Operation Insight

Join us from the Mid America Veterans Museum as we host museum curator Marcia Higgins and museum historian Jim Higgins to discuss our ever-evolving stories of veterans. In this episode, you will hear an in-depth accounting of updates to the story of Joseph McNamee, WWII Marine, which can only be described as serendipitous.    

Join us on The Dog Tag as we host Marine veteran Corporal Bobby Christopher. Bobby is a combat veteran and currently serves as president of the Mid America Veterans Museum, formerly known as The St. Charles County Veterans Museum. Bobby walks us through his military and combat experiences as a 0352 TOW (tube-launched optically tracked wire-guided missile system) Anti-tank Missile Gunner from 2002-...

After graduating from St. Louis University with a degree in Business, he joined the Missouri Air National Guard and was assigned to the 131st Tactical Fighter Wing as a weapons mechanic. Joe has traveled several interesting, exciting, and successful career paths in his life including leader and bass player for the rhythm and blues rock and soul horn band The Spirit of St. Louis, musical artist man...

Valor Villages is a large-scale project that provides medical, mental, spiritual, counseling, career training, retreat, transient, and permanent housing for those most needing and underserved in the veteran community. “It Takes a Village.” Website: valorvillages.org Email: info@valorvillages.org Phone: (314)944-2426

Join us with tonight's guests, HM2 Jeremy Greenlee and SrA Amanda Depew (MSW, LCSW), as they share their personal stories of service, struggle, addiction, and sobriety. They are now dedicated to serving the most vulnerable of those among us.

Join Dominic Masters, Marine and Iraq War Veteran, and Jason Galvan, a Gold Star family member, to celebrate Veterans Day. We will discuss the history of this special holiday, what it means to us, and share some personal stories of who we remember and how we honor Veterans of every era.

Join us as we interview several singer-songwriters and veterans who spent a week at the St. Charles County Veterans Museum collaborating to write sixteen songs about veterans' stories, culminating in a live concert on September 2nd, 2023. Special thanks to John Eason, who organized and brought his friends, including Molly Lovette, Joel Jorgensen, Tai Shan, Hal Odell, Craig Hendricks, Greg Matthews...

Growing up in Ferguson, MO, Tim Taylor was completely oblivious to the geopolitical issues that our country faced. That was until September 11, 2001. That day changed Tim's view on the world and led him to join the U.S. Army. Tim served with the 3rd Infantry Division as a cannon crew member from 2003-2006. On October 27, 2005, Tim's vehicle was struck by an IED while providing convoy security for...

CPL Dominic Masters joins us once again in the studio to share the second half of his incredible story. Dominic provides us with an in-depth picture of his struggle with addiction and journey through healing and recovery. You can listen to Part I of Dominic's story on the Dog Tag Podcast.   (02:03) Introduction

Our guest tonight is Colonel Ted Hodgson (Ret.), who works with America's Warrior Partnership, which partners with communities to prevent veteran suicide. COL Ted Hodgson served in the military for 34 years. His last assignment before retiring in 2012 was at CENTCOM. CENTCOM directs and enables military operations and activities with allies and partners to increase regional security and stability...

Join us on the Dog Tag Podcast as we host our guest, Paul "Bud" Haedike. Bud joined the Army Air Corps in 1944 and was a bombardier flying on a B-17 Flying Fortress. Bud had the distinction of being shot down on his very first mission. Fortunately, the crew crash-landed and made it back to their base. They went on to fly twenty-two more missions.

We are honored to host Jennifer Jefferson, Holly Klaesner, and Todd from Focus Marines on tonight's podcast. This amazing organization is tasked with helping our combat veterans deal with complex and emotional issues that took place before, during, or after their military service. We lose over twenty-two veterans a day to suicide. Focus Marines strives to make an impact on the lives of our veteran...

Join us on The Dog Tag as our special guest, Stacey, shares her experiences while serving in the military as a female soldier and her journey of healing from military sexual trauma (MST). VA uses the term “military sexual trauma” (MST) to refer to sexual assault or sexual harassment experienced during military service. MST includes any sexual activity during military service in which you are invol...

