Straight Outta Combat Radio-Honoring Combat Wisdom

After graduating high school, James Van Prooyen went into the Air Force thinking that all he would do was serve a four year enlistment and then go back home. Twenty years later, he retired from the United States Air Force, March of 2015. James provided IT support in many places around the globe to include Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, South America, and Africa. After leaving the Air Force, James lear...

Justin Cobb, U.S.M.C. Justin was born in Enterprise, Alabama in 1988.  He went to G.W. Long High School in Ozark and graduated in 1986. He enlisted into the Marine Corps right after graduation and served 9 years with the 2nd LER Battalion. He deployed to Iraq in 2008, and again to Afghanistan in 2009 and 2011 with the same unit. In 2014, he went back to Afghanistan as a foreign advisor. In 2015 he...

Pete Turner is a former US Army spy who's been on over 1000 combat patrols. His ability to survive meetings with warlords, Taliban leaders, Al Qaeda members, and criminals is a testament to  his ability to gain the trust of, not only US commanders, but the enemy. Once Pete returned from combat, he focused his abilities on consulting companies on culture and building podcasts. His network of podcas...

Scott "Jacko" Jackman served with the 8/9 Royal Australian Regiment.  He deployed to both East Timor and Afghanistan where in 2012 he sustained an injury.  In 2013, he was diagnosed with Major Depression, PTSD and debilitating back and neck injuries and was medically discharged from military service.  Soon after, Scott was deeply devastated after the death of his assistance dog "Whiskey".  In an e...

We pose the question: "Whats Does Freedom Mean To You?" A compilation of answers from veterans Simon Kirby, Ryan Weaver, Joe Crane, Todd Scattini, Andrew Nelson, Chad Walker, Mark Green, Scott Huesing, Athena Ives, Steven Kuhn and Pete Turner.  

Simon Kirby was born in East London, England. He was the son of restaurateurs.  At the age of 15, Simon left school and at 16, joined the the British Army as a light-infantryman in the Royal Green Jackets Regiment. His first combat tour came in 1979 in Tyrone County, Northern Ireland. His unit was tasked with intercepting IRA patrols crossing the border, conducted with long-range and chopper-borne...

Lieutenant Colonel  Joe Crane  retired from the Marine Corps in 2013 after 24 years of service. He was an AH-1W Super Cobra Attack helicopter pilot and completed 2 combat missions to Iraq. Joe is now an airline pilot and host of the  Veteran on the Move Podcast: Your Pathfinder to Freedom.  It’s mission is to provide knowledge and inspiration to veterans aspiring to transition to the exciting worl...

With his self-described “aggressive proactivity” Chad Walker is a Navy Veteran who is committed to outside the box thinking and when necessary, building a new box. Chad has spent the last three years creating real world solutions in both the Urban Tech and Nonprofit space. As Veteran turned Entrepreneur Chad has developed a unique perspective when it comes to quality of life. He aspires to create...

Over his career, Andy has represented a wide variety of clients, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses. A veteran of the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, Andy especially enjoys working with businesses owned by veterans, military spouses, active duty service members, and others focused on the military community. These clients not only do business in a wide variety of industries,...

Author, speaker and vetrepreneur Mark E. Green spent 34 years in the U.S. Army working his way up from buck private to lieutenant colonel, who served two stints as inspector general, including one during which he was responsible for the southern half of Afghanistan. Part of the inaugural team that got taekwondo recognized as an official Army sport while serving in the 82nd Airborne, Green recently...

Todd Scattini spent 27 years of his life wearing the uniform of the United States Army.  He's been an enlisted man, a combat arms officer, and a military diplomat ,and at the heart of it all is his indomitable "Cavalryman Spirit. The Cav, as it is called, is a diverse, combined arms, military organization designed to be self-sustaining, flexible, and effective in combat. It is a special type of un...

Stephen Colon spent almost 10 years on active-duty and in the reserves for the United States Marine Corps.  He grew up working construction and saw how somebody willing to work hard could run their own business. When he was in Iraq, Stephen bought his first business. It was a lawn care company with the catchy slogan (which his wife still gives him flak about), "Mowing lawns one blade at a time“. ...

BENNETT TANTON Vice President, Battle Sight Technologies   Bennett is a former Reconnaissance Marine and US Army Infantryman. He holds a BA in Security Management and is a graduate of 2014 Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with disabilities (EBV) at Syracuse University. Bennett is the Co-Founder of Cigars & Sea Stories and is the Managing Editor of Change Your POV Podcast Network.  He also wo...

