American Warrior Radio

River Rats was the nickname given to aircrews that flew missions over the Red River Valley that runs southeast from Hanoi to the Gulf of Tonkin.  At the time, it was the most heavily defended airspace in the history of aerial combat.  One of every 40 persons who flew these missions never returned.

The Red River Valley Association was created to commemorate the inter-service teamwork, strong spirit de corps and the sacrifices made by the air crews flying those dangerous missions over North Vietnam. One of their original missions was to generate awareness of the Prisoners of War and air crews Missing in Action and supporting their families.

For this episode, we are joined by two River Rats and members of the Red River Valley Association. Rich Martindell flew 232 combat missions over Vietnam as an F-4 Phantom pilot. Ken Shanke flew 239 combat missions as a “back seater” in F-4 Phantoms.

Rich says that some of the first Red River Valley tactical conferences were not just about comradery but also about survival. They were trying to figure out ways to fly “smartly” in North Vietnam without suffering so many losses.

Initially, only air crews who had flown at least one mission across the Red River were able to join the organization. Since then the bylaws have been changed to open membership up to any designated flight crew members from any service in any conflict. The Association held “practice” reunions until 1973 when all the POW’s were returned.

The Association has continued their original mission of family support by awarding more than 1,200 scholarships to children of KIA/MIA military personnel and those killed in non-combat related accidents. To date, the value of those scholarships has exceeded $ 3 million. Their affiliate Air Warrior Courage Foundation has also provided over $7 million in direct support to military families.

At 69 years old, Martindell returned as a civilian pilot for General Atomics, flying MQ-9 surveillance drone missions in Africa & the Middle East. His experiences are shared in the book “Game of Drones”.

Transitioning from military service to the civilian world can be a challenge for many of our Veterans. It is one of the most common themes I have heard in the decade of hosting American Warrior Radio. On this episode we talk with J.C. Glick, CEO of the Commit Foundation.

Anne Marie Craig was compelled to establish the Commit Foundation when her husband faced challenges finding a civilian career that was as fulfilling and purposeful as serving in the Army Rangers. J.C. says that this is a common problem. High performing Veterans are seeking a second career that is meaningful and fulfilling rather than just another job. The Commit Foundation caters to high performers who want to make their next chapter as great as their last chapter.

J.C says he was a perfect example. “I was in such a hurry to run away from the gun club, it took me five years to realize who I was. I didn’t have a community that I could connect with. What my bio doesn’t talk about is that I had four suicide attempts.”

The Commit Foundation provides a number of programs for both the Veteran and their spouse that emphasize quality over quantity.  Every program is personalized to each client in order to create an environment where the Veteran can pause, asses and gain clarity about what they want their next mission to be. J.C. says that, while Commit Foundation programs are available for everyone, they may not be a match for everyone.

Glick served in our military for 20 years, seven of which were with the Army Rangers. He had 11 combat deployments and numerous operational deployments around the world. He participated in the Best Ranger competition twice. After leaving the Army he was a founder and partner in two leadership companies whose clients included Fortune 500 companies, NFL and NBA teams and multiple NCAA programs.

Air Cavalry was a new tactic employed during the Vietnam War. Jack List participated in those early days of air assault, including seeing action in the Ia Drang Valley, made famous in the movie “We Were Soldiers”.

Jack served 30 years, 11 months and 25 days in the Army, retiring at the rank of Command Sergeant Major.   Jack was born in Germany and his father served in the German Army during World War II.  During his first tour in Vietnam he was notified by his grandmother that he had been drafted into the German Army!

Jack was assigned to the 11th Air Assault “Test” Division that was evaluating the Air Assault concept. Jack would eventually serve as a Crew Chief with the newly minted 1st Air Cavalry. He became responsible for a UH-1 “Huey”.  Jack flew as a door gunner on missions and then had to patch up the aircraft upon return to base.

The 1st Air Cavalry was based at Camp Radcliff, An Khe’. At the time it was the largest helicopter base in the world with more than 400 helicopters. On his first mission they launched 110 helicopters to support a Special Forces camp. “The thing that scared me the most was not the enemy shooting at us, it was potential for midair collisions.”

The scenes at LZ X-Ray depicted in “We Were Soldiers” were just a small part of the larger Pleiku campaign. At LZ-Albany, further north in the Ia Drang valley, our troops suffered a 50% casualty rate. Jack described one of his missions where 5 of the 10 persons on board were wounded upon approach to the landing zone. He says he has no idea how he completed two tours without being wounded himself.

His pilot trained other crew members so they would know the basics in case they had to fly the helicopter.

Jack says that Sergeant Major Basil Plumley was an excellent leader and always had his troops well squared away. Col. Hal Moore went back into both LZ X-Ray and LZ Albany to retrieve remains.

Darin Gaub enlisted in the Army as a private and, after a 28 year career retired at the rank of Lt. Colonel. He is often called upon by national media and publications to comment on military and geopolitical issues.  Gaub joins us to provide his perspective on the current status of affairs in the middle and Far East.

