Tango Alpha Lima Podcast

Army veteran Kayla Williams served in combat, deploying to Iraq in 2003 as an Arabic linguist with the 101st Airborne Division. Since retiring from the military, she has become a bestselling author, and leading advocate for women veterans and military families. From serving without body armor plates during the 2003 Iraq invasion to navigating her husband's traumatic brain injury (TBI) recovery...

What does it take to make 200 armed, exhausted Marines laugh? Michael D'Angelo knows. The Las Vegas street punk turned Marine Corps veteran turned comedian created Rapid Fire Comedy Tour, a nonprofit delivering free standup shows to military bases nationwide. From surviving Vegas streets — including a razor attack that required 32 stitches to his face — to living in his car while pursuing come...

For Navy veteran Shawn VanDiver, a 2021 call from Afghanistan sparked the creation of AfghanEvac, now one of the most successful refugee advocacy organizations. In this season premiere, VanDiver discusses his path from getting his GED to military service, his work with the Truman National Security Project, and how a single emergency became a mission supporting more than 195,000 Afghan refugees. He...

One of our first episodes of Season 6 resonated the most for us. Retired U.S. Air Force fighter pilot Col. Lee Ellis, who was shot down and captured during the Vietnam War, talks about leadership and team building lessons he learned during his five years as a prisoner of war, as well as throughout his military service and his 25 years as a leadership coach.

After making history as the Navy’s first Black female helicopter pilot, Dr. Kamin Samuel went from thriving to surviving when she transitioned out of the military. Plagued by financial troubles after her business went bankrupt, Samuel put her faith and military discipline into action to overcome the suicidal thoughts that crept in. Now she helps others identify their character strengths, is a best...

Our listeners didn't sleep on this episode! It was one of the top downloaded episodes of 2025. Sleep expert Dr. Tina Burke shares her experience working with veterans, first responders and others who have trouble sleeping and provides tips on how to improve sleep including meditation, breathing techniques and establishing a routine.

Army 1st Lt. Austin von Letkemann, better known to his Instagram followers as MandatoryFunDay, has become a frequent flyer on our show in 2025. But his first appearance was what made him one of our most impactful guests of 2025, when he talked about his unusual rise to fame. His Instagram channel, with 20 million monthly views, features comedy videos that poke fun at various parts of military life...

Our list of Top 6 most impactful guests of Season 6 would not be complete without American Folk singer-songwriter and author Mary Gauthier, who talks about her addiction recovery, mental health journey and how she uses songwriting to help veterans with PTSD. She works with veterans on their healing through songwriting with SongwritingWith:Soldiers. “What I try to emphasize is that this can be of s...

First up in our Top 6 most impactful guests from 2025, renowned documentary filmmaker Ken Burns talks about his new documentary film on the American Revolution, his Vietnam War documentary series, his path to a career in movies and more. He has created a legendary catalog of documentary movies including “The Vietnam War,” “The Civil War,” “Baseball,” “The War,” “The National Parks: America’s Best...

 Get a sneak peek at “Sheepdog,” an uplifting, award-winning movie, inspired by countless first-hand accounts from veterans about recovery, redemption and the journey of healing. Writer, director and actor Steven Grayhm and Emmy-winning actor Vondie Curtis Hall, who also stars in the film, are the guests in this episode of The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast. Grayhm talks about interviews...

Marine Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte joined American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast hosts Joe Worley and Adam Marr live at Media Row in Baltimore before the 2025 Army Navy Game presented by USAA. Borgschulte, who played football for Navy, talks about about coming full circle in Annapolis - from attending as a midshipman to leading as the the United States Naval Academy Superintendent.

2026 Miss America Cassie Donegan joined American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast hosts Joe Worley and Adam Marr live at Media Row in Baltimore before the 2025 Army Navy Game presented by USAA. Donegan talks about how her life has been shaped by her father's experience as a 100% disabled Navy veteran and how she found resilience through participation in youth arts and theater programs.

