Veteran State Of Mind Network

Send us Fan Mail Brad Knight is a former British Army Royal Engineer and Afghanistan veteran who served as a High-Threat Searcher. He is the author of Brimstone: A Searcher’s War – Hunting the Taliban’s Silent Killers , an acclaimed memoir detailing the relentless tension and danger faced by bomb disposal and route search teams in Helmand. Brad's links: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brimsto...

Send us Fan Mail Lawrence 'Loz' Kayser served in Iraq on Op Telic 4, 6, and 8. He then went on to serve three tours in Afghanistan, taking part in such operations as Sond Chara in support of 42 Commando. On his sixth and final tour Loz was awarded a Military Cross. Incredibly, he was later medically discharged from the army for 'combat addiction.' We talk about Loz's time...

Send us Fan Mail On 6 June 1944, Keith Whiting was serving aboard HMS Ramillies, a British battleship supporting the Normandy landings. Keith helped fire the massive 15-inch guns that bombarded German defences ahead of the Allied assault on the beaches, and then supported them as they fought their way inland. HMS Ramillies fired so many shells during the invasion that her gun barrels later had to...

Send us Fan Mail "Jonny Whitmore MBE — known to many as Shed — was born in Hinckley, Leicestershire and joined the Royal Corps of Signals , completing P Company early in his career. He deployed to Afghanistan with 22 Signal Regiment and 2 Signal Regiment , before returning to the UK to serve as a Section Commander at ATC Pirbright , training and leading recruits. He later completed the Specia...

Send us Fan Mail Ash McGraw served for 16 years in the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of The Mercian Regiment. During that time he lead soldiers all over the world, including on two tours of Afghanistan. Since leaving the forces Ash has built a new mission focussing on leadership, resilience, and performance. He is an online coach and property developer helping everyday people rebuild discipline, transfor...

Send us Fan Mail Stuart Smalldridge served in Afghanistan with 42 Commando, Royal Marines on Operation Herrick 9 This episode contains descriptions that some listeners may find upsetting. Note: Stuart served alongside Ben (War Story Episode 002), and crossed paths with Scott Ryder, 2nd Commando Regiment (War Story Episode 022) on a joint operation in Uruzgan Province. If you are interested in bein...

Send us Fan Mail Ethan Nagel is a Marine Corps Infantrymen and Scout Sniper that served during the height of Iraq and Afghanistan war. He deployed to the Haditha Triad and Fallujah Provinces in Iraq and volunteered for a third deployment to Afghanistan as a Combat Advisor on Embedded Training Team 1-11. While attached to 10th Special Forces group and on patrol deep in the Mountains of Uzbin Valley...

Send us Fan Mail In October 2009, Corporal Andy Reid MBE was blown up by a Taliban improvised explosive device while on patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Injured so badly that it was thought he would not survive, he defied the odds to the extent that, within a month, he was able to meet up with members of his patrol again. What he has achieved since then is little short of unbelievable. The...

Send us Fan Mail Mike Harrage is a former British Army soldier who began his military career as a Radio Operator in the Royal Signals. Early on, he realised he wanted to push himself further and volunteered for the Airborne Forces straight out of training. After successfully completing P Company and his parachute training, he earned the coveted Maroon Beret and Parachute Wings. Mike deployed on tw...

Send us Fan Mail Trey Morriss is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel with thirty-one years of service, serving and supporting the legendary Eighth Air Force. His love of aviation runs deep―shaped by stories of his grandfather and uncle, who flew combat missions over Europe in World War II. Early in his career, Morriss took part in a top-secret, record-setting strike that opened Operation Desert Storm...

Send us Fan Mail TIM SAUNDERS served as an infantry officer with the British Army for thirty years, during which time he took the opportunity to visit campaigns far and wide, from ancient to modern. Since leaving the Army he has become a full time military historian and has made nearly fifty full documentary films with Battlefield History and Pen & Sword. He is an active guide and accredited m...

Send us Fan Mail Steve Black served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment. You can find his book in the links below, as well as details on The Muster Point - a veterans support and community project in Hertfordshire. Stephen's book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Not-another-squaddies-story-tour/dp/B0GHH4713N The Muster Point: https://themusterpoint.org.uk/ Tickets to Geraint&apo...

Send us Fan Mail TED SHIRLEY is an author and former British Army sniper. He served two tours in Afghanistan, where he achieved remarkable feats, including shots from over a mile away. Despite these accomplishments, Ted faced a challenging battle with post-traumatic stress disorder upon his return home. The juxtaposition of life on the battlefield as a soldier to a small-town civilian brought new...