After finishing his active duty enlistment he joined the National Guard and went to college on an ROTC scholarship. When it came time to select which area to serve in, he was told that no one from his university was ever selected for the Army Aviation Branch. Guab says he would become an Army aviator “on a dare, not a plan.” He had seven deployments to Afghanistan, North Africa, Eastern Europe and the DMZ along North and South Korea.

We have a fascinating and insightful discussion about the current situation in the Middle East. “For anyone to try to explain the Middle East is an experiment in trying to make the complicated simple.” He emphasizes that the current war is not between Israel and the Lebanese people but rather against Hezbollah. He is in weekly contact with sources in Beirut and says the Lebanese people would prefer that Hezbollah be gone.

He describes Israel’s tactics of more of a “water against a bank” strategy rather than “shock and awe.” Gaub believes that their attack against command and control elements has been masterful.

Gaub spends some time explaining the “nexus of evil” comprised of Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. He cautions that the actions of these actors is not always obvious – strategies that are slowly eroding our nation.

We spend some time discussing how we should prepare for future conflicts. He says the current war in Ukraine provides some good examples of how combat has evolved with smaller actors able to challenge larger armies.

TAKEAWAY: “The people that are most interested in avoiding war are the ones who have to fight it.”

The Gouge is a term derived from the second World War. Many of the World War II Navy crews were inexperienced. The Gouge developed as a culture where sailors shared important knowledge and proactively trained each other in their duties to prepare to emergency situations. The Gouge philosophy guided Vice Admiral Robert Harward through forty years in the Navy and a successful career as an international corporate executive.

Much of Hayward’s career was spent with the Navy SEALs.  During his warfighting experiences in Bosnia, Panama, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen, he never lost a single man under his command. He also served as Deputy Commander of both US Joint Forces Command and United States Central Command.

Harward describes The Gouge as “the contract we all have with humanity –sharing the best of everyone for the collective well-being of all.”

A military child, Harward was raised overseas and one summer his father encouraged him to spend the break hitchhiking across Iran and Afghanistan. He says the region was a much different place back then but emphasizes that the world is still generally a safe place and encourages young people to get out and pursue adventure.

Harward cites several examples of how The Gouge impacted decisions on missions he commanded. One involved the capture of oil facilities during the initial invasion of Iraq. Harward was convinced it was a potential suicide mission so he checked in with the team members and allowed them to make the final decision. He trusted the combined knowledge of his team and the mission was a success.

We also spend some time also discussing how The Gouge can help military members making the transition to civilian life and the scourge of Veteran suicides.

Following his retirement, several of his “shipmates’ convinced him to put his experiences with The Gouge into a book so that others could benefit from his experiences. The result is “The Gouge! How to be Smarter Than the Situation You Are In”

TAKEAWAY: “It is so important for leaders to be proactively involved with their people and supporting them not only when they are in uniform but also out of uniform.”

FREEDOM COFFEE COMPANY

Freedom Coffee Company was born out of tragedy. Hope Harrison’s husband Dustin was killed by terrorists while operating an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance drone for the Department of Defense in Kenya.

Hope and Dustin had just started a family and had agreed that this would be Dustin’s the last overseas assignment so he could spend more time with his family. He was killed nine days before being scheduled to come home.

Like many Gold Star widows, the news devastated Hopes’ world. She knew something was amiss when Dustin didn’t reply to her daily text. That morning she also read a news story stating that his base had been attacked and there were casualties. The agony was confounded by the fact that they owned two homes in different cities and officials had trouble locating Hope to make the notification.

They say that people are never truly forgotten as long as we repeat their names. Hope and Dustin shared an abiding love for coffee, so she decided to create Freedom Coffee Company. Every bag of Freedom coffee features the names and photos of fallen heroes on each bag of coffee. Hope describes it as “coffee with a hero every morning.” The fallen featured on each bag of coffee will be rotated each year.

NO KINGS, NO KOOKS

Thomas Sarnicola conducted over 1,000 criminal background checks as a Special Agent for the Department of Defense. There are roughly 4 million federal employees, including the military. About 1 million of those require security clearances. Some of the unique situations he encountered while doing these investigations are compiled in his book “No Kings, No Kooks; Confessions of National Security Agent”.

Thomas describes the job as similar to a “gumshoe” detective, requiring a great deal of field work in addition to researching various publicly available databases. One or two blemishes may not be sufficient to disqualify a person. Thomas was looking for “consistencies of character.” He was a fact collector but did not make final decisions. In order to maintain objectivity, he was never informed of the eventual outcome of each case.

In his book, Thomas shares some of the most unique experiences he encountered. He says the biggest challenge was being empathetic while maintaining a professional distance from the investigation subject. He emphasizes it gives him hope that the majority of the cases had no issues.

Custom Jacks was founded by Veterans Andy Lynam and Scottie Stephens. Andy served in the US Coast Guard for four years and Scottie served five years with the US Marine Corps. Custom Jacks produces stunning works of art that feature the American Flag and can be customized with a logo or other image. What makes their works unique is they are cut to present a three dimensional product that makes the flag appear to be fluttering in the breeze. The company name was derived from the Union Jacks that fly on the bow of our ships.

