American Warrior Radio

DCM Consulting Founder Christopher “Dutch” Moyer served 31 years in the Army – 26 of those in Special Operations. He has taken part in over 1,000 successful combat assaults in classified & unclassified missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Even as a child he wanted to be a soldier and at the first opportunity enlisted in the tank corps. However, he found that the Army in the 1980’s was not what he had hoped.  After a five year break, he returned. This time he “Wanted to be in the worst possible places with the best possible people.” He became an Army Ranger and spent the last 14 years of his career with the elite Joint Special Operations Command. JSOC was created after the disastrous “Desert One” mission.

After retiring Dutch tried his hand at various careers but in 2014 decided to return to his strengths. “I’m much better off training men to survive battle.”

DCM Consulting provides advanced training to both military and law enforcement units across the country. Part of his “why” for starting his company stemmed from the fact that many local law enforcement agencies don’t provide the specialized training necessary for their officers to survive high intensity situations. (Dutch shared a recent situation where his fee was paid by a private citizen because their local police department did not have the funding.) In addition to close quarter battle, his training includes rifle/pistol proficiency and stress inoculation.

His trademarked phrase “My Sword is Your Shield” is a concept that not only applies to military/law enforcement situations but also applies to what can be achieve by working as a team in almost any context.

Dutch also pays homage his Combat Assault Dog Valco who sacrificed his life saving Dutch and his comrades on a mission.

TAKEAWAY: “I can’t be the agent of correction any longer but maybe I can help someone who is.”

“Bridging The Gap”, a new book authored by 26 year law enforcement veteran Glen Williams might be directed at his police comrades but holds learning lessons for all of us. Over the course of his career, Glen suffered through two divorces, numerous traumatic events and developed severe PTSD.

"My objective in writing this book was to help others not do the same stupid things that I did. If I can help one person avoid a divorce or PTSD or suicide then I win.”

He recounts a briefing held for police academy graduates and their spouses. The couples were told the divorce rate among law enforcement couples was high. There would be things they saw on the job that officers would not want to or couldn’t talk about with their spouse. “They told us open communication was important but they didn’t tell us HOW to do it.”

His law enforcement career got off to a rough start when he was rejected by the postal inspector’s service because of his diabetes. His evolution to a “regular beat cop” was fraught with other challenges including supervisors who misconstrued his lack of communication as arrogance. Glen says he later realized he would give off that vibe as a way of covering his own insecurities. “Subconsciously I was protecting myself. Basically..Realistically I was destroying the thing I cared most about – my marriage.”

In Bridging the Gap he recounts several scenarios from the ridiculous to the extremely traumatic. One of my favorites was the stormy night when he almost shot Ronald McDonald.

He strongly recommends journaling as a healthy method of dealing with trauma. Blue Help and the CODE 9 Project also provide support resources for those in the law enforcement community.

TAKEAWAY: Glen provides an eight hour course in communication to police departments around the country. He also encourages anyone who needs to talk to contact him directly.

American Warrior Garage was inspired by a chance encounter in a department store parking lot. Scott Jones and his friend Vince Gibson had been restoring cars together for about 20 years. One day they noticed a Veteran who had lost both legs to an IED blast “wheeling around” Vince’s 1969 El Camino. A conversation about classic cars ensued with the Veteran saying  “Man, I’d like to be able to drive one of those.”   Both Scott and Vince are Navy Veterans and realized they had found a new mission for their auto restoration talents.

They incorporated American Warrior Garage as a non-profit with the mission of “Restoring Heroes’ Lives One Hot Rod at a Time.” They offer their programs to first responders and EMS personnel as well. Their first restore was a 1970 Chevelle for a double amputee Marine Corps Veteran.  They are currently working on a ’68 Torino for a Veteran with five tours of duty. Scott admits that in the early days of the organization they were “just winging it” and the organization was funded out of their own pockets.

Scott tells the story of a 1962 Thunderbird owned by a Korean War Veteran and donated by the Veteran’s family. The car was pristine so they cleaned it up and raffled the car as a fundraiser. They also do repairs on “normal” cars for donation to Veterans.

American Warrior Radio Garage was featured on two episodes of the “Garage Rehab” television program. As part of their mission to help reintegrate Veterans back into civilian life they are also trying to help Veterans get to the first level of Automotive Service Excellence certification.

TAKEAWAY: If you or someone you know has a vehicle sitting around, please consider donating it to American Warrior Garage. Any garage owners around the country who might be interested in joining the effort with a “satellite” program are also encouraged to contact Scott as well.

Whistleblower Paula Pedene thought she had found her dream job. But her commitment to honesty and integrity led to a nightmare – one that should infuriate every one of us. Her story is chronicled in the book “A Sacred Duty; How a Whistleblower Took on the VA and Won.”

