There Will Be Bourbon

Former Green Beret and Author Mike Bennett drops by the virtual bar to discuss his latest book, Memoirs From The Druze. Prior to picking up the pen and authoring this along with the Warlock series, Mike did some really cool things every day Americans should learn and know more about. Mike, motivated by the Iran Hostage Crisis, joined the US Army and went through the Special Forces Qualification Course as a young Officer before it was a branch of full time service, spent time in Haiti and Bosnia prior to the GWOT kicking off which would take him into...

Braxton McCoy and "Lawrence of Iowarabia" drop by the virtual bar to discuss their new business venture into the beef industry with Pasture Peaks Farms. We discussed processing, the marketing gimmicks you see on packaging, origins of big box store beef, grading of beef, barriers to entry into the American beef market, what makes a good beef cow and how can you tell, plus much, much more. Grab a glass! 

Lafayette Lee is a contributing editor at IM 1776, delivers excellent written works on his Substack, and also can be found on X @ Partisan_O. Lee dips into the virtual bar this time discussing the assassination attempts on President Trump, why Congress, no matter who is in charge, is the way that it is, if Vladimir Putin is stuck in Ukraine, and much more bourbon sipping worthy takes. Grab a glass!

Retired Sergeant Major and the man behind US Army WTF Moments along with other military pages collecting the most absurd true stories, as well as breaking some of the most poignant news impacting the force returns to the virtual bar. We are talking all things DoD including the new SecDef Pete Hegseth and just where we think his attention should be focused, plus much more. Grab a glass!

Buck Shamrock of X stops by the virtual bar to discuss his 30 year career in law enforcement from time in the jail to tactical teams on the street. We discuss the biggest changes and challenges he sees with the new hires joining the force, the "recipes" inmates cook in jail, the George Floyd riots, as well as sharing his unique takes on a variety of issues currently unfolding in the public space. Grab a glass!

Retired Army Warrant Officer Sam Shoemate stopped by the virtual bar to discuss the inspiration behind the viral Instagram account TerminalCWO, his work exposing the abhorrent behavior at the 101st Airborne Division during the Covid lockdowns as well as elsewhere in the military, the unlawful Covid-19 vaccine mandates, his work along with others ongoing to affect the DoD's acknowledgment of an unlawful order, the policy allowing wrongly discharged service members to return, as well as some hilarious banter regarding the Command Sergeant Major rank in the Army, and much, much more. Grab a glass! 

Jeff Young from Around The Foghorn returns to discuss the 2025 San Francisco Giants. 

Chief Cope stopped by the virtual bar to discuss in depth the logistics that went into supplying the Afghan National Army, the current state of the challenges facing the logistics chain, the struggle behind teaching the ANA, General Milley, and the potential for positive change throughout the DoD moving forward with the new Secretary of Defense. 

"Viking Rob" joined me to discuss the early years of the Iraq War, including all of the maintenance and defensive innovation like the counter-EFP (Explosively Formed Penetrator), the current logistics and supply chain issues, the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, and the NFC North, and wrapping with a spirited discussion on music. Grab a glass!

"Viking Rob" joined me to discuss the early years of the Iraq War, including all of the maintenance and defensive innovation like the counter-EFP (Explosively Formed Penetrator), the current logistics and supply chain issues, the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, and the NFC North, and wrapping with a spirited discussion on music. Grab a glass!

Jesse Kelly returns to the virtual bar for a happy hour discussion about his recent book "The Anti-Communist Manifesto", the feeling of positivity in the air following the 2024 election, where we are culturally as a society, and just who is going to fight the next great war. Grab a glass!

Steve is a 23 year veteran of the United States Army and a newly published author. We talked about his "significant emotional event" that led him into the Army, growing up in a small town in Southern California, Iraq, Army recruiting, music, movies, and just what the hell happened to Metallica. Grab a glass!

"@BuffaloRon" of X stops by the virtual bar to tell his unique story about how he went from a chef and owner of several restaurants to becoming a Bison farmer and making socks from their wool. Ron is a really sincere and genuine guy with a wonderful message on the need to just go for it and to never wait for the perfect time; there isn't one. Grab a glass!

A conversation with Terry Schappert on his involvement with Task Force Dagger and a dive recovery operation he recently participated off the coast of Portugal for a downed B-24 from 1943. From there we discuss his role in the upcoming play for Stephen King's "Misery", the type of men America has produced and forgotten, Catholicism, memory holing the GWOT, and so much more. Grab a glass! There Will Be Bourbon! 

Clay Martin returns for his annual appearance at the virtual bar to discuss the multiple assassination attempts of former President Trump, the credibility lost by the Secret Service, where we are in societal decline, his prediction for the presidential election, and a reminder that you don't mess with former President Obama because he will "Drone strike your wedding." Grab a glass! 