Scottie was doing wood working part time and the idea for the Custom Jacks 3-D design literally came to him in a dream one night. Like so many Veteran entrepreneur origin stories, Scottie began crafting them in his garage. Andy lived nearby and when Scottie showed him one of the jacks, Andy immediately asked if he could buy it. Not long thereafter they decided to turn Scottie’s labor of love hobby into a business.

Scottie describes their products a dual patriotic symbol. “The left side of the jack, the American Flag, should be your first passion. The right side of the jack represents your second passion.” Every one of their jacks is custom finished by hand and includes a certificate of authenticity. They have filed patents for some of their processes.

Like many start-ups, the self-funded their start up. The company was founded in January of 2019 and they had a rough period during COVID, when they had to shut production down for five months.

Over 50% of their employees are Veterans or have family members in the military.  Andy says this leads to a “mission first” focus and different work ethic.

They have produced Custom Jacks from sports teams, corporations and even a radio host or two. Their products are also featured in all the Buc-ees restaurants across America.  They also work with various non-profits to provide Custom Jacks for fundraisers.

TAKEAWAY: “Incorporate all your workers in the process, treat them like family.”

The “Mighty Moo” was the nickname given by the crew to the light aircraft carrier USS Cowpens. At the time carriers were named after battles. While the Battle of Cowpens is a rather obscure revolutionary war battle, a postcard from a local pharmacist convinced President Roosevelt to do so.

The story of this scrappy little aircraft carrier is told in the book “The Mighty Moo; The USS Cowpens and Her Epic Journey from Jinx Ship to the Navy’s First Carrier into Tokyo Bay.” The book was written by professional intelligence analyst Nathan Canestaro as a tribute to his grandfather, who served as a tail gunner on a torpedo bomber flying off of the Mighty Moo. Nathan’s book is a great read and he does a great job in introducing us to many of the characters among the men who served aboard her.

The Cowpens was a ship that the Navy didn’t really want. However, the losses of heavy aircraft carries in the Pacific spurred President Roosevelt to order the Navy to convert a series of light cruisers to aircraft carriers. The “Independence” class of carriers had several disadvantages. As converted cruisers, they were very top heavy, the flight deck was much narrower than a traditional carrier, and the ship had a perpetual list.

Nathan tells us more about the incidents that brought many to believe that the USS Cowpens was a jinxed ship. However, despite participating in almost every major battle in the Pacific, the Mighty Moo was never hit by enemy fire. Japanese ships and planes weren’t the only threat. The USS Cowpens survived sailing through a typhoon that sank three destroyers and damaged 27 other ships.

Following the Japanese surrender, the USS Cowpens was selected to be the only aircraft carrier to sail into Tokyo Bay for the formal surrender ceremonies. Nathan shares his theory on why the Mighty Moo was selected.

The town of Cowpens, South Carolina still hosts an annual “Mighty Moo” Festival to honor the World War II aircraft character and her crew.

Never Home – Rich Sherman

More than 521,000 Americans died fighting against tyranny and oppression during World War I and World War II.  About 207,000 of them never made it home – even in death.  Their remains rest in 23 cemeteries spread across 8 countries on 3 continents.

Cover of “Never Home: Remembering the Military Heroes Who Never Returned”

Retired Navy Intelligence Officer now professional photographer Rich Sherman traveled to all 23 of these cemeteries over the course of six years. He has documented their final resting place in his book “Never Home; Remembering the Military Heroes Who Never Returned”. The book also tells the stories of select service members whose graves he documented.

Rich believes photos are the perfect medium for sharing the heroism, glory and magnitude of the loses from these wars. “Photography is a language until itself and sometimes it is able to describe things for which we have no words”

The Tun Tavern Legacy Foundation – Pat Dailey

The Tun Tavern was a Philadelphia brew house built in 1685. When the Continental Congress commissioned Samuel Nicholas to raise two battalions of Marines on November 10, 1775, he went directly to the Tun Tavern and appointed its proprietor as the Marine Corps’ first recruiter. The Tun fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1781. The original site is now buried under an interstate freeway.

Many of the members of the Continental Congress enjoyed the hospitality of the Tun after their sessions. After being appointed to lead US forces in the Revolutionary War, George Washington held his celebratory dinner there.  It was also the very first documented Masonic Lodge in North America, with Benjamin Franklin serving as one of the early Grand Masters and even printing their menus.

Marine Corps Veteran Pat Dailey leads the non-profit Tun Tavern Legacy Foundation. Their mission is to recreate the Tun Tavern as it originally was on a location only a block away from where the first tavern stood.  Pat says securing the site was one of the greater challenges of the project. The estimated cost of the project is $20 million.

The Tavern will continue to be operated as a non-profit with all of the revenues over costs benefiting military and Masonic charities. The site will also include a small museum.