USA Cares Podcast

Joining from Hawaii this week is Seargent Major Anthony "Spuds" Spadaro. Sgt Maj Spuds is veteran of 35 years in the Marine Corps and culminated his career as the US INDO Pacific Command Senior Enlisted Leader. In this episode, Spuds discusses his military career, his continued service, and his advice to veterans who have or will be transitioning out of the military.  Show Links www.usac...

This week, Matt & Alexis welcome returning guest, Alison Hedges and a special guest, daughter Lexi into the studio to discuss the life of a military child. There are 1.2 million children of active duty military members today, who face their own set of challenges that are often under heard. Lexi. who has spent most of childhood as the daughter of an Army Officer, shares her own unique experienc...

On today's episode... Matt and Alexis are joined by Pat Troy of Cantor Fitzgerald, an innovative New York based finaical firm that was started in 1945. Pat began his work at Cantor Fitzgerald in 1987, and moved to Chicago in 1998 to expand the business. He's still technically working with them to this day. He's a NY native, and currently resides in Chicago. In 2001, Pat held the pos...

Show Notes Matt and Alexis welcome Michael Lemmons, veteran and Founder of VETRECKY. VETREC has set out to improve the lives of Veterans and their families through connections with the outdoors and inspire members of the military and veteran community to become active, healthy, and resilient. VETREC is achieving this by investing donations and other contributions to purchase, store and maintain ou...

Matt and Alexis welcome Mike Arnold, Executive Director of the USA Cares Michigan Chapter to the podcast. They touch on the emotional climate within the US Military at the moment and why we need to continue supporting our service members and veterans now more than ever. Mike shares his excitement about getting involved with USA Cares and how he feels it’s his duty. . Show Links www.usacares.org FB...

Show Notes Matt and Alexis welcome SEAC (R) John Wayne Troxell to the podcast. Troxell was the keynote speaker at the USA Cares Annual Gala this year and continues to speak passionately about his perspective gained through nearly 38 years of service in the US Military. He speaks to his viewpoints on a number of international issues in which the United States has been involved over the past decade....

Show Notes Matt, Trace, and Alexis welcome two special guests to the podcast, Colleen English Balderson and Stephen DeMuth who are heavily involved with VAREP. Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals (VAREP), is a non-profit 501(c)(3) and HUD-approved housing counseling organization dedicated to increasing sustainable homeownership, financial-literacy education, VA loan awareness, and ec...

Show Notes Matt is joined this week by Donor Relations Manager, Stefanie Jones, and they welcome Tim Helfrich, President of Renewal by Andersen to the podcast. Together, they highlight the recent partnership formed between Andersen and USA Cares, and how much of an impact these types of partnerships have for both organizations. Andersen commits a certain amount of their operating budget to philant...

Matt and Trace were excited to welcome Mayor Bill Dieruf of Jeffersontown to the podcast. Together, they recap the USA Cares Annual Gala and reflect on the incredible support shown and the inspiration that laced the event. The Mayor highlights the driving factors of Jeffersontown, the emphasis on family, and all around support for all members of the community. They draw parallels to the veteran co...

Matt Castor and Alexis Becker of USA Cares welcomes Emily Chambers to the podcast. Emily lost her husband (Cpl. Nich Dieruf) of 3 months at the age of 22, when he was killed in action while deployed to Iraq in 2004. USA Cares helped her get through the tragedy, she started a non-profit in his name and also ran the Marine Corp Marathon in 2019 with her best friend in his honor; plans to climb Gold...

Matt Castor and Alexis Becker of USA Cares welcomes US Air Force Vet, now CEO of Step Above Georgia, Mark Devon Bush , to the podcast. From his experience as a correctional officer at 19 years old, joining the Air Force, becoming a K9 handler in an explosives unit, to becoming CEO of his own company; Mark reflects on the team building and leadership skills he gained from his military experience an...

Show Notes Trace, Matt, and Alexis welcome a very special guest, SFC (R) Will Summers of the Horse Soldiers who were the first to infiltrate Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks. Will touches on the portrayal of his team in cinema as the 12 US Horse Soldiers fighting Taliban Forces, but dives deeper into the rawness of his team’s mission; and how faith carried them to achieving victory. Will reminds...

Matt Castor, Trace Chesser and Paula Presley of USA Cares welcomes the animated Army SFC (Retired) Lucas "K" Kudrna to the podcast. K reflects on his 22 year career in the Army, from basic training to deployment into combat zones and his experience as an MP. K expresses the trials and hardships service members can face internally as they transition into civilian life and how important it...

