Operation Encore: Soldiers, Stories, and Songs

In this episode of the Operation Encore podcast series Soldiers, Stories and Songs, Guy Jaquier and Adam Rossi get to visit with Abe Partridge.  Abe is an amazing songwriter, story teller, visual artist, documentarian of serpent handling Appalachian gospel music, podcast host and just fun dude to talk to.  His music sounds like John Prine and Meatloaf had a child who was raised by Paul Thorn. Abe...

In this episode of Soldiers, Stories & Songs, Guy Jaquier and Adam Rossi spend time with Brian LaRose, a former Army Special Forces Engineer, who served 6 years as a sniper and demolitions expert with the 5th Special Forces Group, with 2 tours to Lebanon and Turkey. Returning to his home outside of Boston, MA, Brian formed the band “High Pines”, playing locally and recording 2 albums with a bl...

In this episode of Soldiers, Songs & Stories Guy Jaquier and Adam Rossi talk with Chuck Briseno about his journey from growing up in a small south Texas town, reared on a mix of Tejano, country and Red Dirt music, enlisting in the Army and later graduating from West Point. Chuck served from 2005-2018 in the 173rd Airborne with deployments to Afghanistan, fighting in the Konar and Korengal Vall...

In this episode of Soldiers, Stories and Songs, Adam Rossi and Rachel Hill flip the script on one of our usual podcast co-hosts and sit down with Operation Encore (OE) Executive Director and Board Member Guy Jaquier.  They discuss OE’s founding by a group of USAF Colonels, how OE works with its artists to help further their professional music careers and some of its initiatives in the works. Durin...

In this episode of Soldiers, Stories & Songs, Guy Jaquier and Adam Rossi spend time with Air National Guard Firefighter and Recruiter Jovon Newman.  Jovon was born in Philadelphia, PA and has served for 9 years (and counting) in the Delaware Air National Guard, currently as an E6 Tech Sargent stationed with the 166 Airlift Wing. Jovon’s musical style is a wonderful blend of country, pop, R&amp...

In this episode of “Soldiers, Stories & Songs”, Guy (Jaquier) and Adam (Rossi) spend time with OE artist Sean Russell.  Sean was born in Los Angeles and served four years in the US Army as an infantryman.  He deployed to Kuwait in late 1994 as part of Operation Vigilant Warrior after the Iraqi Republican Guard started making moves on the country.  This massive 72 hour airlift and prepositionin...

In this episode of “Soldiers, Stories & Songs”, Guy (Jaquier) and Adam (Rossi) spend time with OE artist and Army veteran Marc Ridge. Marc enlisted at age 18 and served four years in the 173rd Airborne Brigade, including a 12 month deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.   During the podcast, Marc shares his incredible journey. After being born in Lafayette, Indiana...

In this episode of “Soldiers, Songs and Stories” Guy and Adam chat with Jeff Daugherty, an Operation Encore artist (class of 2023), military spouse, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who is fluent in mandolin, guitar and banjo.  Jeff was born in Richlands, NC and is currently living outside of Nashville with Syndey, his wife of 16  years.  Sydney is an active duty Air Force Missile Opera...

In this episode of “Soldiers, Stories & Songs”, Guy (Jaquier) and Adam (Rossi) spend time with Army combat engineer Mike “Doc Straw” Swart. Mike served from 2004-2013 and deployed twice to the Middle East, first near Fallujah in Iraq and later to Asadabad in the Kunar Province in Afghanistan, conducting road clearance for IEDs and other explosives.  Following Mike’s separation from the Army, h...

In this episode of “Soldiers, Stories & Songs”, Guy (Jaquier) and Adam (Rossi) spend time with retired Army helicopter pilot Kate Anderson and military spouse Secily Anderson.  Together, they blend compelling lyrics, smooth harmonies and tasty guitar leads as a duet called “Winter Grain”.  Learn about how Kate grew up around the Reno Rodeo, almost became a nun, then pivoted to 22 years of serv...

In this episode of “Soldiers, Stories and Songs”, Guy (Jaquier) and Adam (Rossi) spend time with retired Army veteran and Green Beret Derek Stoner.  After spending a childhood hunting, fishing and working as a farm laborer in small town Craig, Missouri (population 200), Derek joined the National Guard while still in High School and served in the Army after September 11th.  Derek spent 20 years ser...

In this episode of “Soldiers, Stories and Songs”, Guy (Jaquier) and Adam (Rossi) spend some time with Stephen Wayne talking about his humble roots in rural Arkansas and his year long “adventure” at age 14, sneaking on Greyhound buses, living on the streets and playing his old Fender Squire guitar.  Yes-Age 14!  Of course, he later met an Army recruiter and signed up as a mechanic a few months befo...

