American Warrior Radio

John Gilstrap always wanted to write.  He penned short stories as a young child and was editor of his high school newspaper.  But he was also an adrenaline junky. He regularly watched the television series “Emergency” and took an advanced first aid course in college. The class required a ride along and he was hooked. Upon graduating from college he received his EMT certification and joined the Burke Volunteer Fire Department – the busiest firehouse in Virginia. He says that as a firefighter/EMT you are often interacting with people on their worst day.  “It’s THEIR bad day but I needed to keep it together and bring order to chaos.”  While years of seeing these horrible scenarios can take a toll on one’s psyche, he relates that he twice delivered babies and those were joyous occasions. Gilstrap never dropped his love of writing and has become a prolific bestselling writer of several thriller series. "Blue Fire is his latest release and he is currently working on his 25th book.  One of his non-fiction books (“

Diplomatic Security Service Special Agent Fred Burton spent most of his career focused on counter terrorism.  Among his more notable cases, he investigated the assassination of Israeli Prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. He was part of the investigation of the FIRST World Trade Center Bombing and was involved in the arrest of Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind behind that attack.  He was also part of a special team set up to locate and free western hostages in Beirut. He is recognized as one of the foremost experts in the country and last year was named among the most influential people in the security field.  Fred currently serves as the Executive Director for the ONTIC Center for Protective Intelligence where he also hosts a great podcast. He has also written several bestselling books drawn from his time in the DSS. The Diplomatic Security Service traces its history back to 1916 when the State Department established the Office of the Chief Special Agent. The DSS has the largest global reach of any US Federal Law En

Havok Journal editor Scott Faith joins us for a discussion of timely topics leading into 2022. Havok Journal is one of my regular visits on the web for stories and editorial written by members of our Veteran and First Responder communities.  Scott is a Veteran of half a dozen combat deployments and has served with several different Special Operations units. Due to the nature of his work, “Scott” writes under a pseudonym. COVID Despite being fully vaccinated, Scott and several of his family members contracted COVID.  His children had minor symptoms, Scott was on his back for two weeks and his former Special Forces father was hospitalized but has recovered. His experience led him to pen an article about “Blaming the Unvaxxed”. We also discuss the impact of both the disease and vaccines upon our military readiness. VETERAN SUICIDE In the third quarter of last year, more service members died from suicide (126) than the entirety of COVID deaths (86) since the pandemic began.  Scott says that SUICIDE, not COVID

Development Group Five was founded by Glen Burton to use military approaches, themes and training techniques to help empower people to be the best that they can be. Following ten years with the British Army, Burton began a career in executive close protection and has built a reputation as one of the most highly sought after consultants in the industry. His client list includes well-known names within the entertainment and business world as well as international royalty. He has led and managed protective operations in over 120 countries. Perhaps his most infamous moment came when he transported a young African boy adopted by Madonna back to London. The tabloids claimed he had “kidnapped” the child. The inspiration for Development Group Five first came in 2011 when Glen was hired to accompany the son of a high net worth family who was about to take a several month long adventure-training trip in South America. The young man had lost his father the previous year and Glen developed a natural mentorship relation

"Walking In Mud: A Navy SEAL's 10 Rules for Surviving the New Normal" was inspired by Steve Giblin’s observations of what is happening with his fellow citizens during the pandemic. Steve served 28 years as a Navy SEAL and another nine as a civilian contractor. Much of his career was spent with the Tier One Navy Special Warfare Development Group.  While cleaning out his new office, he came across a single page typewritten document titled “The Ten Essential Qualities of an Underwater Demolitions Man.” The document was written by Lt. CDR F.R. Kaine, one of the original World War II “Frogmen”, as a list of basic things he expected from those under his command.  These ten qualities (Pride, Loyalty, Sincerity, Responsibility, Leadership, Example, Forethought, Fairness, Seamanship & Common Sense) form the structure for the chapters in “Walking in Mud”. Steve initially met “Walking in Mud” co-author Jon Land through the Home Base Veteran and Family Care organization. Jon was looking to interview Veterans for a book