King Mac from X stops by the virtual bar to talk all things Chicago Bears, Caleb Williams, moving on from Justin Fields, predictions for the upcoming season, Chicago White Sox and baseball, as well as my latest theory on which sport the best and the brightest athletes actually play. Grab a glass! 

Travis served honorably and valorously in the Marine Corps and the US Army in Afghanistan and multiple times in Iraq. He shares some vivid personal stories of combat as well as his thoughts on the candidates in the upcoming election, being a father, weightlifting, and more. Grab a glass!

Rob Province returns to offer his unique takes on assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, the current President dropping his reelection bid, Kamala Harris, Elon Musk, and the cultural shift taking place in the United States. Grab a glass! 

Brink; an Army veteran, co-founder of MvrderCvlt, and former US Secret Service Special Agent stops by the virtual bar to discuss the recent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump. 

Former US Air Force Veteran and Blackwater contractor Morgan Lerette joins me to discuss his unusual path into the world of contracting for the legendary Blackwater organization in Iraq. After serving in the Air National Guard overseas immediately following 9/11, a friend convinced him to tryout for Blackwater and go back to Iraq to protect US Diplomats in the early days of the war. Morgan has a sharp sense of humor and wit all while understanding how to keep even the darkest moments light enough to let the listener and reader of his book, "Guns, Girls, and Greed" in and...

Benjamin (@BenjaminPHLN23 on X) stopped by the virtual bar for a remarkably insightful discussion. He recalls his miraculous (my words, not his) recovery from a heart attack and a loss of a limb as a teenager before delving into his philosophical endeavors in college. Eventually when writing for his Masters, he was asked to leave a university due to his paper on abortion and unwavering stance in the face of threats. We discuss his views and he articulates the Catholic position against the extreme while having compassion. We talk further about the loss of community among younger men and...

Lafayette Lee is a contributing editor at IM 1776, delivers excellent written works on his Substack, and also can be found on X @ Partisan_O. Lee joins me this time to talk about the speed at which our cultural shifts have seemingly increased, the ongoing conflict with Israel and Hamas and America's role in the present and future, his take on witnessing a foreign nation's flag being waved by members of Congress on the House floor, the divide between sovereignty of Americans and Washington, DC, as well as where the real fight is still to be had. Grab a glass!<...

John stops by the virtual bar to talk about our time playing together at Poinciana High School; clearly a formative moment in his professional baseball development! We go on to discuss his time at Auburn, becoming an All-American and eventually getting drafted by the San Diego Padres and making it to the Triple A level. Along the way he figured out the mental aspect of the game and what is required to get the absolute best of yourself not just on the mound, but in life. John has taken this approach and packaged it into his successful baseball program...

The sequel is real! And so is Mark Sibley's return trip to the virtual bar to discuss his new book "A Dance of Devils", the sequel to "Mongol Moon". Picking up where MM left off, WW3 is hot and underway with new storylines, characters, and remarkably well researched plot lines, scenarios, battle scenes, and one helluva play list! Mark shares his creative process and gets into expansive detail on where the Mongol Moon series is headed, what's next, when we can expect the third book, as well as some insight into how this story could truly come to life...

"Gruntpa" returns to the virtual bar for a discussion on the mentality required to succeed in the worst possible scenario, and why most don't have it and never will. Having spent time in Iraq, we revisit some of our time there and the evolution into a more anti-war stance and why. We talk about Russian President Vladimir Putin's appearance recently with Tucker Carlson and what the end state of the war in Ukraine will have to look like, the loss of faith in institutions, along with much, much more. Grab a glass! 

Michelle Vogt is one of the Twitter OG's and supplied her unique takes on everything from politics to fashion in the late 2000s and early 2010's. Diagnosed with a brain tumor and the incurable conditions Trigeminal Neuralgia, Anesthesia Dolorosa, and Occipital Neuralgia, she's set out to raise awareness and has connected with others who suffer from the diseases through the rarediseasewarrior account on IG. Still as sharp and witty as ever, Michelle shares her early life and what led her from NJ to LA, her experience with starting and selling a small business, learning of her diagnosis, along with...

Dale Stark is a recently retired A-10 Pilot and veteran of over 20+ years. He flew combat missions during multiple deployments to Afghanistan and finished his service to country instructing for the Air Force in Tucson, Arizona before returning home and retiring to Oregon. Growing up in a small town and moving from home to home, Dale didn't necessarily take the traditional route to becoming a pilot of one of the most revered and desired combat aircraft in America's military history. After leaving college the first time, Dale found himself as a maintainer for the C-17 with the goal of...

