The Dirt Wasp Podcast

Send a text Do you want to improve something in your life?  In this episode the colonel talks about The One Hour Training Method which utilizes the Marginal Gains Theory.  This theory posits that small, incremental improvements in the little things over a period of time yield exponential results!  The One Hour Training Method can be broken down into segments.  Don't have an extra hour?  How a...

Send a text In the self-defense, tactical firearms, and sometimes in the martial arts communities we hear the term "sheepdog." This is most often in the context that people can be divided into three groups: sheep - most people, wolves - those who prey on people, and sheepdogs - those who protect their people (the sheep) from the human predators (the wolves).  But there may be a fourth ca...

Send a text Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel James "Maggie" Megellas is considered one of the most highly decorated officers in the history of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division.   Megellas, while a platoon leader in the Battle of the Bulge, single handedly destroyed an enemy tank while leading his platoon in the capture of Herresbach, Belgium.  The tank stood in the way of Megellas&apo...

Send a text U.S. Army Technical Sergeant Charles H. Coolidge was the recipient of the Medal of Honor for heroism above and beyond the call of duty for his actions in France against German armored forces in October, 1944.  A native of Tennessee, TSgt Coolidge was drafted into the U.S. Army in June 1942 and served in the European Theater.  He was discharged in 1945 after the war.   In addition to th...

Send a text Author and HEMA martial artist Justin M. Aucoin joins us to talk about swordfighting, HEMA, the Society for Creative Anachronism, writing books and stories, and lifting weights!  Justin, who writes under "J. M. Aucoin," is the author of several short story collections and books available on Amazon.com and elsewhere.  He is a HEMA & SCA Rapier Instructor @athenaschoolofarm...

Send a text This week's guest is Mr. Tim Broadwater, an American Sumo practitioner and a member of the Appalachian Sumo Club in Morgantown, West Virginia.  Tim is a student of other martial arts, notably Judo and Karate, Jeet Kune Do, and has studied some Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as well.  Tim also competes in strongman competitions.   Tim is 6'7" (2.03m) tall and weighs 350 pounds (159k...

Send a text Corporate Security Officer Morgan Hulsey, a life-long student of the martial arts, joins us to talk about women in the martial arts.  Morgan talks about some of the challenges faced by women who study martial arts, and encourages more women to seek martial arts training.  Morgan studied Isshin Ryu Karate from age five to age fourteen, competing in the art, and attaining the rank of pur...

Send a text Sensei Tristan Chermack, owner and chief instructor at Spirit Aikido Training Center in Eden Prairie, Minnesota joins us to discuss the current state of Aikido and to talk about the "martial side" of Aikido.  Chermack Sensei discusses how and why Aikido is misunderstood, why it has a bad rap among many martial artists, and what needs to be done to make Aikido the martial art...

Send a text Kris Wilder is a member of the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame and has written 22 books about martial arts and martial-related subjects.  Kris owns West Seattle Karate Academy in Seattle, Washington, USA, where he teaches Goju-Ryu karate.  Kris holds black belts in Goju-Ryu, Tae Kwon Do, and Judo.  He also hosts the Martial Arts & Life podcast.  Join us for this great conve...

Send a text Our guest this week is retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Gina L. Osborn.  Gina retired as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) of Cyber and Computer Forensics in the Los Angeles Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The FBI is a male-dominated organization with the male to female ratio being about 80% to 20%.  Gina rose through the ranks to the ASAC position in...

Send a text Cowboy up!  Karate is in the Olympic Games for the very first time in 2020 (the 2020 Games will be conducted in 2021).  With the Netflix series "Cobra Kai" enjoying immense global popularity, Karate is once again in the limelight.  Karate black belt, martial arts school owner, and lifelong martial artist and martial arts instructor Nick W. Smith joins us to talk about "o...

Send a text Airline Captain Jay Seffern joins us to talk about the airline industry, its history, how it's changed over the years, and tips for those interested in an airline career.  If you have, do, or plan to fly on an airline, this will be an a very interesting show!  Jay is also known as Colonel Jay Seffern. Email us at: TheColonel@TheDirtWaspPodcast.com Follow us on Twitter: @DirtWaspPo...

Send a text Welcome to the third episode of our trilogy on the martial arts with Suffian Nick W. Smith, owner of Hill Country Karate in New Braunfels, Texas.  Mr. Smith is a lifelong martial artist and martial arts instructor, combatives instructor, and has an impressive martial arts resume including black belts in Karate and Tae Kwon Do.  He is a Suffian in Silat Bela Diri, is a Dog Brothers Mart...

