It’s been fifty years since Ken Rodgers fought as part of Bravo Company 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, 3rd Marine Division at Khe Sanh; we’ll get his reflections on those fifty years.  We’ll also talk “war movies” with the LCpl turned documentary filmmaker — what he likes and doesn’t like.  Finally, we’ll discuss the lack of mental health awareness during Vietnam and get Ken’s thoughts on the use of “Bravo!  Common Men, Uncommon Valor” as a tool to promote mental health awareness for Marines.

Gunner gives us the basics on flame-weapons and we discuss he favorite war movies and why… and the “why” is a big deal.

Can you imagine a situation where the things that were discussed in a “small group” meeting about significant issues was leaked on a regular basis to the media?  Where your comments were placed into the public record like they were meant for the public?  Bushido violations, but all in the realm of “regular order” for our national politicians.

We keep seeing two themes when we look at articles about “what’s wrong with the Navy’s surface fleet?”  (1)  Sleep deprivation — which we all know is bullshit; and (2) Skippers telling their commanding officers that they are “not mission capable” and pushing back on missions.  We’ll explore item #2 with LtCol Rob Schwarz, USMC (ret) — aka “Montana Man” — who was the Executive Officer of Regimental Combat Team-1 (2010-2011) in Afghanistan that had as many as five different battalions operating underneath its umbrella.  Is a higher headquarters ignorant of the training and logistical readiness of its subordinate units?  Hmmmmmmm.

 

Geoff Ziezulewicz has covered the Iraq and Afghanistan for Stars & Strips and now writes for Navy Times.  He has written extensively about the leadership and operational issues that the U.S. Navy is dealing with today, we’ll talk about those issues.

The Boys discuss the Las Vegas “SHOT Show” which is a gunner’s paradise, fiscal sanity in local government, a Khe Sahn Marine’s memories of hearing his Range Coach talking to him as he killed his first NVA soldier in combat and “unnecessary death” and how it hurts in a way that other combat deaths don’t.