Hazard Ground

Anthony Swofford joined the Marine Corps in 1988, setting in motion a series of events that would put him on the front lines of the liberation of Kuwait as part of Operation Desert Storm, and eventually help launch his career as a writer and producer. He’s probably best known for writing the book, “Jarhead” – a very honest memoir of a Marine’s life on and off the battlefield. The book would eventu...

In a matter of seconds Marine Cpl. Todd Nicely’s life was changed forever. After the blast and while he was flying through the air, he knew “they” had finally got him. On March 26, 2010, while leading his patrol back to base camp in Afghanistan, Cpl. Nicely stepped on a pressure plate mine. The blast almost instantly took all four of his limbs, forever changing how he would live his life, if he wo...

Jim Reese spent a good part of his military career in 1st SFOD-Delta, and has been called "one of the finest special operators in the modern military” by the Commander of Coalition Forces of Iraq and Afghanistan. He played a pivotal role in the first stages of the Global War on Terror, right after September 11, 2001. His initial role was to bridge the gap between the Department of Defense and the...

In this special Veterans Day edition of HAZARD GROUND, Mark talks with United War Veterans Council (UWVC) Executive Director, producer of the NYC Veterans Day Parade, and Marine veteran of the Panama Invasion and Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Mark Otto. Otto only spent four years in the Marine Corps, but he packed a lot into those four years, playing a key role in two large military operat...

Sometimes it’s the invisible wounds from war that are the most difficult to diagnose and treat. The indicators are subtle, if ever apparent. There’s more mystery than science, and the wounded are left with the burden of proof and most often hopeless for a cure. That’s exactly what happened to Carolyn Furdek. A former NCAA Division 1 swimmer, graduate of West Point, four-time Ironman athlete, and a...

Following in the footsteps of family members who had served before him, Zach Iscol earned his commission after graduating from Cornell University in 2001. He actually passed up a flight contract and joined the infantry so he could get to combat sooner, fearing he might miss the war while working his way through a lengthy flight school. In 2004, he eagerly volunteered to re-deploy to Iraq and fight...

What an absolutely insane story we have for you this week! On April 21st, 2007, Joshua Mantz was shot and killed by a sniper in Iraq. The exceptionally large bullet that killed Josh initially passed through a senior NCO standing next to him, and then severed Josh's femoral artery. After losing a significant amount of blood, Josh was dead for a full 15 minutes before a military trauma team resuscit...

Steve Kiernan joined the Marine Corps when he was 17. He attended his high school graduation as a Marine fresh out of boot camp. The discipline and drive that the Marine Corps instilled in Steve are what ultimately got him through some of his darkest days – the by-product of becoming a Marine and heading off to war. Just a few weeks into his first tour in Iraq in 2008, Steve was walking point on a...

Despite the darkness of combat, there always seems to be moments of levity that surface from time to time. Paul Szoldra, whether he believes it or not, is a master at finding those moments. Whether it was Marine boot camp, or the unforgiving landscape of Afghanistan, Szoldra found humor to get him through the boredom, frustration, and nervous anticipation of combat. A near miss from an IED blast t...

Retired Marine Staff Sgt. John Jones loved being a Marine. So much so that after the vehicle he was riding in was blown up by an IED in Iraq on January 3, 2005, one of his primary concerns was if he would be able to continue to serve in the Marine Corps. A twist of fate had put him in the target vehicle: he had made a last minute decision to switch into the vehicle that was hit, just prior to roll...

This week…Marine and bestselling author of “Echo in Ramadi,” Scott Huesing returns! Scott was first on the show before “Echo in Ramadi” was released (Ep. 50), and now he returns to pick up where he left off. This episode focuses on the human condition and the idea of human connection through war and the bonds of the military. It’s really what the book “Echo in Ramadi” is all about – the immeasurab...

What lengths would you go to, to change the world…to inspire others to change the world? Alex Evans, along with three other military veterans, is rowing a boat across the Atlantic Ocean to do just that. He’s part of the 1st all-American Military veteran team – aptly titled “Fight Oar Die” – that will race across the Atlantic Ocean in December 2018, in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge – a ra...

