American Warrior Radio

The P-51 Mustang changed the course of the air war in Europe, but it almost didn’t make it off the assembly line.  The story of the Mustang’s evolution and the pilots that flew it in combat is the subject of a great new book by David & Margaret White titled “ Wings of War; The World War II Fighter Plane That Saved the Allies and the Believers Who Made It Fly.” The genesis of the book is Margaret’s 103 year old father who served as a ground officer with the 20th Fighter Group in England and often regaled her with stories. David was already a published author so the two teamed up to write “Wings of War”. The Mustang was originally developed for use by the British Royal Air Force but did not inspire interest among US Military leaders.  The story of the P-51 might have ended there were it not for Tommy Hitchock, a former WWI pilot who fought the bureaucracy as ferociously as the Mustang fought the Germans.  His advocacy for the aircraft was critical. Margaret shares that a certain level of bias against using a

Nate Boyer is the embodiment of the idea that anything can be achieved with the proper dedication and focused effort. After high school, Nate decided to give a Hollywood a try but he didn’t feel like he really belonged.  When he read about the tragedies associated with the civil war in Sudan, he offered to volunteer. However, without a special skill set, none of the organizations working with refugees wanted him. So Nate bought a ticket anyway and faked his way onto a United Nations flight to Darfur. He volunteered in the refugee camps for two months when he contracted malaria. While recovering he listened to a lot BBC radio. Upon hearing about what was happening in Iraq, he decided he wanted to help people in a different way. He joined the Army under the 18 X-Ray program, eventually earning the coveted Green Beret. Nate Boyer was an athlete in high school but never played football. While deployed he decided it was time to address that regret. Despite never having played a down of organized football, he wa

Diane Hight didn’t know why her father had become an alcoholic. It wasn’t until much later in life she realized that he was suffering silently from his experiences in World War II. This discovery and her abiding respect for the generation that fought in WWII and Korea led her to found Forever Young Veterans. “They are a generation that has never asked for anything. I thought at the very least I could grant some special wishes for them.”  Since 2006 Forever Young has honored more than 2500 Veterans 65 years and older with “Trips of Honor” to nine countries and granted more than 300 special wishes. Diane emphasizes that traveling with older Veterans can have some logistical challenges – each trip includes a medical team. Some of the wishes were small, like a pilot who wanted to sit in the cockpit of a modern aircraft. Some turned into something larger. One WWII soldier was reunited with his first love in a small French town seventy five years later. While it may seem counterintuitive to return Veterans to th

Central Intelligence Agency covert action officer Joe Goldberg has seen a lot of changes since his time with the agency. The advent of the digital age has made managing “propaganda” a whole new business. Joe always had a desire to be in public service and the opportunity to interview with the CIA matched his dual degrees in political science and communications. His role with the agency also allowed him to feed his creative side. During his time with the Central Intelligence Agency, the Soviets were number one on his list. His philosophy was “the truth usually works”. The means may be covert but the information was accurate. “Back in my day we were using videotape and mailing or otherwise delivering packages to people in a good old fashioned covert intelligence manner.  Now you have digital, speed and anonymity. You don’t need a source anymore; the internet is your source. You just have to figure out how to fill it.” Joe also served Leader of Corporate Intelligence for Motorola where he received meritori

Fisher House Chairman & CEO Ken Fisher is carrying on the wonderful program first created by his great uncle Zachary Fisher.  To date, the Fisher House has provided support to over 430,000 military and Veteran families in the form of free lodging and travel. Neither Ken nor Zachary served in the military. But when Zach heard the USS Intrepid was going to be scrapped he led an initiative to have the ship preserved and converted to a museum that hosts over 1 million guests a year. Shortly thereafter he received a phone call from Pauline Trost, wife of the then Chief of Naval Operations. She witnessed a family arriving at Bethesda Naval Medical Center and, knowing the average cost of hotel rooms in the area, wondered where this family was going to stay while visiting their injured loved one. As a very successful builder, Zach had the solution. He and his wife dedicated more than $20 million to the construction of the first Fisher House. The foundation is now “on the road” to building their 100th home. The hom

