American Warrior Radio

Charles Faint joins us for another interesting discussion of topics featured on the Havok Journal.

Producer Chris Meek and Director Michael Gier join us to discuss a new 9/11 documentary set to release on the 25th Anniversary of the attacks.

Major General (US Army Retired) Clayton Hutmacher served in the Army for forty years - much of it in the Special Operations Community.

He now leads the Special Operations Warrior Foundation which provides support for Spec. Ops families who have a loved one killed or severely injured.

After 14 months in the jungles of Vietnam, Dennis Nickel had a difficult time adjusting; drugs, alchohol and violent outburst plagued his life before PTSD was officially recognized. He and his wife Diana had their bumps and bruises for 40 years before unconditional love put them on a new path,

James R. Lyda served in our Air Force for 30 years and was a Wing Command Chief twice. During his last assignment before retirement he was responsible for 55,000 personnel.

After retirement he founded Guidon Leadership - a full service firm that helps companies develop better leaders, managers and people.

The HBO Film "Taking Chance" chronicles Lt. Col. Michael Strobl's experiences while escorting the remains of Private Chance Phelps to his hometown. It was once of HBO's most watched original films and received numerous awards. Mike Strobl joins us to share his first hand account.

Scott Neil was a member of one of the special Green Beret units inserted behind enemy lines in Afghanistan shortly after the 9/11 attacks. He and a couple of friends created "Horse Soldier" bourbon to honor the legacy of the men who rode into battle on horse back against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

The after effects of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are the subject of an interesting documentary co-produced by Kelly and Tanabe. Their predecessors fought on opposite sides during WWII. "Atomic Echoes" features interviews with Japanese bombing survivors and US military members who entered the zones shortly after the bombings.

Quang Pham and most of his family escaped Vietnam just before the fall of Saigon. He would go on to be the first American of Vietnamese descent to become a Marine Corps Aviator and the first to take and IPO public on NASDAQ.

Carlos Ruiz is the 20th person to hold the title of Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. We talk leadership, motivation and what makes Marines different.

Peter Singer is nationally recognized as on of the premier futurists in the national-security environment. We discuss was future wars may look like.

Ayman Kafel has more than 20 years serving in the military and law enforcement. After founding Project Sapient, he has been researching the various sciences that can better help law enforcement officers deal with the stress and trauma of their profession.

HER Campaign Co-Founder Britney Higgs and retired DEA agent Stacy Zinn talk about the scourge of human trafficking in the US and what the HER campaign does to help victims safely transition.

It has been considered by many to be our US Marine Corps greatest peacetime loss of life. But many have never heard of it.  Chas Henry joins us to describe the Fuji Fire that took place on Oct. 19, 1979.

Paratrooper Andrew Bragg wrote "The Devil's Playground" as a tribute to his comrades from Charlie Company’s 2nd Platoon and their 2009-2010 deployment to the Arghandab River valley in Afghanistan. His platoon would suffer 50% casualties and 6 KIA during the deployment.

Havok Journal owner and 27 year Army Intelligence Veteran Charles Faint discusses some of the topics recently featured on their website. We do some deep dives into the threats/weakenesses of China and also how the wars in Ukraine and Gaza are causing a re-examination of modern war doctrines.

Major League broadcaster and Vietnam Veteran Bill Brown has written an excellent book called “Wartime Athletes; Stories of Sports Stars Who Joined the US Team.”  He shares some compelling and inspiring stories.

"Grit To Glory" recounts Green Beret Darrell Utt's journey from the back woods of West Virginia to his leadership role with ODA 043 in Baghdad during some of the most intense fighting.

On this episode we talk with two organizations in the farming battlespace. Farm 2 Veteran uses a network of farms in 9 states to provide healthy, quality food to Veterans experiencing food instability.

The Land At Home Project has a mission to train Veterans to get involved in sustainable agriculture.

Erik Knowles quickly discovered that the Marine Corps is no place for a jokester. He now uses comedy as a way to help other Veterans deal with their trauma.

Dave Chamberlain served a combined 38 years in the US Air Force and Air National Guard. We discuss some interesting insgights from some of his Havok Journal articles, including why he feels the current command structure in our military is outmoded.

Ethan Brown served as an Air Force Tactical Air Control Party specialists for 11 years and was deployed six times to various combat zones.

He shares how this role and technology have changed the way we do battle.

Robert Boyd served with the New York Police Department for 35 years - his last four as Chief of Detectives.  He now hosts "New York Homicide" which airs Saturday evenings on the Oxygen Channel True Crime Network.

"The Houdini Club" describes the formation of the 1st, 3rd & 4th Ranger battalions during WWII and follows their combat through North Africa, Sicily and eventually Italy, where two of the three battalions were wiped out by the Germans.

Mir served with the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. Mir has written numerous books on military history and co-wrote and produced the award-winning independent motion picture "Soldier of God".

Actor, musician and humanitarian Gary Sinise returns to American Warrior Radio to provide updates on his Foundation's programming in support of military and first responder families.