It’s hard to put into words the magnitude of Joe Getherall’s service to country from the time he enlisted in the Marine Corps to his retirement as a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department.  One thing is certain though, he embodies the qualities that every great leader should and needs to possess: selfless service, humility, mental-toughness, and courage under fire. He displayed those att...

Thinking he would go to college & follow a much different path, Alex Juedes ended up “dropping out” to follow in his father’s footsteps & become a Marine. He loved being a Marine in fact. But, on January 25, 2014, Alex Juedes was manning an MRAP gun turret in Afghanistan when an RPG slammed into the feed tray of his machine gun. Immediately, his right hand was gone and he was bleeding from shrapne...

If you’ve ever wondered what the power of the mind looks like, and you’re also looking for some inspiration, then this is the episode for you! John Timar is a former Navy SEAL, who is now the Chief Sales Officer for Kill Cliff, a leading clean hydration and sports nutrition brand for elite athletes. John is also a successful, long-time entrepreneur. As a young man he set his sights on becoming a N...

This week we step off the beaten path and cover an oft-forgotten operation, and the stellar career in special operations of Steve Dawson. Steve spent 25 years in the Army – most of those with Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and Special Forces. He spent the better part of his career as an operator with Delta Force. He also took part in the rescue operation of Kurt Muse, an American civilian livin...

On April 11, 2011 former Marine, Brian Aft stepped on an IED in Kajaki, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, while on a routine foot patrol. The blast ended up taking both of his legs, and ultimately leading him down a very dark path. He turned to hardcore drugs to numb the pain, and simply get through every day life as a double amputee. Then one day he was approached by former NFL linebacker, David Vob...

Ryan Hepworth worked on some of the most intense trauma cases as an Army nurse. He knew he was going to experience those situations when he volunteered to work in combat trauma. A decision he says was based on a willingness to "know" the patients he was working on. Working in the combat hospital in Afghanistan brought him face-to-face with the worst that humans can do to one another in war. So muc...

Richard Prince fought in one of the most horrific battles of Vietnam, and one that often gets overlooked. The battle for Hue City during the Tet Offensive of 1968 was an all-out grudge match & street fight that lasted for several weeks. Prince found himself fighting in one of the most hellish engagements of the battle, below the Dong Ba Tower at the city’s imperial Citadel, where many Marines peri...

This week we return with another episode with the living legend, Mike Vining. Mike has taken part in so many unique missions as an Operator and EOD Technician. And we cover a handful of those in this week’s episode. From Vietnam to Presidential elections, to prison riots, to the bombing of Khobar Towers, Mike Vining brings you firsthand accounts of rare special missions, and some pretty intense mo...

This week’s episode is a little less about combat engagements, and more about another deadly threat amongst veterans: suicide. Master Sgt. Orlando Reyes served in three combat deployments to Iraq, but never faced a greater enemy than the one within. The stress from those deployments, the PTSD, and the failed relationships that resulted, drove Reyes to attempt to take his own life. Luckily for him,...

Wanting to do more for his country and serve in a time of war, Ben Kesling joined the Marine Corps to become an officer at the start of the Global War on Terror. As most conflicts do, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan changed him. But not in a way where he wanted to bury their memory, but more along the lines of understanding them and what effects they have on not just veterans coming home from war...

We’re back from a short hiatus, with an incredible guest! Retired Air Force Colonel Tommy Goode has led an unconventional career as an Air Force helo pilot. From the story behind how he made it into the flight program, to flying the rescue/recovery mission after the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, to now flying fire attack helicopters…Tommy Goode is no ordinary pilot. He’s about as humble as t...

He completed five combat deployments between Iraq and Afghanistan as both an infantry Marine and Marine Special Operator. He has been awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star for Valor for actions on the battlefield during those deployments. He has seen the hellish, unlucky, and simply chaotic side of war, and lived to tell about it. After eight years of service, he left the Marine Corps to become...

Facing a draft notice and challenged by his Marine father to prove his mettle, Jim Hackett signed up for the Marine Corps in 1967. The war in Vietnam was heating up considerably in the late '60s, and Jim Hackett the Marine - and a crack shot at that - was heading right for the meat grinder. Except a funny thing happened at boot camp graduation: Hackett wasn't immediately sent to the infantry. Inst...