feb 9. Gregory Daddis is an associate professor of hi...

Prior to the election of Donald Trump, white supremacy didn’t seem to be an issue of great concern. Despite record increases in people joining white nationalist groups during Barack Obama’s time in office, it still wasn’t something that seemed terribly important to the nation or our government.  Then, Trump was elected and groups of people longed pushed to the edges of society now had someone in o...

Memes are as prevalent today as tear-off apartment flyers and peg message boards once were before the Internet existed.  As veterans, we find that our community has a lot of memes created around it, many not even made by veterans in the first place.  Wounded veterans, families of grieving servicemembers, and even invoking the memory of a deceased veteran to score political points (Pat Tillman, Chi...

Ep 4 is here.  Hope you enjoy it. I did want to make a note for people about SGT Johnson, the SF soldier who died in Niger back in October.  I said his name a number of times in this episode and I'm pretty sure most of them were SGT La Johnson.  His name is SGT La David Johnson and I apologize for not saying his name correctly.  I have memory issues and sometimes things don't get out quite right. ...

For Ep 3, Fortress On A Hill takes the wide lens to the failed war in Afghanistan. Our hosts, Chris 'Henri' Henrikson and Danny Sjursen, also discuss updates to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and the hope for changes in the VA's presumption towards illness caused by Agent Orange.  Then we polish off our episode with Part 2 of our interview with Marine combat veteran and State Department whistleb...

Danny and I got the opportunity to sit for our first interview with Marine combat veteran and US State Department whistleblower Matthew Hoh.  Matt joins us here to discuss our new president, the unending war in Afghanistan, and recent increases in US activity in Africa. Here's part 1.  Enjoy! Matthew Hoh is a member of the advisory boards of Expose Facts, Veterans For Peace and World Beyond War. I...

In Episode 2, Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen discuss recent developments in the military’s case against Bowe Bergdahl and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen. 01:00  – VA PAWS Act 05:00  – Afghanistan 13:00  – New beret for SFAB 27:00  – Bowe Bergdahl sentence announcement 38:00 – Army secretary nominee 44:40 – HR McMaster on Tr...

Why are US troops deployed in Africa?  If you’re confused why, you’re not the only one. In FOH’s first episode, Henri and Danny break down major stories from the military / veteran community, including updates about Bowe Bergdahl, whistleblower and recently released former soldier Chelsea Manning, and the deaths of four US Special Forces soldiers in Niger. 00:30 – Russian m...

In Episode 3, Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen takes a deep dive into status of the war in Afghanistan and finish out their interviewContinue reading