We also discuss Gary's son Mac who lost his battle against a rare form of cancer in 2024. Mac was a very talented composer and musician and he left his music behind as a legacy for all of us to enjoy. All proceeds from sales of the "Resurrection and Revival" albums benefit the Gary Sinise Foundation's programs.

The story of how the venerable Jeep came to be is an intriguing one full of twists and turns. The company that actually produced the first Jeep was NOT who many people would think. Paul Bruno is the foremost expert on the development of the Jeep.

The Modern War Institute is a program at West Point that provides an astounding amont of research via publications, podcasts and special events.

Linguist David Tyson was one of the first Americans inserted into Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks as part of the CIA's "Team Alpha"

CIA linguist David Tyson was a member of "Team Alpha", one of the first group of Americans inserted into Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks. He would be embroiled in the uprising at Qala-i-Jangi prison during which CIA paramilitary officer Mike Spann would become the first American killed in Afghanistan.

Commander Brian Wierzbiki, Chief of Public Engagment for the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration joins us to discuss how they are supporting events all across the US in recognition of the 50th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.

"Brothers After War" is a documentary by Jake Radenmacher. In the film he checks back in with several of the service members he was embedded with for this "Brothers At War" award winning documentary. I highly recommend both Veterans and civilians watch this film. There is healing here...

Navy Veteran and tax law attorney Hubert Johnson shares tips for military members and Veteran entreprenuers.

Nick Padlo was a sophomore at West Point when the 9/11 attacks occurred. He would go on to serve two tours of duty in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Armed with an MBA from Stanford University, Padlo made a good transition to the civilian sector, taking a job with a successful business. It seemed he had the world at his feet. But all was not well in his life. He experienced a divorce and along the way he started drinking and experimenting with drugs. The feelings that he was trying to numb became worse because of his addictions. On 2018 he found himself...

The Van of Valor program is the brainchild of Kevin and Lauren Wallace. Their mission is to travel to all of the lower 48 states and record the stories of at least 100 Purple Heart recipients or Gold Star families. Kevin had served in the Air Force for seven years when the opportunity came up to become a Combat Photographer. On April 3, 2011 Kevin was attached to a team of 12 cavalry scouts tasked with establishing an observation post in a set of ruins in Northwest Afghanistan. Kevin sensed that something was amiss when their meeting with the village elders was less than cordial...

“Jeep Show; A Trouper at the Battle of the Bulge” is a fictional work by author Robert B. O’Connor that sheds light on a unique and little know effort during World War II. Military Occupational Specialist Code 442 was assigned to some names you may recognize; Mickey Rooney, Sammy Davis Jr, Mel Brooks and Red Buttons. They were part of a special morale initiative to provide entertainment to troops on the front lines in areas deemed too dangerous for USO tours. Jeep Show units consisted of 3 soldiers who would provide the equivalent of a traveling vaudeville show. Because front line troops...

Terry “Ranger” Johnson’s path toward fulfilling his dreams was a rocky one. His “comeback” story is one of resiliency, commitment to one’s goals and is full of messages that should inspire every one of us. Terry grew up off of a dirt road five miles outside of a tiny town in east Texas. While Terry is a dedicated patriot, he admits he joined for the money and to get out of that small town. While serving at his first duty station he encountered some Rangers and decided that would be his next career goal. There was one big problem thou...

“This Troubled Ground” by  is part memoir/part fiction. Les served our nation for 28 years, beginning with four years in the active duty Air Force and the remainder in the National Guard. He retired at the rank of Lt. Colonel in 2013. Dover Air Force Base is often the first domestic stop for the remains of the fallen coming from overseas. During the height of the Afghanistan War, President Obama changed the policies to allow families to have media presence if they wished. This required a public affairs team to be present on the ramp for the dignified transfer.  Les was one of...

Mike Croissant, a retired CIA officer, set out on a mission to learn more about his uncle. His uncle was an a bomber crewman that survived World War II without of scratch but was then killed in a plane crash shortly after returning home. Drawing from his uncle’s letters home, along with dozens of interviews with surviving Veterans, Mike produced “Bombing Hitler’s Hometown; The Untold Story of the Last Mass Bombing Raid of World War II in Europe." It describes the April 25, 1944 mission to bomb Linz, Austria. Hitler spent many of his early life in Linz, Austria. He intend...

“Indochina Hand; Tales of a CIA Case Officer” by Barry Broman features a compilation stories about situations encountered during a 25 year career with the agency. He can attest to the fact that sometimes truth IS stranger than fiction. Barry was first approached by the CIA while in graduate school. The recruiter said Barry was precisely the “kind of guy we are looking for”. However, when Barry informed him that he was commissioned in the Marine Corps and was headed to Vietnam. The recruiter handed him a business card and said “Here’s my card. If you live, call this number six months b...

Dr. Lanny Snodgrass completed basic training at the age of 63, perhaps a new record. He has wanted to serve in the military much earlier in life but a football injury made him ineligible.  However, as a VA psychiatrist, he witnessed the trauma of Veterans and the desire to serve in uniform became more intense. When he was sixty a friend suggested he try to join up again. He signed the paperwork, passed the physical and took the oath. Two months later he received a phone call from Army headquarters saying he was too old. It took three more years before h...