Justin Nassiri experienced a leadership crucible moment unlike many entrepreneurs. At the age of 23 he found himself responsible for a $2 Billion submarine and the lives of 180 sailors.  One might say it was the perfect preparation for someone who would go on to the rough and tumble world of Silicon Valley technology. Jason followed his brother to the US Naval Academy and was still a midshipman when the 9/11 attacks occurred. Nassiri says the “nature of my proximity to war changed at that point.”  He volunteered for submarines and served on the USS Alaska (SSBN 732) and the USS Chicago (SSN 721). One of the leadership lessons he learned aboard submarines was “You’ve got the team you’ve got and you have to make it work and make due with the resources you’ve got.” While his degree from the Naval Academy was in Electrical Engineering, he found himself more intrigued with management and enrolled at the prestigious Stanford Business School.  Nassiri says that while the MBA experience helped him “decompress” from

Charitable organizations supporting Veterans & first responders is the topic of today’s show. Attacks on law enforcement personnel are on a record pace and the withdrawal from Afghanistan does not mean Veteran support needs are reduced. In fact, the opposite may be true.  We talk with representatives of four charitable organizations that deserve your support during this season of giving. SPIKES K9 FUND – Founder & President James Hatch Military working dogs regularly spared the life of Navy SEAL Jimmy Hatch. Now he is giving back by enhancing the training, care and preservation of working dogs. They provide vital equipment such as protective vests, heat alarms, GPS collars in addition to training for agencies all across the country. They have helped over 1600 dogs in 49 states. CONCERNS OF POLICE SURVIVORS – Executive Director Diane Bernhard Diane served in law enforcement for 23 years before assuming the lead role at COPS. She first learned of the organization when a colleague was shot and killed on duty

The sacrifice and gratitude experienced by those who serve is the topic of our conversation with Lt. Col. Charles Faint, Assistant Professor and Deputy Director of the Modern War Institute at West Point. Faint has published several insightful articles in the Havok Journal. The theme of today’s conversation was inspired by a self-obituary written by West Point graduate John Alexander Hottell III when he was 26 years old. Capt. Hottell would lose his life in Vietnam at the age of 27. A plaque featuring his obituary is posted in one of the barracks at West Point.  He wrote about what he LIVED for rather than what he died for and the opportunities that service in the Army provided him. Faint requires his student to write a self-obituary or a consolation letter to the family of a fallen soldier. This teaches to cadets to recognize the value of what they have and how inherently dangerous their profession is. Faint has served 27 years in the Army and was deployed seven times to Iraq and Afghanistan attached to spe

When Authentically American Founder & CEO Dean Wegner graduated from West Point over 50 percent of the apparel worn in America was made in the US. That figure is now 3 percent. Authentically American was founded to help reverse that trend. He asks every American – “Where is YOURS made?” He chose aviation upon graduation and became a helicopter pilot. Dean is unique in that he is an aviator authorized to wear the Ranger tab. He says the incredible stress and sleepless nights of the 72 day Ranger course was the perfect preparation for someone looking to start a company. Dean worked with Proctor & Gamble and Mars, Inc. before partnering to purchase Omega Apparel, a company manufacturing uniforms for the US military. This was his first foray into the apparel industry and inspiration to make the intentional choice to start a company with products “made in the USA with no exceptions.” Five minutes into an investor pitch, NASCAR legend Darrel Waltrip said “I’m in” because he felt the vision of Authentically American

Don Bentley read his first Tom Clancy novel when he was 13 years old. This Army Veteran is now writing for the “Tom Clancy universe” with his first novel achieving best seller status. Both Don’s grandfather and father served in the military. He was awarded an Army ROTC scholarship to Ohio State University and went on to fly Apache gunships. Don flew as part of the Quick Reaction Force on Operation Red Wings. Following his Army career, Don briefly tried the corporate world but found he wasn’t quite ready for the cubicle life. He joined the FBI, serving on the Dallas office SWAT team. He then accepted an offer from some Army friends who founded a company that developed technologies for the special operations community. Don started his first novel in high school and his teacher told him he shouldn’t give up on that dream. Enrolling in the Seton Hill writing popular fiction master’s program proved to be a defining moment in his career. A contact he made at the Thrillerfest Conference told him “not this book but