The transition from military to civilian life is the principle focus of our regular Havok Journal update with Editor Scott Faith.  The transition can be more difficult for some than it is for others. Scott himself is retiring from the Army soon after 28 years in service. Several articles on the topic have been published on Havok Journal and we discuss highlights of each. “Observations of a Transitioning Officer – Time to Go” by Josh McKaskill “A Green Beret Leaves the Service – How to Ruin Your Transition in Five Ways” by Marshall McGurk “Veteran Nonprofits: The Backbone of Military Transition to Civilian Life” by Megan Thatford The Havok Journal started the 2nd Mission Foundation specifically to help members of the military or first responder communities to make their transition. “A lot of time Vets think they have to do it alone and that is absolutely not true..there is a lot of support out there.” We also talk about a recent article by Ayman Kafel called “Fellow Police Officers ..It’s OK to Die in De

Traumatic Brain Injuries have been diagnosed in more than 450,000 service members between the years 2000 and 2021.  These “invisible wounds” can cause physical, mental and emotional damage. A recent short film titled “Brainstorms” shows the impacts that these wounds can have upon the victims and their families. Two medical professionals join us to discuss this issue. Dr. Chrisanne Gordon is founder of the Resurrecting Lives Foundation and Dr. Josh Appel is Chief of Emergency Medicine at the Southern Arizona VA and a former Air Force Pararescueman. The typical IED can cause damage to persons even as far away as three football fields. TBI’s also have a cumulative effect. Dr. Gordon says of the patients she interacts with, the average number of TBI’s is eight. Traumatic brain injuries do not show up on a normal MRI and both doctors agree that they are significantly under diagnosed. Common symptoms include headaches, photophobia (light sensitivity) and audio sensitivity. Dr. Gordon explained that when one pa

Operation Pineapple Express will likely go down as one of the greatest rescue missions in history. What makes it even more interesting and inspirational is the fact that it was mostly organized by civilians – retired Special Forces operators, Congressional staff, and state department personnel. In the midst of the horror and chaos of our withdrawal from Kabul, Pineapple Express was able to get approximately 1,000 Afghan allies and their families on evacuation flights. It was just one among several operations conducted by volunteer groups. Lt. Col Scott Mann is a retired Green Beret and was one of the principle organizers of the effort. He describes the events in his book “Operation Pineapple Express”.  It all began with a plea Scott received from Nezam, an Afghan Army Special Forces NCO who had served with Scott. Nezam was receiving threatening texts from the Taliban and knew he had to get out of the country, but his application for the special visa he was promised was mired in bureaucracy. “We didn’t have

Six words sum up Col. Scott Mills’ philosophy on how he wants all his airmen to be treated and how they should prepare accomplish their mission. Many of these concepts are adaptable to civilian teams as well. He organizes these six words into two categories of three; Respected, Protected, Connected & Fight, Fit, Family. Scott expands upon the meanings of each of those words for our listeners. Scott is always asking his airmen “Are you ready?” The correct answer should be a simple “yes”. Scott is motivated to ask this question because of personal experience.  In January 2007 he was flying an A-10 over Iraq when he got a call about a downed helicopter. He knew it was likely that more enemies were waiting in ambush. For five minutes he scoured the terrain for hidden ambush sites but was unable to find them before they opened up on the downed crews. “I think about those five minutes all the time. It is a debt that I have to pay forward. YOUR five minutes are coming and you have to be great when those five minut

“Black Snow; Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo and the Road to the Atomic Bomb” is author James M. Scott’s latest release. In some ways it is a sequel to his previous book “Rampage” about the battle for Manila. I consider James to be one of the greatest historical writers of our generation. There are many fascinating historical characters presented in this book but principally focuses on Curtis LeMay – one of the Army Air Corps, later Air Force’s most legendary figures. LeMay was a “problem solver” and developed many of the bombing techniques successfully used in the campaign against Germany. He personally led some of the most dangerous missions of that theatre. He trained his crews relentlessly and held them to high standards. Some of his crews may not have liked him but they all respected him. One said “If LeMay told me two plus two equaled five I would believe him.” LeMay was appointed to replace Brigadier Haywood Hansell, whom James describes as “a planner, not a predator” to prosecute the bombing