In this episode of "Soldiers, Stories, and Songs", Guy [Jaquier] and Adam [Rossi] catch up with Operation Encore artist Mike Ponder, a veteran of both the Navy and Marine Corps. Mike was introduced to music at an early age: He started touring at age three and was playing drums at age 6 on stage with his parents and their band "JL and the Country Squires". Mike deployed in suppo...

In this episode of “Stories, Soldiers and Songs”, Guy [Jaquier] and Adam [Rossi] catch up with Operation Encore artist and Army veteran Schaefer Mueller after his recent OE recording session at AR Audio in San Francisco. During the podcast, they discuss Schaefer’s early music influences including his grandfather who played bass guitar for Funk and Jazz bands, and his parents who drove him to Jimmy...

During this episode of “Stories, Soldiers and Songs”, Guy and Adam talk with USMC veteran Brandon Mills about growing up in Kentucky and his service as a Recon Marine and Scout Sniper during multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.  Brandon also describes his  post-military life, which includes three years working with a non-profit in a Palestinian refugee camp, his appearance on the T...

Meet JB Brown -- an up-and-coming  artist and Marine with a humble background and a smooth county-rock sound.  In this episode of “Stories, Soldiers and Songs”, Guy (Jaquier) and Adam (Rossi)  discuss JB's journey from a young drummer at a county fair to the streets of Iraq and back again.  During the podcast, they discuss JB’s service in a Marine recon unit and his close encounter with a roa...

In this episode of “Stories, Soldiers and Songs”, Guy (Jaquier) and Adam (Rossi) catch up with Operation Encore artist and Navy veteran Morgan Warneke in Nashville, TN. During the podcast, they discuss Morgan’s journey from a cross country runner in an Arkansas high school to his time as a Naval Academy cadet, his service as a Surface Warfare Office on a mine sweeper in the Persian Gulf, and final...

In this episode of “Stories, Soldiers and Songs”, Guy (Jaquier) and Adam (Rossi) catch up with Operation Encore artist and Navy veteran Adam Gaffney while he is recording his new EP (!) at AR Audio in San Francisco. During the podcast, they discuss Adam’s humble Midwest roots his adventures while shopping at Walmart, his military service loading weapons as a Navy Aviation Ordnanceman on aircraft c...

In this episode of "Stories, Soldiers and Songs", Guy and Adam interview a new 2021 addition to the  Operation Encore family, Scotty Hasting .  During the podcast, Scotty discusses his military service and the challenges of trying to become a household name in country music as a Nashville-based singer-songwriter.   He also describes his "really bad day" in Afghanistan when he w...

In this episode of the Operation Encore (OE) podcase, active-duty Army soldier Bob Deprato drops in the OE studio during his stateside leave and talks to Guy and Adam about his 18-year career in Special Operations.  Bob describes his deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, his time in the Crisis Response Force providing security for overseas embassies, his efforts leading military support for overseas...

In this episode of the Operation Encore podcast, Marine Landing Support Specialist Barbara  Sim gives a fascinating, open and honest description of her time in her marines and her  singer-songwriting journey.  An upcoming country artist with a soaring voice, Barbara describes her time as part of the "Lioness Group" in Iraq, searching for dangerous contraband and explosives among the popu...

In this episode of the Operation Encore podcast, former Marine Combat Engineer Steve Harwood takes Guy and Adam on a journey of discovery, from a tumultuous youth to the battlefields of Fallujah.  Born in Woodenville, WA, Steve tells the story of how his father bought him a 45-day Greyhound bus ticket after high school and how that eventually led him to join the Marines and drive Humvees across Ir...

Army Combat Medic John Evans has a lot of stories to tell.  Born in Houston, TX and raised in upstate New York, John idolized his WW2-veteran grandfather and decided to enter the Army immediately following 911.  After hearing a slightly inaccurate portrayal of the "Health-Care Specialist" field from his local recruiter, John signed up and was trained as a combat-medic, then deployed mult...

Meet Angel "Nolo" Santiago -- the kind of man who sets his mind to a task and overcomes all obstacles to make it happen.  A native of Puerto Rico , Angel had music in his life from a young age. He began playing a nylon-string guitar in grade school and steadily increased his skill through high school as he waited on weekly TV shows to pick up tips and tricks from the likes of Eddie Van H...

Meet Mr. Lloyd Smith -- a doctor, surgeon, chemistry professor, student of California Gold Rush lore, California native, singer/songwriter, and one of the most generous men you'll ever meet. He's also a self-taught luthier who has built over 80 beautiful, custom guitars which he has given away as gifts -- some of which have made their way into the hands of our artists.  In partnership wi...