American Warrior Radio

Helping homeless Veterans find housing is a passion Ken Leslie feels deep in his bones. He is the founder and “Chief Advocate Officer” for the non-profit Veterans Matter. While Ken never served in the military, at one time he himself was homeless and living off the streets.

As a traveling standup comedian in the 1980’s Ken began to notice a greater number of homeless around the country.  This led him to start a homeless project in his hometown of Toledo. In 2007 John Mellencamp stopped by the tent city and invited all of the homeless to his concert. One of the attendees mentioned to Ken “John talked to us from the stage. I guess I really DO matter.” That was the beginning of the 1Matters non-profit. A host of other celebrities like Veteran and Country Western singer Craig Morgan have also joined the cause.

While participating in a homeless outreach with a friend, Ken learned that the lack of deposits was preventing many Veterans from taking advantage of VA housing vouchers. In one case, a mere $150 was keeping a 67 year old disabled Veteran on the streets in the rain for another three days. Ken expanded his mission with the addition of Veterans Matter.

Their cloud base program can cover deposits for Veterans, in many cases the same day. So far they have housed over 4,000 Veterans and their families. Their partnership with VA “wraparound” programming has resulted in 91% remaining in housing.

It is estimated that there are 40,000 Veterans without housing in the US. Veterans who are experiencing challenges can also call the National Center for Homeless Veterans: (877) 424-3838

TAKEAWAY: “Every day I wake up and I know that somewhere out there is a Veteran on his hands and knees praying for a way to find that deposit so he and his family can get into housing. Every single person has the power to make a difference.”

Rock Force is the latest book by bestselling author Kevin Maurer.  It describes the experiences of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment in retaking the fortress island of Corregidor from the Japanese during World War II.  Kevin used unpublished transcripts provided by family members and at least one first person interview to “rebuild” the actions of those paratroopers in 1945. He also spent a week on Corregidor “walking the book”, at one point even finding scraps of a parachute. Kevin’s goal was to focus upon individuals’ stories and specific actions that took place during the invasion rather than the larger scope of the mission.

Retaking Corregidor was not only of tactical importance but also a point of national pride. The coordinated airborne/seaborne assault pitted 3,000 US paratroopers and 1,000 infantry against 6,700 fanatical and well entrenched Japanese. Paratroopers targeted a postage stamp landing zone on the top of the island, jumping from a mere 300 feet. The airborne invasion took the Japanese by surprise.

As one reads the book and gets to know the members of the 503rd a “Dirty Dozen” sort of feeling emerges.  Their Commander “Panama Jones” was a soldier’s soldier and Lloyd McCarter had to be bailed out of the brig to participate in the mission but was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on “the Rock”.

We also discuss some of the parallels Kevin noticed between those World War II paratroopers and the soldiers he personally engaged with during current conflicts.

Kevin has covered military operations extensively for over a decade and first "cut his teeth" covering Robin Sage. He followed the 82nd Airborne during the invasion of Iraq and was embedded for 10 weeks with Special Forces in Afghanistan. He has written 10 books including the New York Times bestseller “No Easy Day” about the mission to get Bin Laden.

TAKEAWAY: Rock Force reads more like a novel and Kevin does a great job of properly memorializing the memories of these brave men involved in a historic mission.

Dr. Reagan Anderson served five years in the US Navy, most of it as a surgeon for the Marine Corps First Reconnaissance Battalion.  (A long time tradition of the Marine Corps is that they do not have their own medical or clergy so they pull those resources from the Navy.) He is one of several "Warrior-Healers" we have had on the show.

He describes conducting surgery in a war setting as “controlled chaos”.  Fallujah Surgical presented particular challenges; it was filthy and they were often operating under fire. He says patients sometimes looked like powdered donuts because of all the silt. Despite those challenges, Dr. Anderson never lost a patient who came to him alive.

