Point of the Spear | Military History

Join Robert Child for a conversation with author and former Lt. Colonel Stuart Scheller. Stuart gained notoriety last year as a US Marine speaking out and asking for accountability for the US’s disastrous military withdrawal from Afghanistan. His new book is called Crisis of Command: How We Lost Trust and Confidence in America's Generals and Politicians. Watch our military history documentary, Wea...

Join Robert Child for a follow-up conversation with author and Navy SEAL veteran Ben Milligan. Ben became a US Navy SEAL in 2001 and served until 2009. He is the recipient of the Bronze Star and other awards. He received a BA in History at Purdue University and an MA in International Relations at the University of San Diego. His book is called By Water Beneath the Walls: The Rise of the Navy SEALs...

Join Robert Child for a conversation with author Dr. Samuel Mitcham. Dr. Mitcham is a military historian who's written extensively on the Civil War South. A U.S. Army helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War and a Command and General Staff College graduate, he remained active in the reserves, qualifying through the rank of Major General. He's also a former visiting professor at the U.S. Military Academ...

Join Robert Child for a conversation with author and former CIA Counter Terrorist Chief of Operations Ric Prado. Ric is a retired CIA operations officer specializing in paramilitary, counter-terrorism, and covert operations. Escaping Cuba as a child amidst the violence of Castro’s Cuban Revolution, he would retire as the CIA’s equivalent of a two-star general after a 24-year career. His book is ca...

We've got some great guests coming up in September on Point of the Spear. Kicking off the month, Navy Seal Ben Milligan returns to the show to talk about his book, By Water Beneath the Walls . Then, outspoken former U.S. Marine Stuart Scheller stops by to discuss his new book, Crisis in Command: How We Lost Trust and Confidence in America's Generals and Politicians. Stuart's episode will also be a...

Join Robert Child for a conversation with author and British Special Forces veteran Des Powell. After serving in the Parachute Regiment, Sergeant Major Des Powell spent twenty years in the SAS at the heart of the Counter Terrorism and Special Projects teams. A former PT instructor in 1 PARA, he became the Unarmed Combat and Fitness instructor for B Squadron and pioneered HALO, HAHO, and other cove...

Join Robert Child for a conversation with author and Vietnam veteran Larry Freeland. Larry joined the U.S. Army and served one tour in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division as an Infantry Officer and a CH-47 helicopter pilot. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Air Medal with 10 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Vietnam Service Medal with 3 Bronze Stars, th...

Join Robert Child for a conversation with author and U.S. Army veteran Don Bentley. Don spent a decade as an Army Apache helicopter pilot during which time he was stationed in South Korea, Germany, and Texas. While deployed to Afghanistan as a Troop Commander in support of Operation Enduring Freedom VI, he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Air Medal with “V” for valor.  His latest book is c...

Join Robert Child for the conclusion of his conversation with author and retired U.S. Marine Major Fred Galvin. Fred served twenty-seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps, beginning as a seventeen-year-old who rose from the enlisted ranks to become an officer. Serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, and elsewhere, he led the first special operations company in the Marines and earned forty-nine military...

We’ve got some great guests coming in August as we kick off Season Three of Point of the Spear . Our guests include NY Times bestselling author and former Apache helicopter pilot Don Bentley. Author Samuel Mitchum will also be here to discuss the new, Encyclopedia of Confederate Generals . 101st Airborne Vietnam veteran Larry Freeland will also come by to discuss the battle of Lam Son 719. Retired...

Join Robert Child for a conversation with author and retired U.S. Marine Major Fred Galvin. Fred served twenty-seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps, beginning as a seventeen-year-old who rose from the enlisted ranks to become an officer. Serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, and elsewhere, he led the first special operations company in the Marines and earned forty-nine military medals and ribbons,...

Join Robert Child for a conversation with author Benjamin Sledge. Ben is a wounded Special Operations combat veteran with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is the recipient of the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and two Army Commendation Medals. His latest book is Where Cowards Go to Die. Sign up for our twice monthly email Newsletter  SOCIAL: YouTube Twitter Facebook Website

Join Robert Child for a conversation with returning guest author Mark Greaney. Mark has written or co-written seven Tom Clancy novels and is the author of the best-selling Gray Man series. The film version of the first book in the series, starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, debuts this month on Netflix. His latest novel, which has also been optioned for a film, is called Armored. Sign up for ou...