Send us Fan Mail Alana Stott MBE is a global prevention strategist, intelligence advisor, and founder working at the intersection of exploitation prevention, capital accountability, and systems change. She if the CEO and Founder of Blue Rose Foundation, a prevention-first organisation focussed on identifying and interrupting grooming, abuse, and trafficking before exploitation occurs. Blue Rose wo...

Send us Fan Mail Rick Webb served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the King's Royal Hussars. You can follow him on Instagram: @rickwebbgolf ----- If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast please contact us at info@veteranstateofmind.com , or drop us a DM on instagram @veteranstateofmind Please help us spread the word by telling your mates about the podcast, or by leaving a review/ rat...

Send us Fan Mail Morgan Lerette served in the US Army before joining Blackwater as a Private Military Contractor. He is the author of Guns, Girls, & Greed,  a firsthand perspective on how men act and react in war. You can get Morgan's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Girls-Greed-Blackwater-Mercenary/dp/B0D5JMPTMY Connect with him: @blackwaterdude1 If you are interested in being a gu...

Send us Fan Mail From the age of 12, Scott Ryder knew he wanted to join the army. After serving as a paratrooper and in East Timor with 3 RAR, he wanted more. He trained all summer and took the gruelling selection course for the commandos, earning the prized green beret on his second attempt. Ryder shares battlefield stories from his tours to Afghanistan, where his regiment saw some of the heavies...

Send us Fan Mail Dilip Sarkar is the author of over 60 books inspired by the Spitfire and Battle of Britain stories. Dilip is himself a living link to the past, given his privileged relationships with countless wartime survivors. He joins us to to discuss the importance of the Battle of Britain, the impossible odds that Britain faced, the people who made victory possible, and why we must never for...

Send us Fan Mail Wayne Ingram M.B.E. MCPara began his military career in 1986 with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment. He later completed the French Commando course before specialising in a reconnaissance regiment. Since leaving the military, Wayne has dedicated his life to supporting children living with life-altering conditions—such as craniofacial disfigurements, scoliosis, and other complex medical c...

Send us Fan Mail Colonel Robert Wemheuer served 3 tours in Vietnam as a United States Marine Corps aviator. He is the author of Unlike No Other, which you can find using the link below: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unlike-No-Other-Unlikely-Successful/dp/B0FDCCRHBP If you're interested in being a guest on the podcast, please contact us on: instagram: @veteranstateofmind  email: info@vsompodcast.co...

Send us Fan Mail Matt Okuhara joined the Territorial Army at 18. After just a few weeks of training he was called up for service in Iraq. Details of Matt's book, Basra and Back: "Basra and Back follows Salamanca Company, a unit of British infantry deployed to Iraq as part of the peacekeeping effort after the 2003 invasion, known as Operation TELIC. Drawn from units in southwest England,...

Send us Fan Mail Daril Fannin’s path to Hollywood defies every norm. Raised in a cult that banned movies, his first act of rebellion was sneaking out to watch The Matrix. It cracked open his world—and rewrote the script for his life. After nine years as a U.S. Army combat medic, Daril earned his MFA in screenwriting at Loyola Marymount, where he sold a Netflix series before finishing the program....

Send us Fan Mail Stephen Handley served in the Royal Welch Fusiliers, and 1 Royal Welsh. On his second tour of Afghanistan Stephen suffered life changing injuries caused by an IED. Stephen's Instagram: @stephen.handley The climbing organisation that Stephen talks about is: https://www.adaptivegrandslam.com/ If you're interested in being a guest on the podcast, please contact us on instag...

Send us Fan Mail Paul Glazebrook served with the Close Observation Platoon of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Green Jackets in Northern Ireland, and the Recce Platoon of 4th Battalion, The Rifles in Iraq. He is the author of Been Nowhere, Done Nothing  which tells the story of his service with unflinching honesty and hysterically funny wit, giving a keen insight into the sense of humour which has kept ou...

Send us Fan Mail Gaz Kennedy served in Afghanistan with a Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Light Aid Detachment attached to the Coldstream Guards. Gaz has written about his life and service, and all royalties from his book go towards supporting Combat Stress. You can order the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silent-War-Battles-Beginnings-Book-ebook/dp/B0DYRR7N1H Please give Gaz a foll...