“The Shot: The Harrowing Journey of a Marine in the War on Terror” tells the story of Sgt. Bill Bee’s narrow brush with death and the challenges he faced post- service. It is co-authored by Sgt. Bee and Daily Mail editor Wills Robinson. Bill was deployed with his unit in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan when Goran Tomsevic, a Serbian embedded reporter from Reuters joined them.  Bill did not have much respect for “embeds” after his first reporter requested to be evacuated after only one day in the field. Goran was different. Bill says Goran had an “operator mentality” and just a touch of insanity.  Photo Credit: Goran Tomsevic Bill’s unit had been notified there might be a Taliban marksman in the area and a single shot alerted Bill to his presence. Without donning his armor and helmet Bill rushed to check on his men. He had just drawn a bead on where he thought the sniper was positioned when his entire world went dark.  Goran was positioned nearby and mistakenly captured The Shot – a series of photos tha

Cobra gunship pilot Lew Jennings flew 726 missions in Vietnam, receiving over 50 combat decorations including three Distinguished Flying Cross citations for Valor and 36 Air Medals.  He published a memoir about helicopter combat in Vietnam named “19 Minutes to Live”. He joins us as part of our partnership with the Distinguished Flying Cross Society. Vietnam was considered the first “helicopter” war. Over 12,000 helicopters flew 5.25 million sorties. Eighty percent of the light observation helicopters, forty seven percent of the Hueys and thirty percent of the Cobra helicopters were lost.  Nearly 5,000 helicopter crew members were killed and an untold number wounded. Lew shares some of the tactics they developed “on the fly” depending on the terrain and mission. Many of his missions involved hunter-killer teams consisting of OH-6 scout helicopters, Cobras and Hueys. Sometimes they would fly in “pink teams” consisting of only a scout helicopter and a Cobra gunship. “It was our job to go out and stir things up

9/11 survivor & FDNY Veteran Tim Brown lost nearly 100 of his friends in the September 11 terrorist attacks, including his two best friends.  He has made it his mission to assure that our nation never forgets. Tim is no stranger to the face of terrorism. He responded to the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing and was dispatched to help with the recovery efforts following the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing. But nothing could have prepared him for the events of 9/11. He had been assigned to Mayor Giuliani’s Office of Emergency Management – a role Tim describes as “taking off his helmet and putting on a tie.” He was in his office across the street from One World Trade Center when the first plane hit the North Tower. Tim describes some of the horrible moments he experienced, including last seconds with his fellow firefighters before they climbed the stairs with full knowledge that they may never return. “It was what all the firemen, policemen and EMT’s did that day. They fulfilled the oath they had taken to give their li

Irv Brandt’s evolution from a Navy torpedo man to law enforcement was an awkward transition but it worked out. Irv served with the US Marshal  Service for more than 20 years. After leaving the Navy, he went to college to study business. After Black Monday no one was hiring business majors, but there were lots of opportunities in Law Enforcement. “I went into law enforcement and it turns out I was really good at it.” As a member of the Atlanta Police Department, Irv was assigned to Centennial Park during the Olympics. He was fifty feet away from the bomb detonated in the park by Eric Rudolph. “I’ve been shot at, I’ve been stabbed, but nothing is more terrifying than a bomb. It’s amazing to me that I wasn’t hit”. Irv tested for a position with all the Federal Agencies and was waiting for a DEA academy class when the Marshal Service called. The Marshal’s academy began earlier so Irv jumped at the chance. We discuss one of Irv’s cases that was featured on America’s Most Wanted; Jodie Thompson. Thompson escaped

A “moral injury” can occur in response to witnessing behaviors that go against an individual’s values and moral beliefs.  I was first introduced to this concept by Col. Marc Walker of the 12th Air Force and asked him to explain it further to our listeners. Clearly, in war, there are many situations that can cause moral injury. These can include death or harm to civilians, “same team” violence, concealed acts of cowardice, sexual trauma or the inability to prevent death or suffering.  These incidents don’t happen only in combat – Marc shares examples he witnessed while maintaining equipment. While moral injury has been with us since the beginning of time, it wasn’t until recently that it began to be examined through current psychological lenses.  It is estimated that there is a 50-65% moral distress rate among service members. While one would think it disproportionally impacts younger persons who have not have as much exposure to the world, Marc says it is more common in senior service members as they take o