On this day, March 29th, U.S. troops leave Vietnam. Many served their country just as their father had…. Many served because that’s what American men do… They believed in our country and principles…. They never shirked their duty… They fought heroically… They lost “brothers” there… They weren’t given time to mourn… Then… They were told, ‘don’t wear their uniform home’… ‘Don’t tell anyone you are a...

CPL Dominic Masters joins us in studio to share his experiences as a Marine, combat veteran, and a proud Grunt from time of entry into the Marine Corps, the Crucible, Rehab platoon, being deployed, coming home, caring for his ailing mother, reserve option, transitioning to civilian life and finding healing. One day, when I was young, my mom took me to a car show at a McDonald’s in North County, no...

Colonel Ted Hodgson and Your Medicare Guy, Joe Rumbolo, join us in the studio to discuss important information regarding Medicare plans that are specifically designed for veterans who use the VA for medical services and prescription drugs, Tricare For Life, and ChampVA for surviving spouses, as well as anyone who is on Medicare. Colonel Ted Hodgson also discusses the American Warrior Partnership,...

Zach and Salina Mann share their experiences in the Army, both as a couple and individually. They discuss serving in combat and how they readjusted to civilian life once they returned home. Salina and Zach met in 2008 and have been married since March 2012. They have two daughters. Salina served as a Psychological Operations Specialist with the 307th reserve unit out of Jefferson Barracks. She com...

SSG Chris Lenington signed an early entry for the Army in 1998. Chris would serve twenty years and was deployed in Kosovo, one tour in Iraq, and three tours in Afghanistan, including one stop at Camp Seray, an outpost high in the mountains, which was attacked by Taliban fighters almost daily. Chris finished his Army career at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, with the 101st Airborne. Tonight, Chris joins u...

Colonel Robert Leeker started his military career as a one-striper in the Air Force in 1971 and went to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base. After working as a mechanic on planes, Bob decided he wanted to fly them. He earned his associate's degree at Meramec Community College and took flying lessons on his own dime to ready himself to become an Air Force pilot. Bob trained on the T37 and T38...

Service dogs enrich and improve the lives of their veterans every day. At Dogs For Our Brave, their mission is to provide professionally trained service dogs at no cost to veterans who have suffered debilitating injury or illness while in service to our country. Their goal is to use rescue dogs at every opportunity, thus saving two lives at once. To fully realize our mission without adding a finan...

Beginning in 1973, America went to an all-volunteer military service. An All-volunteer military isn't without challenges. Today, the branches of service are struggling to find able-bodied recruits. According to the CDC, an estimated 70% of young Americans are unfit for military service. Historically, family life has not always worked for military families, and roughly 20% of the military are women...

Beginning in 1973, America went to an all-volunteer military service. An all-volunteer military isn't without challenges. Today, the branches of services are struggling to find able-bodied recruits. According to the CDC, an estimated 70% of young Americans are unfit for military service. Historically, family life has not always worked for military families, and roughly 20% of the military are wome...

The City of St. Louis and the nearby counties of St. Louis and St. Charles became known as the "Gateway to the West" because it was an ideal spot for tradesmen, adventurers, and traders to transact because it’s connected to the Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri rivers. The story of O'Fallon, MO features many of the same storylines. American Revolutionary War veterans were the early settlers, and man...

Sailing on a U.S. nuclear submarine is a trip into a cramped, timeless, and windowless undersea world. Today's submarines will often spend up to ninety percent of their time underwater, making night and day indistinguishable. While on patrol, the crew is largely cut off from the outside world, including their families, for long periods of time. There are regular launch drills that challenge the ph...

The many missions of Chief Petty Officer James "Jim" Feltz aboard the Gleaves-class destroyer, USS Plunkett, culminated in a heated battle for the crew and a fight for their lives when a Junkers Ju-88 released its payload and all hell broke loose. Jim's quick thinking and disobedience of orders saved his life and the lives of others. Jim is a legend and a true hero!