Patriot to the Core

Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) member George is with us to share how his desire to serve others resulted in joining the JROTC in high school, then enlisting in the Air Force after graduating. 17 years later, his body is worn and at times his heart, soul and body were broken.  On his 9th deployment […]

I asked Benjamin Brandt how deploying to a war zone prepared him to be a financial planner.  He said in the military they learned to act without thinking.  In his profession now, it’s important to think without acting. He was a member of Task Force Trailblazer where he was a combat engineer.  Their mission was […]

For this Memorial Day show, we are privileged to have the Gold Star parents of Adam Brown, fallen SEAL Team 6 operator. Larry and Janice’s son Adam was killed in action on March 17, 2010 in Afghanistan.  He died a hero, putting himself in harm’s way to help save his team. They share with us […]

Mark’s ebook in the Kindle version will be on sale the next 4 days.  Today you’ll see it start out at $0.99 (at 10 am central) and then will go up by $2.00 every 27 hours for the next 4 days.  This is a very cheap option to read about an American Hero, especially as […]

If you’ve read my book: “My Brother in Arms”, you’ve seen Matthew Glencoe’s name on the front cover.  After I’d been working on the book for about a year, I realized help was needed if the book was ever going to be finished in reasonable time. As he helped organize the book, Matt and I […]

Carter Henry’s new book “The Hero Workouts” features 100 hero WODs (workout of the day), with background on each fallen hero featured.  Hero WODs are common in the Crossfit community.  They typically add a level of difficulty that isn’t already there with normal WODs. If you’ve participated in a Hero WOD at a Crossfit box, […]

“I would do BUD/S again,” Kyle Defoor told me today. I’ve been looking forward to this one a long time.  Right after high school graduation, Kyle left for boot camp in Orlando.  A few months later, he was in Coronado going thru BUD/S as an 18-year-old kid. We talk about growing up together in the […]

Blayne Smith is the Executive Director of Team RWB (red, white and blue), a nonprofit that has become one the nation’s fastest growing veteran service organizations by “enriching the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity.” In this episode, Blayne discusses his deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan […]

Today we have the privilege to hear from one of the legends in the Combat Control field, Mr. Wayne Norrad.  Many listeners probably never heard of Combat Control (CCT) before Patriot to the Core.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but you’ll learn from Wayne that they are an integral part in most, if not all, […]

Frank Jones married his high school sweetheart two weeks before WWII broke out.  He felt he should do his part to serve our country, so he joined the Air Force. After washing out of pilot school for making six spins instead of two with his instructor, he became a bombardier. One year after being married, […]

Dan Sheehan was fully prepared for combat.  He’d been an officer in the Marines for six years.  His father was a Navy pilot; his brother was a Marine.  This is what he was meant to do.  When it came to killing the enemy; no problem.  If they pose a threat, kill them.  If they try to […]

J. Stanford (Stan) Staheli was only 18 years old when drafted. One year later he was a member of Patton’s Third Army, 4th Armored Division, liberating France from the Nazi’s.  It was here that he was captured in 1944 during a German counter-attack near Rimsdorf, France.  The Germans immediately said “The war’s over for you.”  […]

Here in Part 2 we find out more about Mike Spann’s final moments in Qala-i-Jangi fortress.  At one point, Mike was interviewing American traitor John Walker Lindh.  Lindh knew of the uprising that was planned and could have saved Mike’s life, but he never said a word.  Instead, when questioned, he remained silent, leading to Spann being overrun […]

As a CIA officer, Mike Spann (Johnny Micheal) was in the fortress of Qala-i-Jangi, where Taliban prisoners were being held and questioned.  Although these captives had given themselves up, their pledge of surrender was a lie. Mike was interviewing a group of extremists when hundreds of prisoners revolted in a planned uprising. Just before he was […]

In 1993, Larry Moores was leading a convoy to capture two Somali leaders when two Blackhawks were shot down.  Then the mission turned into a desperate search and rescue mission.  In what is known as “Black Hawk Down”, Larry describes his role in the battle that left 18 killed, over 80 wounded, and one missing […]

On this special Christmas Day episode, we hear from a legend from WWII – Gail (Hal) Halvorsen.  He has many names:  Uncle Wiggly Wings, The Berlin Candy Bomber and The Chocolate Flier.  He became popular for dropping candy from his plane to the children of Berlin, from 1948-49. His efforts gained support from many back […]

Will Thomas was 12 when the EXTORTION 17 tragedy helped him see that our freedom to compete in athletics and pursue other passions is made possible by the sacrifices of heroes.  Grateful for their gift, Will began honoring America’s special operations community through a mission called Operation Hawkeye. Will is now a senior at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., and Operation Hawkeye...

Marc Esposito’s vehicle was hit by an IED when he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009.  After being in a wheelchair for almost five months, he was finally able to stand. By 2011, he competed in the Warrior Games and won Gold in pistol shooting.  Shortly thereafter, rode his bike across the country, from the […]

If you want to hear from someone who is a great example of the American Dream, this is it.  Ronnie Rains grew up poor, was drafted to serve in Vietnam, and later in life started businesses that have allowed him to be very generous to many people today – specifically our military and their families. […]

At age 56, Dan Hammond qualified for the US National Team to compete in the Duathlon World Championship in Aviles, Spain. He shares how he overcame injuries to quality for team and then found motivation to finish the big race, despite his body telling him to quit shortly after starting. He also started “American Profile” […]

Dennis Miller called Michael Yon the “Premier Combat Journalist”.  You want captivating?? This is it.  We cover topics from hand-to-hand combat, North Korean’s kidnapping Japanese and presumably Americans, the United States’ biggest threat, pedophilia among our mid-east enemies, WWII 442nd Infantry Regiment, war crimes, and much more. After getting out of the Army Special Forces, […]

It’s been 10 years since Justin was shot in the head by a sniper in Iraq.  The bullet entered behind his ear and exited thru his mouth.  You can imagine the destruction that caused. Since his injury, Justin has continued his education, married his sweetheart (who took care of him during his recovery), written a […]

Today is six years since Mark Forester was killed by a terrorist in Afghanistan.  This episode is just two brothers talking about the notification of Mark’s death, the Angel Flight, the Patriot Guard Riders, near death experiences, and life since.  We also reminiscence about our little brother and why he was the warrior he became. […]

This week Ryan introduces us to her brother Travis and why he inspired the creation and growth of their foundation.  He was a 2004 graduate of the US Naval Academy and was KIA 29 April 2007. By following the mantra “If not, me then who…”, they’ve created an organization that empowers veterans and families of […]

Rob is one of those guys who was angered by the attacks on 9/11 and quit his job and joined the military THAT DAY.  Unfortunately, he couldn’t pass the swim test for CCT initially, but he kept working and got accepted. Even though his employer laughed at him for wanting to join, Rob has had […]