Despite having attended seminary prior to medical school, he “lost his faith in Iraq.” He details several events that led him to that point including being faced with having to treat both a severely wounded Marine and the insurgent who shot him.

After leaving the military and starting a medical practice, Dr. Anderson became increasingly aware of how broken our healthcare system had become. His observations led him to write the book “Universal Death Care; A Solution for Healthcare in the Age of Entitlement”

Dr. Anderson outlines some of the concepts presented in his book including the fact that between 50 – 80 percent of the illnesses and dollars spent on healthcare are completely preventable.  Our system is collapsing under the weight of too many people not taking personal responsibility for their own health. The administrative costs (30%) related to insurance are another aggravating factor.

“The solution that would save over $20 billion a year would be to have one set of rules and one set of prices. That’s enough money to insure every citizen in this country with zero co-pays and deductibles.”

TAKEAWAY:  "Too many people think they can live a lifetime of poor health choices and then visit a doctor to receive a magic pill to cure all their ills."

Rick Tippins spent 28 years as a law enforcement officer after serving in the United States Marine Corps. With the help of fellow Marine & bestselling author G. Michael Hopf he is now pursuing a career as an author.

Tippins cut his teeth as a member of the East Palo Alto California police department. At the time, East Palo Alto had the highest per capita murder rate of any city in the United States. He says that even for a Marine Veteran it was an eye opening experience. However, he learned very valuable lessons that would carry him through the rest of his career. The most important of which was not falling into the “Judge Dredd” persona of a cop.

He didn’t want his law enforcement career to “be like an NFL running back; short, violent and explosive” so he made a lateral transfer to the San Mateo Sheriff’s office where he worked Street Crimes Suppression, SWAT, Narcotics and Homicide.

His nearly three decade career as a Sheriff’s deputy was filled with both hardship and rewards. Tippins discusses the importance of finding balance in a career that can create tremendous challenges to families and relationships. “Even military members get a chance to come home and rest but for law enforcement it is constant pressure for years.”

Tippins found writing to be a release for the stresses of the job. He began writing screenplays during his downtime while working at the local jail. He soon found that the process of moving ideas to movies was rife with complications so he instead decided to publish his stories. He has three books out with a fourth on the way.

TAKEAWAY: “You have to be self-aware. If your mind hurts or your soul hurts because of this job, you have to find a way to fix that.”

Drug Enforcement Agency Special Agent William Czopek always wanted a career in law enforcement. Following his discharge from the Navy service he wanted to continue working in an exciting field and the DEA fit the bill.

Formally established in 1973, the Drug Enforcement Agency is a relative new comer to the list of federal law enforcement organizations. However, its roots trace back to the 1914 Harrison Narcotics Act. The biggest narcotics seizure in 1917 was 5.5 lbs. of opium. A recent pair of seizures confiscated sufficient methamphetamines to give a dose to every man, woman and child in both the U.S. and Mexico.

Because the drug trade is an international problem, the DEA does not just operate domestically but has agents working all across the world.

Over 72,000 Americans died from overdoses in 2019 and this year is on track to be worse with a 150 – 200% jump. Bill states that our current situation is the result of a perfect storm; increased demand driving a greater supply and more powerful drugs. The trail of bodies is not limited to overdose victims, The Mexican government estimates nearly 62,000 persons have “vanished” since 2006. Bill provides additional insight into why the sophisticated Mexican cartels are such a challenge.

The biggest current threats are meth and fentanyl because they are synthetic and not plant based. This translates into a simpler manufacturing pipeline.

Counterfeit prescription drugs and illegitimate internet pharmacies also created an emerging challenge. These scams often target elderly citizens on fixed incomes seeking legitimate medications. Bill describes this as a game of pharmaceutical “Russian roulette.”

The DEA website has a treatment center locator and the Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration has a free hotline: 1-800-662-HELP

TAKEAWAY: “The DEA doesn’t stop working because the cartels don’t stop working. I never thought I would see a time in America where people are afraid to live in their own communities.”