Darrell Hernandez served The United States of America as a Petty officer 2nd class, US Navy Seabee (Construction Battalion 40/25), Seabee Combat Warfare. He is both an OIF and OEF veteran, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as in the Philippines and Thailand.   Currently, Darrell serves on the Veterans Board of 9 districts of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.  He is a district Commander and member of t...

Robert Patrick Lewis is a Special Forces combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan-turned author, entrepreneur, MBA, marketing professional and investor. Robert served as an 18D (Special Forces Medic) and during his time in 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) he deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq twice and North Africa as well as multiple other training missions around the globe, with a final deployment...

United States Marine Corps Veteran Tim Chambers learned hard work early in life, on his Grandfather's Christmas Tree and Strawberry Farm. He learned a serious work ethic and how important it was to always do your best. Tim was also the Silver Fox Mascot in High School.  The enthusiasm he showed as a mascot made him a perfect fit for the Marine Corps.  Though, Chambers never saw direct combat actio...

Lane Belone is a former US Army Special Forces (Green Beret) who has traveled to dozens of countries on 6 continents who now helps people achieve high performance and gain fulfillment in life through travel. He uses his experience to clear mental blocks and gain life-changing clarity in weeks, sometimes days. He creates breakthrough experiences abroad to create life-transformative change in his cl...

Michael W. Hartford, MHA CAPT, USN (Retired) As Chief Of Staff (COS), Michael provides direct support to the Executive Director (ED) of the Marcus Institute for Brain Health (MIBH) to accomplish its strategic work, “defining excellence” goals, and continuous improvement efforts. He is a “buffer” between the ED and his direct-reporting team to solves problems, mediate disputes, and deal with issues...

You may know Anthony Maggert as the veteran and amputee who helped Colin Powell change his tire, then asked for a selfie. We know him as a passionate chef who takes a bus from D.C. to New York every weekend to pursue Culinary Arts career training — after 23 years of military service and two master’s degrees. Tony joined the Army after high school at age 17, completing two tours in Afghanistan and...

Nina was born and raised in Lawrence, Kansas, and can often be seen wearing KU gear.  She graduated Cum Laude from The University of Tampa with a Bachelor of Science in Finance in 2000.  She was also designated as a Distinguished Military Graduate (DMG) while being commissioned into the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant in the Finance Corps.  She served in the U.S. Army as a Finance Office...

Scott A. Huesing is a retired USMC Infantry Major with over 24 years of service, both enlisted and as a commissioned officer.  His career spanned 10 deployments and he conducted operations in over 60 countries worldwide.  During his numerous deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa he planned, led, and conducted hundreds of combat missions under some of the most austere and challen...

My name is Kris Hager.  I am a Gold Star Father.  My son, SSG Joshua Ryan Hager, Army Ranger, was KIA on February 22nd 2007 in Iraq.    Joshua Hager BROOMFIELD, CO, USA U.S. Army SSG, HHC, 1ST BATTALION, 9TH INFANTRY, FORT CARSON, CO RAMADI, IRAQ 02/22/2007   SSG Joshua R. Hager was killed in action Feb. 22, 2007.  He was an Army Ranger and had served at the 6th RTB prior to transferring to Ft. Ca...

Retired Army SFC Dan Jarvis was deployed to a combat zone in Afghanistan in 2011. Shortly after his arrival, he stepped on a pressure plate and detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) five feet from his position on the patrol. The IED inflicted a traumatic brain injury. He insisted on continuing to lead his troops on the battlefield instead of convalescing, however the Battalion surgeon ord...

Athena Ives is a United States Marine Corps combat veteran.  She holds a Masters in Forensics and is a Doctoral Candidate in Forensic Psychology. As a child, Athena used reading to cope with ongoing trauma, which inspired her to study psychology and forensics. She plans to use her degree to research how to treat and understand the psychological triggers and effects of PTSD, suicide and rape.  When...

CDR JANETTE M. ARENCIBIA Global Health Specialist Plans, Operations and Medical Intelligence Officer MARINE FORCES CENTRAL COMMAND Janette Arencibia is a 1988 graduate of Mercer County High School in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. She graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1995 and in 1996 from the EKU MPA program where she was a Patricia Roberts Harris Fellow and Presidential Internship Management...