Show Notes Host of the podcast, Matt Castor, is joined by Trace Chesser, and together they welcome USA Cares Spokesperson, Bryan Anderson, back to the show. Bryan reflects on his experience as a soldier and getting severely injured by an IED. Bryan shares how he took this life-altering experience and used it to build a life for himself. Including, how he has dedicated himself to doing good and bri...

Host of the podcast and VP of Outreach & Development, Matt Castor, welcomes two incredible women to the podcast; USA Cares’ new Communications & Marketing Manager, Alexis Becker, and former veteran, Recruiter for Tesla, and proud supporter of USA Cares, Kimberly Jeane. Alexis shares her background in P.R. and her path that led her to USA Cares. Kimberly bears some very difficult, vulnerabl...

Stefanie Jones, Donor Relations Manager, CEO, Trace Chesser, and Josh Kerby, Multimedia Designer for USA Cares sit down together and exchange some military stories. Trace and Josh speak to how the Army shaped them as individuals and instilled a tremendous sense of respect and humility in them. From rigging helicopters and jumping out of airplanes to the challenges faced when transitioning out of t...

This week, Stefanie Jones, Donor Relations Manager at USA Cares, sits in as host with CEO, Trace Chesser, and they welcome Paula Presley to the podcast. Paula is the Director of Career Transitions for USA Cares. Her primary responsibilities are helping senior military leaders transition into professional business positions and matching transitioning military personnel into appropriate business set...

Matt Castor and Trace Chesser welcome guest-host, Anna Grace Castor, and their featured guest, RaeAnne Pae to the podcast. This episode highlights RaeAnne’s experience in the military as a paratrooper and intelligence officer, as well as her transition back into civilian life. RaeAnne expresses the importance of veteran communities to offer support and understanding to fellow veterans that could o...

Host, Matt Castor, is joined by co-host, Chapters/Outreach Coordinator, Alison Hedges, and together they welcome Megan Gould, Veteran, Business Analyst, and Executive Director of USA Cares Chapter in Washington D.C. Megan shares her story of enlistment, being a squad leader at West Point and how that has shaped and lead her to where she is now as she begins to grow the USA Cares Chapter in D.C. ....

Host, Matt Castor, is joined by USA Cares team members, Stefanie Jones and Josh Kirby, as they talk about some current initiatives surrounding the USA Cares Chapter Program. They highlight the need for new chapters around the country, and how anyone, veteran or not, can get involved with expanding the reach of USA Cares with the addition of new chapters. USA Cares is also pushing to accumulate mor...

On today's episode, Matt Castor and Trace Chesser are joined by Alison Hedges to discuss the growth of the Chapters for USA Cares amid COVID.  Information USA Cares Annual Gala - August 7, 2021 www.usacares.org FB - @usacaresorg Twitter - @USACares IG - @usacares YouTube - USA Cares YouTube  

Aubrey Gonzalez and Matt Castor welcome Robin Davis to the podcast. Robin has been a long-time supporter of USA Cares and has helped coordinate the annual Gala since it’s inception. Robin shares her experience of being a military spouse, and the unique challenges that come with active duty and beyond. During her husband’s enlistment, pre-911, she recalls the struggles that military families around...

Aubrey welcomes the man we’ve all heard so much about, Mr. Bill Roby. Bill briefly shares some of his story, from serving in the Army in Vietnam and coming home struggling with survivors guilt, to how he ended up serving as Chair for the USA Cares Board of Directors. Aubrey and Bill discuss how 9/11 spurred so many men and women into service and the aftermath many have been dealing with since retu...

Trace & Aubrey are excited to welcome James Tongate to the podcast. James Tongate is VP of Government Relations at Benelynk, and is the Incoming 10th Command Chief MSgt for Kentucky Air National Guard, effective May 15, 2021. Together, they continue the conversation surrounding the efforts of USA Cares to assist and support veterans in need; including some of their upcoming events, especially...

Matt Castor and Josh Kerby fill in to co-host a special episode with guest, Patricia Petter. Patricia is a committee member of the USA Cares Annual Gala, and in this episode she shares a heartfelt story from childhood that deeply connected her to the military; which is the reason she has dedicated years of her life volunteering to assist veterans however she can. They also touch on a number of exc...