Sled Driver Brian Shul should not be alive, much less belong to the elite cadre of pilots who have flown the world’s fastest airplane. The SR-71 can flight at altitudes exceeding 85,000 feet and speeds beyond Mach 3 (2,223 miles per hour). The aircraft is truly faster than a speeding bullet.

He flew 212 covert close air support missions in Laos and Cambodia before being shot down. Unable to eject, he expected to die in the fiery crash but survived. Following a harrowing rescue, doctors did not expect him to live.  Brian himself admits that the ordeal was so intense that he prayed for a merciful end.  And then something changed – he decided he wanted to get back in the cockpit.  The top flight surgeon in the Air Force was so impressed with Brian’s attitude that he offered to personally conduct the physical so that no one would question the results. He may be the only pilot ever to arrive for his flight physical in an ambulance.

Brian Shul would return to the cockpit, flying the A-7 and becoming a member of the first operational A-10 squadron. He aspired to even greater speed and heights (literally). Colleagues warned him against attempting to join the SR-71 program because if he failed the astronaut’s physical he would never fly again.

Brian recorded over 500 hours in the Blackbird including flying three missions in three days during the Libyan crisis.  A prolific writer and photographer, his stories have become legend including the amusing “speed check” narrative which has several million views on the internet.

Brian’s book “Sled Driver” is perhaps one of the best & most popular books written about the profession and he is in high demand as a speaker around the globe.

TAKEAWAY:  “I’m living proof. Attitude is everything. Don't miss the moment because of fear.“

One might say that military service is in Col. Joseph Turnham’s DNA. His family traces their military service back to his sixth great grandfather who fought at Valley Forge and was present at Yorktown for the surrender of Cornwallis.  Turnham HAD planned to become a doctor until he took some flying lessons. He now has over 3,600 hours in the cockpit – 1,149 of those in combat.

Prior to assuming command of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (one of the largest installations and flying operations in the US Air Force) Col. Turnham was commander of the NATO mission to train & advise the Afghan Air Forces.  He emphasizes that 13 different nations were engaged in the effort. While people may not think of Afghanistan when it comes to Air Forces, Turnham unequivocally states that their pilots are extremely disciplined and professional.  A Pentagon report highlighted the fact that the Afghan Air Forces and Special Forces are the two units that have made the greatest strides.

We also spend some time talking about how the need to train and deploy airmen around the world has not slowed down during COVID.  In some cases Davis-Monthan has had to deploy forces in just a couple of days. Turnham says that while COVID has changed the way they do businesses, effectiveness remains high. “There have been wars in times of pandemic before”.

He also shares some of the things his team is doing to shore up resiliency among their personnel during the pandemic.  He and his Command Chief have begun regular “walkabouts” where they randomly drive the base and check in on the airmen.

TAKEAWAY: “We are social creatures, so if we become disconnected we need to make sure people retain those connections. We are taking care of them so they can take care of the mission.”

Merica Bourbon Founder Derek Sisson warns aspiring entrepreneurs “When you decide to make that leap into starting your own business, brace for impact.”  Nonetheless he has great advice to share in our latest Veteran Entrepreneur segment.

Derek served five years as a Force Recon Marine and compares the Special Forces to the “entrepreneurs” of the military world.

After leaving the Corps he was forced into entrepreneurship because he needed to make a living but “..there weren’t a lot of companies looking for airborne qualified office managers.”  He started and eventually sold an ecotourism business before getting involved the fitness industry. His business travels took him to Europe where he explored vineyards in his off time. Some of these wineries asked for his help expanding distribution to the US and offered to pay him in wine.

Having learned the liquor distribution business pretty well, he partnered with another successful Veteran businessman Daniel Alarik to create Merica Bourbon in 2017. His mission was to produce a high quality product that was still affordable. Merica Bourbon is now distributed in 45 states.