Paula enlisted in 1978 and became a Navy journalist.  She re-enlisted for the Gulf War but a hereditary eye disease eventually ended her military career. In 1994 she was appointed the first full time Public Affairs officer for the Phoenix Veterans Administration Health Center. She led the Phoenix VA to national recognition and awards.

However, a new administrator who was inclined to his own betterment rather than putting the Veterans first led to her first conflict. He delayed and denied care in order to secure additional equipment. Dr. Sam Foote was the original whistleblower in this situation and approached Paula about reporting the conditions and she agreed to step up. An internal investigation found $ 11 million in shortfalls but Paula was branded.

Incoming administrators sought out minor infractions to punish Paula, literally exiling her to the basement. What was supposed to be a 30 day investigation turned into two years in limbo. But she would not give up. The new administrators were “gaming the system” in order to secure performance bonuses. They were literally keeping two sets of appointment books. Testimony and later investigations revealed that as many as 3.500 Veterans were stranded on these “alternate” lists and 1,800 could not secure primary care appointments. Some died while waiting for appointments.

Eventually, thanks to many allied whistleblowers within the VA, Congress and the media, the Phoenix VA state of affairs (and similar situations around the country) was finally brought to light. Of the 156 VA hospitals nationwide, similar wait list situations were occurring at 111 of them. Paula received redemption.

TAKEAWAY: “The Veterans Administration is an agency with a very noble mission. But the bureaucracy sometimes lets bad actors maneuver and it needs a culture change.”

Project Sapient Co-Founder Ayman Kafel became a witness to war from his first days on earth.  His father was working in Liberia when Ayman was born, but the Liberian civil war forced his family back to their native Lebanon.  The Lebanese civil war made them seek a more peaceful life in America.

Like many immigrants, Ayman has a deep and abiding love for the US and what this country stands for.  So when we were attacked on 9/11 he immediately enlisted. “Our family felt that those evils we had escaped had followed us here.”  He experienced several combat deployments and planned to pursue a career in Special Forces. A forced medical discharge would cut those plans short.  He pursued a “second mission” protecting his fellow citizens as a law enforcement officer.

Ayman has served 15 years with the Attleboro Police Department and currently commands their “Problem-Oriented Policing Unit.” We spend some time exploring this rather unique community policing concept.

Ayman created The Project Sapient podcast to engage his law enforcement/military brothers and sisters in conversations that need to take place.  In a recent Havok Journal article, he expands upon the “sheepdog” concept by proposing that within that group there is a sub-set he calls “Hybrid-Wolves”.  These are the “truest practitioners” of the warrior mindset; they have tuned their instincts to proactively seeking out evil. We both agree that law enforcement officers need to be allowed to act upon their gut instincts.

Ayman emphasizes the importance of continual training for our police officers. Many officers are forced to pay for additional training out of their own pockets.

TAKEAWAY: “My experience as an immigrant in the military was enlightening. No matter where we came from, our language or religion, we saw each other as brothers and sisters. One people – we were American Soldiers.”

Community support of our military is the focus of this episode. American Warrior Radio is “deployed” at the ColoGaurd PGA Classic. The PGA is very supportive of our military.

We spend the first half of the show with Jay Bickley, Vice President of the Davis-Monthan 50, and all volunteer group of over 100 community leaders that advocates for Davis-Monthan Air Force base and their airmen.  Jay also spent 27 years in the United States Air Force, retiring as Vice Commander of the 12th Air Force.

Jay and I discuss the various components of the DM-50 mission.  We agree that any community with even a small military presence should establish an organized support group if they don’t currently have one. Jay emphasizes that these sorts of relationships can prove very enlightening for civilians in addition to being beneficial for the military families they support. He is happy to provide advice and mentoring to any community thinking of creating or reviving a support organization.

We spend the second half of the show with two sailors from the USS Tucson submarine. LTJG Anthony Schlitt and FT2 Jose Lopez.  They were part of a four sailor contingent from the USS Tucson making a “namesake city” visit to Tucson, Arizona.  The USS Tucson is a Los Angeles Class submarine based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Both sailors were making their first namesake visit. Both emphasize they were surprised and impressed with the level of community support that civilian members of their namesake city provide for the crew and their families.  LTJG Schlitt comments that he had heard this namesake relationship was one of the best in the Navy and this visit confirmed that belief. FT2 Lopez says it is very important to know that there are people outside of the military who are so supportive and it definitely raises morale.

TAKEAWAY: “If we don’t have a good namesake relationship on my next boat, I would 100 percent push for establishing one.”

