Hazard Ground

The junior enlisted servicemembers we've had on this show have never shied away from giving the unvarnished truth when talking about their experiences in combat. They join for a myriad of reasons - a sense of patriotism, a career, or they just didn't think they had better options when entering the workforce. Regardless, you can always count on them to shoot straight when asked for their opinions,...

Dr. Jeff Cain has led an interesting military career to say the least, as both an Infantryman and a doctor, spanning from the period of the first Gulf War into the Global War on Terrorism. Dr. Cain began his career at West Point, choosing Infantry as his branch upon graduation. Following time with the Berlin Brigade in Germany during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Cain made his way to 3rd Ra...

When Tom Spooner enlisted in the Army, he had every intention of becoming a Ranger. But, a last minute change in orders would send him to the 82nd Airborne, where he quickly found, Ranger or not, that he was in his element as a paratrooper. From then on, wherever Spooner went in the military he would find his element along with seasoned veterans who mentored him into a proven combat leader and spe...

Gordon Sumner joined the military at the end of the Vietnam War era. As such, the timing of his entry into service led to very unique experiences while serving overseas, both in combat, and during the tense years of the Cold War. He began his military career as an Infantry officer, but through a weird twist of fate, would transition to Aviation before nearly resigning his commission. That move to...

This is a story of combat and survival in the truest sense. Survival not just from bullets and bombs in Baghdad, but from the indelible scars war leaves on those who’ve experienced it firsthand. Jeff Morris is one of those individuals. His time as an Army infantry officer led him to fight in Iraq both as a platoon leader and company commander. It would carry him through bloody firefights where he...

Don Culp's passion for aviation began as a young boy. Watching his stepfather work with the Navy's Blue Angels demonstration team, Don knew he wanted to join the military, and specifically go into aviation when he graduated from high school. His journey would take him a little longer than expected though, as he was initially recruited into chemical operations instead of aviation in the late 90's....

Service over self. Character over affiliation. Values over personal gain. Mike Jason learned these tenets at an early age in a place far away from the United States. Born to two American expats in Italy, as a child Mike would often hear the locals talk about what the Americans did for them during World War II. His patriotism and love for the American military was born out of these conversations. S...

In Episode 188, Andrew Bundermann walked us through the Battle of Kamdesh - the attack on remote COP Keating in Afghanistan, where 53 U.S. cavalry scouts held off over 300 Taliban fighters attacking from the mountains above. Bundermann was the acting commander at COP Keating on the day of the attack. His company commander, now LTC Stoney Portis, was stranded at a nearby base because the helicopter...

An infantryman, looking for the next challenge in his military career, Gary Garza decided to try out for Special Forces Selection. After completing Ranger and Sniper Schools with the 101st Airborne, it only made sense that the next step was getting his Green Beret and embarking on a long career in Special Operations. That's exactly what Garza did, becoming a Special Forces Medical Sergeant, and co...

Donny O'Malley does not fit the typical mold of a U.S. Marine. Except for the part where Marines strive to be the absolute best at one thing: killing the enemy. In spite of being the type of person who never liked having a boss, and who was very entrepreneurial in nature, Donny O'Malley wanted to join the military and become a Marine, primarily so he could be the best at taking out bad people on t...

On the morning of October 3rd, 2009, American Combat Outpost Keating was attacked by over 300 Taliban fighters, the small outpost defended by just 53 U.S. cavalry scouts. The location of COP Keating couldn't have been any worse from a tactical standpoint, inviting the inevitable before American forces would shut it down: an overwhelming attack by insurgent fighters. The small outpost sat along the...

Following a fairly short stint and multiple deployments with the Navy not long after 9/11, Mike Mednansky felt a calling to a military occupation much more technical, and challenging than the one he had in the Navy. He decided to go out for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) school - one of the most dangerous, but most rewarding jobs in the military. EOD technicians are some of the most highly trai...

Chili Palmer's military career started off with a bang...or rather, a combat jump into Panama. Less than two weeks after arriving at 1/75 Ranger Battalion, Chili jumped into combat for Operation Just Cause. It was just his ninth static line jump, and although the action on the ground was minimal for Palmer, he would go on to participate in and experience a heavy amount of kinetic operations throug...