Derek says much of his success is comes from not only having a quality product but also strategic alliances with other Veteran Entrepreneurs like Bottle Breacher. He shares additional recommendations for other aspiring business owners including having sufficient capital to survive the first year and operating with full integrity and transparency. Derrick says that having faith – whether in yourself or a higher power is the number one component in becoming a successful entrepreneur.

There are several tactics he employed as a Recon Marine that have transferred to his business life;

* Structured Reconnaissance – gather information on your competitors to get an edge.

* The power of listening – there is nothing more important than communication

* Small, tight teams as a key to success

TAKEAWAY: “Once you jump out of the airplane, there’s no jumping back in. Don’t rush – learn everything you can about the business before jumping in.”

Green Beret Foundation Executive Director Brent Cooper might have been a little late in starting his military career, but serving our nation was always something he wanted to do. While the average age of an enlisted Green Beret is 29 years old, Cooper didn’t join until the “ripe old age” of 30 after securing an age waiver.

Cooper served as a Communication Sergeant with the 5th Special Forces Group. He deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, earning a Bronze Star. He describes the role of a Green Beret as “Warrior-Diplomat” and that concept appealed to him. “The stuff you hear whispers about are the things we are doing” seems an apt description for this elite unit’s role.  Perhaps their most famous recent mission was shared in the movie “12 Strong”.

After returning to the corporate world, he missed working toward something greater than oneself. His wife mentioned the opening at the Green Beret Foundation and Brent new immediately that it was the perfect match for his background and skills.

Since 9/11 Green Berets have experienced the highest casualty rate of any of our special forces.  They work quietly in the shadows because that is how they survive in battle but that philosophy does not do them any good when they leave the service. This idea was one of the driving elements behind the creation of the Green Beret Foundation.  The Foundation provides Green Beret soldiers and their families with immediate and long term support where Department of Defense or VA funding falls short.  Since their inception in 2009 they have supported 13,000 families with nearly $15 million in programming and direct support.

Innovation and collaboration with other organizations is one of the bedrock philosophies of the organization. Brent takes great pride in the fact that their foundation has earned a four star rating from Charity Navigator and a platinum rating from Guide Star.

TAKEAWAY: “To truly lead with empathy and sympathy you HAVE to have experienced it firsthand.”

The Medal of Honor was presented to Staff Sergeant David Bellavia for his actions November 10, 2004 during the second battle of Fallujah. He would become the first living Iraq War Veteran to earn our nation’s highest military decoration. He also sits on the board of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation.

While clearing a block of houses in Fallujah, David and his soldiers walked into a fortified ambush. He describes it as a “house ready to blow up”. David’s cover fire allowed his comrades to break contact but the insurgents remained. In his words, David said that at that time in Fallujah, waiting for an airstrike was like”taking a number at the local DMV.” He also knew that if these fanatical enemies were allowed to escape, a folded flag might be presented to an American family sometime in the future.

He says the suicidal, fanatical enemies they faced in Fallujah were much like the Imperial Japanese faced by WWII recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams.

However, David also recognized that if too many men were sent back into that building, they might lose even more men to rescue them. Embedded reporter Michael Ware personally witnessed that action and said that after pacing like a caged tiger, David decided to re-enter the home by himself.  He single handedly cleared the dark house by killing four enemy and badly wounding a fifth.

Every Medal tells a story and the mission of the National Medal of Honor Museum is to establish a place where these legacies can be honored and to educate future generations. Museum President and CEO Joe Daniels led the initiative to fund and build the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum prior to joining the Medal of Honor Museum.  He says there are many parallels between the “warrior DNA” of Medal of Honor recipients and the brave first responders who went back into the towers on that fateful day.

The museum will be located in Arlington, Texas and the Foundation is also seeking to build a Medal of Honor monument in Washington, D.C.

TAKEAWAY: “That Medal of Honor represents every drop of blood shed to keep this country free.”