Red Burning Sky is the latest work by Air National Guard Veteran Thomas Young. The novel was inspired by the real mission that is considered by many to be the greatest airborne rescue in history. Operation Halyard took place from August to late December 1944.  Halyard successfully rescued 432 US aircrews and 80 allied troops from behind enemy lines.

Thomas had over 5,000 hours as a flight engineer in C-130 and C-5 aircraft. During his career he deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo and the Horn of Africa. He is currently a commercial airline pilot.

As part of the strategic war effort, the allies conducted bombing raids designed to shut down Germany’s oil production. Many of these refineries were located in Romania.  From October of 1943 to October of 1944 the 15th Air Force conducted 20,000 bombing sorties out of Italy. The cost was high, losing over 50% of their aircraft. However, they only lost 10% of their aircrews, many bailing out over the Serbian regions of Yugoslavia.

Thomas describes the logistical challenges involved in these rescues including the fact that this region was “involved in a civil war in the middle of a World War.”  He incorporated many of the real elements of this story into Red Burning Sky including the challenges of keeping so many rescued airmen off the radar of Nazi patrols, the ingenious code developed by the crews to confuse the Germans and the labor involved in carving landing strips using nothing but hand tools.

While the characters in Red Burning Sky are fictitious, some were based upon real mission participants such as George Musulin, a former professional football player turned OSS Agent.  General Draza Mihailovic, leader of the Chetnik detachments of the Yogoslav Army also plays a prominent role. MIhailovic refused offers of evacuation, choosing instead to stay and fight for his country. Tito’s socialists won the civil war and Mihailovic was executed in July of 1946.

Much of this operation remained classified for many years. Operation Halyard’s story is preserved and advanced by the Halyard Mission Foundation.

Veteran’s Repertory Theater President and Artistic Director Christopher Paul Meyer had acting in his blood. He comes from three generations of theater performers.  But the 9/11 attacks created a long detour from the performance arts.

Chris found some success acting, including a small role in a television soap opera. He chose to focus his energies on stand-up comedy because that allowed him to be more entrepreneurial. His directorial debut was a one act “off-off Broadway” comedy. Opening weekend went well, the theater was closed on the following Monday and the 9/11 attacks happened on Tuesday.  Chris was scheduled for jury duty that morning at a courthouse near the World Trade Center towers. He described his experience as curiosity evolved into panic and the reality of the scene unfolded.

While Chris didn’t immediately enlist following the attacks, he joined the National Guard several years later when it became apparent this would be a long war and recruiting numbers were lagging. He spent 33 months in combat zones and earned a Bronze Star in Afghanistan.

After 20 years of “wanderlust” he would return to found the Veteran’s Repertory Theater to allow those who have experienced danger to tell their stories through theater, poetry and writing. Their programs also include family members who also have borne the burden. They have multiple programs available, many of them online. These include the Savage Wonder Podcast, Savage Wonder Literary Blog and Write Loud. While they are located in upstate New York, his goal is to make them a national brand.

Chris also shares his experiences working with a group helping to get our allies out of Afghanistan. His team focused upon Afghan commando allies. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done without being deployed.” Chris was managing 11 families and it was a 24 hour job.  All of them have been removed from danger.

TAKEAWAY: The Afghan commandos that fought shoulder to shoulder with us would be great Americans in a heartbeat.

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 (“Six Minutes To Freedom”) tells the amazing story of Kurt Muse, an American civilian jailed in Panama under the Noriega regime.  Extricating Muse from the notorious La Modelo prison was a priority mission during Operation Just Cause and one of the rare occurrences when Delta Force was sent in to rescue a civilian.

His first published book “Nathan’s Run” became a worldwide bestseller but also one of the most banned books in America because it had a lot of bad language. This taught Gilstrap some valuable lessons and he shares advice for aspiring writers on his website.  We discuss when it is appropriate to include sex, violence and bad language.  “Sometimes a sex scene stops the plot.” An example includes the experience he had with a director who insisted on a sex scene in the middle of a forest fire.  He also shares the importance of being able to deal with rejection. Gilstrap was rejected by 27 agents before he got his first offer.

TAKEAWAY: “In THIS business the only way to lose is to quit.”

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 Enforcement Agency.

We discuss the emergence of modern day terrorism in the 1970’s with a particular focus upon the Iranian revolution in 1979 and their affiliation with Hezbollah.  Fred’s book “Beirut Rules” tells the story of the kidnapping and murder of CIA Station Chief William Buckley.  He sees the attacks in Beirut and the 2012 assaults in Benghazi as both out of the "same playbook". Fred emphasizes that when you have a lack of human intelligence combined with lack of tactical analysis it usually leads to disaster.

TAKEAWAY: Fred’s father was a military policeman and played a role in the Nuremberg trials following World War II. Fred will never forget his father’s words: “Son, there is evil in this world. There always has been and there always will be.”