Retired U.S. Special Forces Col. Michael "Sully" Sullivan served 30 years in the US Army, including 23 as a Green Beret. He is now Executive Director of Team RWB. Zachary Polega is a West Point graduate and former Infantry Officer who has overcome injuries from a grenade explosion during a special ops mission and joined 11 other RWB members for the 2026 Old Glory Relay. Zach and Sully jo...

The Army-Navy Game is more than just a football game; it’s a celebration of camaraderie, tradition and the indomitable spirit of service. USAA SVP and West Point graduate Rob Bragg and USAA SVP and Naval Academy graduate Bill White joined American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast hosts Joe Worley and Adam Marr live at Media Row in Baltimore before the 2025 Army Navy Game presented by USAA. They tal...

Actor Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret and and former long snapper for the Seattle Seahawks, joins American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast hosts Joe Worley and Adam Marr live at Media Row in Baltimore before the 2025 Army Navy Game presented by USAA. The founder of MVP, Boyer shares his unique insights on leadership, discipline and the importance of service. With experiences that span both the mi...

Baltimore Ravens Senior Vice President of Communications Chad Steele joins American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast hosts Joe Worley and Adam Marr live at Media Row in Baltimore before the 2025 Army Navy Game presented by USAA to talk about how growing up as a military brat gave him the skills that help him thrive in his NFL career.

Social media influencers @MandatoryFunday (Austin von Letkemann) and @VivaLaVargas (Johnny Vargas) join American Legion Tango Alpha Lima Podcast hosts Joe Worley and Adam Marr to kick off a day of live interviews from USAA Media Row in advance of the Army/Navy Game presented by USAA.

The battle for equality in the U.S. military didn't happen overnight. It took decades of courage, persistence and women who refused to back down. Documentary filmmakers Joy Bronson and Ellen Haring reveal the untold stories behind "The Fight to Fight," their upcoming feature film chronicling women's integration into combat roles from the 1970s through 2016. Hear firsthand accounts from a Gulf War...

Air Force veteran Cami Gage shares her journey from competing in track and cross country at the Air Force Academy to becoming a professional triathlete and coach. After her military career, Gage found deeper purpose in coaching adaptive and wounded veteran athletes, helping them overcome physical and psychological barriers through organizations like the Air Force Winter Warrior program and Semper...

Marine veteran Tony Crescenzo's life changed in six days after reading an article on quantum physics where he sampled a technology on brainwave entrainment. That discovery led him to create Peak Neuro LLC to help other veterans and first responders transform mental health challenges into resilience. The neuroscience and AI-driven platform harnesses proprietary neuroacoustic technology through...

Iraq War veteran Dr. Timothy Vermillion discusses his harm reduction approach to veteran mental health, trauma therapy, PTSD treatment and suicide prevention. As founder of the Paradise Institute, he explains how EMDR memory therapy helps veterans process combat trauma and move from surviving to thriving. Vermillion shares how quitting smoking is also effective in mental health treatment and veter...

"I felt like a waste of life, getting on a boat with my best friends." That realization on a deep sea fishing trip led Eric Tansey from a surfer lifestyle straight into the Army where he became a paratrooper. But his story doesn't end there. After serving his country, Tansey became a police officer in one of Raleigh’s toughest districts, turned his craziest police stories into a published book, Pi...

Military veterans and military family members are guiding the concept and design for the memorial that will honor and remember all involved in the Global War on Terrorism. The Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Memorial Foundation is welcoming input into the design of the memorial from service members, GWOT veterans, their families, Gold Star Families, and others. This is the final episode in “Welcome...

Marine veteran Mark Sewell joined the FBI after his military service, working on cases involving organized crime, human trafficking and more. In the Atlanta FBI office, he was joined by agents who worked on high-profile mob crime such as the John Gotti case. Sewell wrote “Investigating America’s Most Notorious Strip Club: The FBI, The Gold Club, and the Mafia.”  His next book is about stolen valor...

Darius Holland won a Super Bowl championship playing for the Green Bay Packers during his 10-year NFL career. Afterward, he found his calling as   a chaplain in the Army National Guard and as a pastor of 20 years. He currently specializes in religious practices and coaching that bridges cultural gaps and fosters spiritual readiness, especially within the military community. A member of the Global...