For 14 years Elana Duffy lived with chronic physical and mental pain, the result of injuries sustained from an IED blast and vehicle collision during one of her deployments to Iraq, two years into the war. During that time she had struggled with figuring out exactly what was wrong, and healing enough to continue on with a promising Army career, injury-free. Elana Duffy enlisted in the Army with an...

Aaron Love joined the Air Force shortly after 9/11 to become a Pararescueman, or “PJ” as they are more commonly known. PJs are expert combat medical professionals capable of providing life-saving measures in hostile areas, as part of the Air Force's special operations force. A few missteps along the way though, nearly derailed Aaron’s pursuit of becoming a PJ. But Aaron’s desire to succeed in one...

Today we go back to the first Gulf War and Operation Desert Storm! Shane Hudella joined the military to carry on a family tradition of serving. Not long after signing up, he was headed for his first and only major combat deployment in Desert Storm, where life became quite interesting with the constant threat of SCUD missiles targeting and raining down close to his unit's location. Following Desert...

Chris VanSant had an impressive career in the Army. He retired with twenty-plus years as a Special Operations veteran, operating at the highest level in a special mission unit for a good portion of that time. He took part in eleven combat deployments as both a team member and team leader in 1st SFOD-D, deploying to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Horn of Africa. During that time he took part in 500-plu...

It’s often said on this podcast that war and combat change you forever, no matter your level of exposure. Tim Stolinski is living proof of that. Deployed to Iraq to train and advise Iraqi Border Police as part of a Military Transition Team (MiTT) in 2009, Stolinski was integrated into a society and fledgling military reeling from an insurgency and a leadership void, the genesis of which extended b...

When Brad Snyder talks about his experiences at the U.S. Naval Academy you can sense his appreciation for how the Academy builds strong leaders - men and women of character, integrity, fortitude, and optimism. Brad Snyder graduated from the Naval Academy in 2006. He would deploy as a Navy EOD officer for the first time in 2008. Five years later, he would be medically retired from the Navy, permane...

Dan Luna is using his experience as a Navy SEAL to do something revolutionary, that for a species that has enacted violence on itself in times of war, for centuries, probably shouldn't be. That "something" is preparing American servicemembers for the shock that war is on the human brain. He's helping servicemembers get ahead of Post Traumatic Stress by working to minimize its effects from the fron...

We don’t often hear the stories of women who served in Vietnam, especially those who deployed directly to combat zones. Diane Evans is one of those women who had the opportunity to serve as a nurse in combat in Vietnam in areas where humanity seemed only a ragged shred of existence. She joined the military in the late 1960’s with the intent to go to Vietnam. Like her brothers and other young men s...

From an early age, Jack Murphy wanted to join the military - he wanted to be close to the action, to experience war. 9/11 happened during his senior year in high school, so as soon as he graduated he enlisted to become an Army Ranger. As a Ranger he served as an anti-tank gunner, sniper, and team leader with 3rd Ranger Battalion. A friendly fire incident nearly derailed his military and special op...

Legendary journalist, Joe Galloway, joins us again on the podcast! Joe has covered just about every major conflict involving the U.S. military from the Global War on Terror all the way back to Vietnam, where he made a name for himself and was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” device for rescuing wounded soldiers under fire at Ia Drang, becoming the only civilian to receive a combat medal from the A...

His military career had an almost idyllic start. Following in his father's footsteps, he signed up for the Infantry, and set out to do his part in the fight against terrorism and protect not just Americans, but also the continually oppressed. He even ended up sitting next to his future wife on the long flight from Infantry School to his first duty station in Alaska. But Eric Donoho's time as an In...

Fred Wellman has experienced some pretty significant highs in his military career. He was commissioned in Aviation out of West Point; flew Scout missions in Desert Storm; studied at Harvard; learned to fly Black Hawks so he could return to active duty to serve in combat in the Global War on Terror; as well as served as the spokesman for Generals David Petraeus and Martin Dempsey. But with those hi...