Join Robert Child for the conclusion of our two-part narrative special, Gettysburg Voices from the Front. Today’s program is another in our series of story-telling specials. First person accounts are the living link we have to what occurred at Gettysburg. And although some of the accounts may be less than accurate due to the various authors seeing only their narrow view of the conflict and having...

Join Robert Child for a part one of a two-part narrative special, Gettysburg Voices from the Front. Today’s two-part program is another in our series of story-telling specials. First person accounts are the living link we have to what occurred at Gettysburg. And although some of the accounts may be less than accurate due to the various authors seeing only their narrow view of the conflict and havi...

Join Robert Child for a special interview with director Ron Maxwell. Ron is an award-winning Hollywood filmmaker best known for his successful films on the American Civil War and he had several box office hits before those two films. Rob’s interview with Ron Maxwell was taped a couple years back during the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg. Sign up for our twice monthly email Newslette...

Join Robert Child for a conversation with author Walt Larimore. Walt is a prolific author and has written or co-written forty books, thirty medical textbook chapters, and over 1,000 articles.  His books have garnered a number of national awards and nominations including “Finalist” at the 2020 International Page Turner Awards. His latest book is called At First Light. Check out an earlier WWII...

Join Robert Child for a conversation with author Lindsay Powell. Lindsay  writes for  Ancient History  and  Ancient Warfare  magazine. His articles have also appeared in  Military Heritage  and  Strategy and Tactics . His appearances include BBC Radio, British Forces Broadcasting Service, History Channel and HistoryHit. His latest book is Bar Kokhb...

We’ve got some great guests coming up in July as summer sizzles on Point of the Spear. We kick off the month on the first with film director, Ron Maxwell his interview leads us into our 4th of July Gettysburg weekend with a two part narrative special - Gettysburg Voices from the Front. Then thriller author Mark Greany returns to Point of the Spear with his new book, Armored . Later in July, Iraq a...

Join Robert Child for a conversation with author Fearghal McGarry . Fearghal is a Professor of Irish History at Queen’s University Belfast. He has authored and edited many books, including  The Rising―Ireland: Easter 1916 . His latest book is The Irish Revolution: A Global History. Sign up for our twice monthly email Newsletter  SOCIAL: YouTube Twitter Facebook Website

Join Robert Child for a conversation with author Thomas McKenna. Tom is an anthropologist who has lived and worked for years in Moro communities in the Philippines and has spent decades writing and conducting research on their culture and history. He has won writing and teaching awards and has been invited to present his work on the Moros at Oxford University, the U.S. State Department, and the Co...

Join Robert Child for a conversation with author Mark Hager. Mark is is a historian and award-winning documentary filmmaker based in North Carolina.  He coproduced the Tele award-winning  The Border States of America , a documentary that paints a picture of the U.S.-Mexico Border through the eyes of sheriffs, ranchers, and residents in each border county. He also produced The Last Gather...

Join Robert Child for a conversation with author Toby Harnden. Toby is a recipient of the Orwell Prize for Books and a former foreign correspondent for the Sunday Times of London and the Daily Telegraph reporting from more than 30 countries. He specializes in terrorism and war and his recent book is called  First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11. Sign up for our tw...

We’ve got some great guests coming up in June as we kick off summer on Point of the Spear. On the first author Mark Hager speaks about WWII faith and courage in the 357th Infantry. Then, Fearghal McGarry from Belfast discusses the global impact of the Irish Revolution. And later in June Lindsay Powell enlightens us on the Jew who Defied Hadrian and Challenged the Might of Rome. All this and much m...

Join Robert Child for a conversation with author Tom Clavin. Clavin, who returns to Point of the Spear, has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, and the National Newspaper Association. Several of his books have been New York Times best sellers. His new book is called   To the Uttermost Ends of the Earth: The Epic Hunt for The South’s...