Send a text Welcome to the second episode of our trilogy on the martial arts with Suffian Nick W. Smith, owner of Hill Country Karate in New Braunfels, Texas.  Mr. Smith is a lifelong martial artist and martial arts instructor, combatives instructor, and has an impressive martial arts resume including black belts in Karate and Tae Kwon Do.  He is a Suffian in Silat Bela Diri, is a Dog Brothers Mar...

Send a text Our guest this week is Suffian Nick W. Smith, owner of Hill Country Karate in New Braunfels, Texas.  Mr. Smith is a lifelong martial artist and martial arts instructor, combatives instructor, and has an impressive martial arts resume including black belts in Karate and Tae Kwon Do.  He is a Suffian in Silat Bela Diri, is a Dog Brothers Martial Arts instructor, and has many, many more q...

Send a text This week we talk with wrestling and football coach Gary Sirkel about the importance of contact sports in the development of mental and physical toughness, personal resilience, and leadership in youth.  It is said that hard times create hard men (and women), while soft times create soft men (and women).  In the scope of human history, mankind has never had it so easy in terms of raw su...

Send a text Join me and Guro Edwin Rodriguez of Texas Defense Academy to talk about the Filipino Martial Art Pekiti Tersia Kali, or P-T-K!   P-T-K was founded by the Tortal family in the Philippines in 1897.  It is based on the traditional Filipino bladed-weapons martial art of Kali. P-T-K is the hand-to-hand fighting system of the Philippine Marine Corps, and forms the basis for the hand-to-hand...

Send a text Happy New Year!!! In our 2021 New Year's Day message to you the Colonel reads the 1850 poem, "Ring Out, Wild Bells," by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892), a most appropriate and fitting poem to send 2020 off into history. The Colonel also reads another fitting poem, "Harken the New Year."  Thank you for listening to the podcast!!! Email us at: TheColonel@TheDirt...

Send a text  iFeliz Navidad!  Merry Christmas! Our Christmas 2020 message to you.  The Colonel reads the 1823 poem, "A Visit from Saint Nicholas," by the American poet Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863).  You may know it in its adapted version as "T'was the Night Before Christmas."* A Happy Christmas to all! Email us at: TheColonel@TheDirtWaspPodcast.com Follow us on Twitter...

Send a text Join me and retired U.S. Department of Homeland Security Senior Special Agent Tom Morgan, a veteran polygraph examiner, to demystify the mysterious polygraph (lie detector)!  Tom talks about the history of the polygraph, the science behind it, it's uses, and things to think about if you have to take one.  Tom is a graduate of the U.S. Department of Defense Polygraph School, and si...

Send a text THIS EPISODE IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF BRIGADIER GENERAL CHUCK YEAGER, 1923-2020, THE FIRST MAN TO FLY FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF SOUND. Join Jay Seffern, a former U.S. Air Force flight test engineer, to discuss his flight test experiences with the F-20 Tiger Shark, the F-16 Viper, the HH-60 Black Hawk, and the MC-130 Combat Talon II.  Jay and I do joke around with each other a bit i...

Send a text Join us as we discuss the mighty F-4 Phantom, the greatest fighter plane in the history of the world, with retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Colonel Steve Couchman.  Steve started out in the U.S. Army as an airborne and Ranger qualified infantry officer who took an inter-service transfer to the Air Force to fly the F-4!  Steve talks about this great airplane as well as his very interesting mi...

Send a text We are giving thanks and are wishing all of you a Happy Thanksgiving!! TDWP Thanksgiving Message is adapted from the November 2001 U.S. Marine Corps Commandant's Thanksgiving Message by General Jim Jones.  The Thanksgiving Prayer is an edited version of Ralph Waldo Emerson's work. www. TheDirtWaspPodcast.com Twitter: @DirtWaspPodcast Email us at: TheColonel@TheDirtWaspPodcast...

Send a text This week's guest is retired law enforcement officer Robert M. "Bobby" Sherman.  Bobby will discuss the defunding the police movement from the perspective of a street cop.  Bobby retired as a Senior Special Agent from Homeland Security Investigations after a 26 year career, and was a patrol officer with the Houston Police Department for the ten years prior to that.  He i...

Send a text Colonel Jay Seffern joins us today for a discussion of the B-52 bomber in war and peace!  The first B-52 flew in 1952; it joined U.S. Air Force operational forces in 1956.  The last production model rolled off the assembly line in 1962, and the B-52 is still in active USAF service.  The USAF projects that the B-52 will be flying operationally until 2060!!!  Some say it won't leave...