Picking up where part 1 leaves off, we continue discussing how current foreign policy goals are achieved while dealing with recruiting shortages and a newer, less willing to serve generation. There is still a road to victory against geopolitical rivals like China as Ross lays out. We then get into a theological discussion of Antichrist AI, Roko's Basilisk, as well as some light hearted hope in that Keanu Reeves and Tom Cruise will save the world some day as only they are best equipped with the Hollywood experience to do so. Grab a glass!

Ross Kennedy identifies that logistics is a map of human intent, which will inevitably reveal the intent and needs of the stakeholders. In Part 1  we discuss how China became the manufacturing engine of the world, what a conventional war with China might look like, the motivation behind the calculated weakening of the West, and just who would want to sign up to carry out this new era of policy. Part 2 coming. Grab a glass!

My favorite member of the San Francisco Giants media, Jeff Young, stops by the virtual bar. Jeff shares his insight into the recent hiring of Bob Melvin as the Giants manager, the loss of Gabe Kapler, the potential for Shohei Ohtani, an update on Bryce Eldridge and Reggie Crawford in the Giants farm system, as well as how he thinks this roster will look when the Giants take the field in 2024. Grab a glass!

Jessica Fenske stops by the virtual bar to tell us why she hates government and is seeking to be in government as the Libertarian candidate for Arvada City Council in Colorado. She also makes the case for Libertarianism and why your focus should be on the elections at your local level. 

Terry Schappert returns to the virtual bar for a conversation about everything unfolding in the Middle East, Catholicism, and where does our loyalty lie; to government, religion or our neighbors. We also explore the current respect for institutions, or lack thereof, and ultimately what comes next. Do we even know?

Demp returns for his third appearance at the virtual bar. He tells us about his newest role as the social media manager for War Gate Books, plus some good, spirited conversations about dudes being dudes, fatherhood, protecting others, and wherever else the bourbon takes us. Grab a glass!

Clay Martin returns to the virtual bar to discuss the evolution of fighting styles in the UFC, whether the policies coming from our institutions are believed by those putting them out, thoughts behind renaming military bases and the dangers of looking back at history through the lens of today in general, Andrew Tate, Donald Trump, and what he sees playing out in the US General Election in 2024. Grab a glass! There Will Be Bourbon! Tonight's fuel: Angel's Envy Barrel Pick from Lawler's in Napa, CA.

Joel Gaines stopped by the virtual bar. He is a former Army Intelligence Expert with a Russia area of focus, author of Chaos Terrain, and helps run War Lizard Tactical. Joel shares his experience coming up during the Cold War era inside the US Army Intelligence community, as well as the shift to Desert Storm and his involvement. Joel gives some unique insight into the Russia-Ukraine war, the issues plaguing Russia's military, and what the inevitable outcome might look like. We also get into the psyche of Saddam Hussein and theorize why he took the actions he did following...

Alan Morte stopped by the virtual bar to discuss Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) and why it has such amazing potential for both good and bad actors. We get further into its national security implications, what the US government should be doing with the technology, why Americans should care and be concerned, as well as an expansive conversation on our risk-averse culture and its impact on American society. Grab a glass! There Will Be Bourbon! Tonight's selection: Knob Creek 18 Year.

Braxton McCoy came back to the virtual bar, this time to discuss brands and their involvement in cultural and political issues, our political class and potential military involvement overseas, the UFC, and a ton of baseball talk. Mostly from me. Grab a glass! There Will Be Bourbon. This episode fueled by Baker's 7 Single Barrel. 

Curtis - @notwtfomgbbq from Twitter stopped by the virtual bar to talk what he means by a 2nd Amendment absolutist, navigating government regulations and interference in the oil and gas industry, and shares an incredibly frustrating story about the COVID pandemic and its impact on his business. Hearing stories from one of the more isolated areas of the United States shows just how differently people across this vast country live and the far reaching arm of government enforcement. Grab a glass! There Will Be Bourbon! Tonight's discussion fueled by Green River Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

Todd is a good friend of mine and one of the funniest guys who I knew would be great in this space. This conversation mirrored so many of ours together without the cameras present. Todd shares his path into the Napa wine world and tells the story of the Bolivian wine he now imports. We also discuss eating in Michelin starred restaurants and review some of his favorites. Check out Llama Wines at www.llamawines.com. Fueling tonight's discussion: Bowman Brothers Small Batch Bourbon

"Johnny Tyler" of @GFYGardenCenter stopped by the virtual bar. This is one of my favorite accounts to follow on the bird app. Over the last 75 weeks he's become sober and lost over 140 pounds. A former Army Intel guy, we were in Iraq around the same time in 2003 and watched the evolution of the insurgency and the growth of AQI (Al Qaeda in Iraq). He talks about his time there attempting to inform leadership on the hazards of dissolving the Iraqi Army as well as some of the food gems of the Middle East. He is also an avid Vegan...