Operation Insight

Join us on Operation Insight as we welcome Lieutenant Colonel Mike Vincent of the U.S. Marine Corps!   After leading a heartfelt rendition of "Happy Birthday" sung to Jesus Christ, Gunnery Sergeant Hartman announces to his Marine Corps recruits, "Today is Christmas!" During this scene in the oft-cited and critically acclaimed film Full Metal Jacket, the Senior Drill Instructor says things not norm...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Private First Class Walter "Wally" Mayer!   As the sun sets this evening, Jewish people across the globe will begin celebrating Hanukkah. Despite its status as a "minor" holiday on the Jewish calendar, it has become one of the most widely recognized Jewish traditions. This is likely due to the use of the Menorah and the lighting of its eight candles. The act...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Lieutenant Commander William "Trey" Warren of the U.S. Navy!   There's a poignant scene in Top Gun: Maverick in which Tom Cruise's iconic character meets with his rival-turned-friend Iceman, played by Val Kilmer. During the scene, Iceman (now an Admiral and technically Maverick's superior) instructs him, "It's time to let go." The context for that advice rev...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Corporal Dorothy Mae "Rusty" Marlen, veteran of the Women's Army Corps!   In the spirit of Thanksgiving and family togetherness, we introduce you to Dorothy Mae "Rusty" Marlen, Ethan's great aunt. For as long as Ethan can remember, Rusty has been the life of the party and one of his absolute favorite relatives. To think that if it wasn't for a box of donuts...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Major Herb Silva of the U.S. Marine Corps, founder of Smiles for Veterans!   Fifty years. That's how long it has been since the end of America's involvement in the Vietnam War. A conflict that began as a "police action" would eventually receive several monikers, one of which was the "Helicopter War." In fact, in the Spring of 1975, that's exactly how it all...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Captain Jim Pettit, Operations Director of the Greater St. Louis Honor Flight,  and Captain Joel Eisenstein, a recent Honor Flight participant!   Before Veterans Day, there was Armistice Day. Before that, there was "The War to End All Wars." And yet, less than a quarter of a century later, humanity would be embroiled in yet another global conflict. One that...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Councilwoman Linda Ragsdale of O'Fallon, Missouri!   Gold Star Families go through a lot. While they may not attend Basic Training or feel the mixture of terror and thrill when heading into a combat zone, they do know suffering. They know the stomach-churning anxiety of waiting for details about their loved one's well-being. They know the desperation of bein...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Staff Sergeant Chris Munro!   "Where'd you go to high school?" "Cubs or Cardinals?" "Panera or Bread Co.?" These are questions for which every good St. Louisan has an at-the-ready answer. Then there's, "What was it like being a Combat Medic?" Well, that's much more complicated. St. Louis native Chris Munro has his own take on that query, but we recommend buc...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Captain Garvis Pollard, Jr. of the U.S. Army!   "It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters." For much of his life, Garvis Pollard, Jr., had no choice but to abide by that tenet of Stoicism. In fact, living that motto began very early for Garvis. Born in 1944, he entered a world ravaged by World War II, and his first full year of life...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Chief Petty Officer Chuck Robinson of the U.S. Navy!   If Chuck's first year as a Sailor was any indication of what lay ahead, then he would have known just how unordinary his thirteen years of service would be. Whether it was a hurricane, ironically causing the perfect storm that allowed Chuck to be present for his first child's birth, or the fact that he h...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Petty Officer Second Class Don Luney and Dr. Julie Smith of Re-Emerge!   After a decade of service in the Navy, PO2 Luney's story was not that different from other veterans. He suffered from chronic joint pain and debilitating migraines. Beyond that, Don was eager to rediscover the camaraderie he had enjoyed as a Sailor. Ultimately, Don just wanted to feel b...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Master Sergeant Leonor Branch of the U.S. Air Force, founder of Sisters in Service of Greater St. Louis!   "At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can." Those are the words of renowned Latina artist Frida Kahlo, but they very much apply to Leonor Branch. During her time in the Air Force, MSgt Branch was the living embodiment of "Al m...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Specialist Dustin Row of the U.S. Army, founder of Songs4Soldiers!   Much is asked of America's youth in times of war. As written by author Brandt Legg, “War is a place where young people who don’t know each other, and don’t hate each other, [are commanded to] kill each other…” Rather than dwell on the callousness of combat, Dustin has transformed his compas...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Senior Master Sergeant Stevie Riley!   Although SMSgt Riley had a tendency to ask herself, "Can a woman do that?", by all accounts, she already knew the answer. With each new assignment or duty, Stevie succeeded but did so in unconventional ways. When tasked with demonstrating how to command a flight crew's attention during a briefing, she transformed into a...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Specialist Jim Manahan!   우정 ("wu-juhng") is a meaningful word to Jim Manahan, especially when he was serving as a Korean linguist in the Army. Friendship, that's what SPC Manahan enjoyed most during his service. A close second to that was his love of learning! Jim was exposed to the world outside of his middle-class Irish Catholic neighborhood very early...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Sergeant Helyn Kevrick, otherwise known as "Sarge"!   Towards the end of World War I, Opha May Johnson enlisted to become the first female Marine in 1918. Then, in 1943, with World War II raging on, the Marine Corps Women's Reserve was established, and by war's end, over 23,000 female Marines had served their country. In 1948, women were finally given the ri...