“Frogmen” was the nickname given to the members of the newly formed Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) during World War II. Their fellow service members called them “Half Fish, Half Nuts”. They were the predecessors of today’s Navy SEAL teams. George Morgan The history of the formation of these special units is the subject of a new book by award winning journalist & author Andrew Dubbins. It is called “Into Enemy Waters; a World War II Story of the Demolition Divers Who Became the Navy SEALs”. Much of the book is based upon the personal experiences of one of the last living original Frogmen George Morgan. Draper Kaufman is credited as the being the “father of the Navy SEALs”. Although the son of a Navy Admiral, Kaufman was denied a commission from the Naval Academy due to poor eyesight. He volunteered with the American Ambulance Corps in France prior to the US entering the war. He then volunteered with the Royal British Navy where he gained valuable experience defusing bombs during the London blitz. When Ad

Valor Club is an innovative master planned community specifically designed for transitioning Veterans. The development will be built on 200 acres five miles southeast of San Antonio. At full build out, the $330 million dollar community will include 1,400 residential units on a campus also featuring various support amenities and services. This community will be the first of its kind on this scale. Michael McDowell is the President  & CEO of Valor Club and a Marine Veteran with multiple combat deployments.  He has earned four college degrees with his PhD focusing on the effects of stress and military transition to civilian life. Valor Club will be built around five pinnacles of a successful transition with the residential piece just one part of the equation. The other pinnacles include an educational component, extensive social service support, recreation & fitness and career selection & placement.  The mortar that will hold all these elements together will be the fact that ALL the community residents will be

Hometown Heroes Radio creator and host Paul Loeffler has done some amazing work assuring that the stories of World War II and Korean era Veterans are not lost to history. Since 2005 Paul has interviewed an average of one World War II Veteran per week. Much of Paul’s inspiration came from an early moment in his life when he accidentally came across a framed newspaper article hidden away in his grandfather’s closet. It described how Dr. Robert Loeffler pulled 26 men out of burning tanks and half tracks while under fire in a German ambush. Those actions earned his grandfather a Silver Star commendation and he would be awarded a Bronze Star at the Battle of the Bulge. While a television broadcaster, Paul pitched the idea of adding short feature segments with World War II Veterans to their regular broadcasts. His boss discounted the idea saying “Nobody wants to hear a bunch of old guys talking.” Paul did it anyway and the series won awards. He founded Hometown Heroes Radio in 2007 and began syndication in 2013.

Landing craft and the men who sailed them were often unheralded. But they were a critical part of our victory in World War II. They were especially important to the island hopping campaign in the Pacific theater. Like many of his generation, Steven Ganzberger enlisted as soon as he turned 18 following the attack on Pearl Harbor.  His grandson Zach Morris has always been an avid World War II historian. He was visiting town on May 18, 2011 and decided to conduct a 2 hour interview with his grandfather. Two days later, Steven passed away. This put Zach on a 10 year odyssey to learn more about the landing craft that his grandfather and his comrades sailed. The result is a wonderful book called “When the Beaches Trembled.” Three types of landing craft were used during the second world war; Landing Craft Infantry (LCI), Landing Craft Tank (LCT) & Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM). Service aboard these craft was miserable. All were designed with flat bottoms that allowed them to get close to shore and beach themselves

The Distinguished Flying Cross is our nation’s fourth highest award for heroism and the highest award for extraordinary aerial achievement. Three time DFC recipient Ross Detwiler and his fellow “Misty” pilots volunteered to fly some of the most dangerous missions of the Vietnam War. Twenty two percent of the forward air controllers were shot down. Ross was among them. The original Forward Air Control missions were flown in much slower, propeller driven aircraft. However, because the loss rates of pilots and aircraft were so high, the mission was renamed Fast Forward Air control and transitioned to F-100 and F-4 aircraft. Ross flew both. He says that their mission was basically to go out and get shot at so they could discover where the enemy was. The lives of the pilots who flew “Misty” missions are detailed in his book “The Great Muckrack and Rosie”. In his book Ross recounts the sometimes tragic and often heroic stories of some of the men he flew with. There are also more light hearted anecdotes of the adv