Join us on Operation Insight as we celebrate Independence Day with World War II veterans and brothers, Dan and Edgar Krattli of the U.S. Navy!   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...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Sergeant First Class Johnathon McDaris of the U.S. Army!   Destiny is a big concept, and Johnathon McDaris thought he had it figured out. Spoiler alert: he didn't! And how could he? No one could have predicted the highs and lows SFC McDaris would experience from joining the National Guard in 1999 to medically retiring in 2015; from learning of the 9/11 attac...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Chief Petty Officer Kara Jo "KJ" Park of the U.S. Coast Guard!   As a child, she watched as they patrolled the Mississippi River during St. Louis' VP Fair. As a young adult and fresh recruit, she sailed the seas and circumnavigated the globe on a cutter. While in the Coast Guard, KJ Park accomplished nautical feats even some Sailors can't fathom. Throughout...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Captain William "Bill" Reynolds of the U.S. Air Force!   For some folks born and raised in the southern half of the Land of Lincoln, life might seem a little slow. Not so for the adventure-seeking Bill Reynolds. No, life moved fast for Bill, and when the speed wasn't to his liking, he found a way to pull some Gs even when he wasn't supposed to! Captain Reyno...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Gold Star Mother Lee Hundelt, whose son, Lance Corporal Matthew Clark, was killed in action while on deployment to Iraq in 2006.   Monday, May 26th, marks this year's Memorial Day. While many may enjoy their three-day weekend by hosting parties and barbeques, there is a contingent of Americans who do not “celebrate” this holiday. Instead, they commemorate th...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Sergeant Jorge Valdez!   From the Yucatan Peninsula to Fort "Lost in the Woods" to a remote camp in Kosovo, SGT Valdez never lost his appetite for adventure. Soon after graduating from high school, Jorge announced to his parents that he felt an urge to leave Mexico and pursue the American dream. He did that and so much more! Soon after immigrating to the Uni...

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Staff Sergeant Chris Miller of the U.S. Army!   Soon after graduating from De Soto High School, just south of St. Louis, MO, Chris joined the Army Reserves in September 2000. There wasn't a war on, and Chris wasn't expecting much from his time in the service. That all changed merely a year later when America was attacked on 9/11. Chris soon found himself wre...

In 2015, World War II hero and veteran Ralph Barrale envisioned a museum that would honor all who served their country, with a special emphasis on those from his hometown. By 2019, after a tremendous grassroots effort, the St. Charles County Veterans Museum was established in O’Fallon, Missouri. Then, in 2023, Ralph's vision expanded, and the museum was renamed the Mid America Veterans Museum! Thu...

Join Jason one final time on The Dog Tag as he speaks with Nina DeAngelo, Executive Director of the Mid America Veterans Museum. Nina is an Army veteran and cares deeply about the museum's mission to preserve the stories of local veterans. Jason and Nina will discuss the future of the museum's in-house podcast and the museum itself!