AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast

Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast!

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern  You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. 

Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.

If Army Soldiers or officers find themselves in a financial emergency, the Army Emergency Relief (AER) organization is often the first place they turn to. SMA (Ret.) Michael “Tony” Grinston took over the helm of the group earlier this year, and he’s making changes that’ll take the organization to new heights. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with SMA Grinston to discuss his own Army journey, how AER aids Soldiers during large natural disasters, and what role the fabled composer Irving Berlin played in the creation of the organization.

Guest:

SMA (Ret.) Michael “Tony” Grinston, CEO, Army Emergency Relief

Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast!

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern  You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. 

Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.

After leaving the Army in 2010, Tim Hsia wasn’t quite sure what to do next, but he had an itch to become an entrepreneur. His path took him to Stanford University, where he found some inspiration, and now his Context Ventures has poured millions into veteran-led startup companies. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with Tim to talk about his own business journey, how veterans can get their startups financed—and how you never quite know who you’ll run into on a morning run…

Guest:

Tim Hsia, Context Ventures Founder and Managing Partner

Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast!

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern  You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. 

Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.

Inflatable tanks. Phony uniforms. Fake radio traffic. In early 1944, the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, known as the “Ghost Army,” was founded, and its ragtag collection of artists, Soldiers and engineers oversaw almost two-dozen “deception missions” that saved the lives of an estimated 30,000 Soldiers. In March of this year, their work was recognized with the Congressional Gold Medal. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with author and historian Rick Beyer to discuss the story and exploits of the Ghost Army and his decade-long journey to see that the unit received the Gold Medal—and then they are joined by a surviving Ghost Army Soldier, PVT (Ret.) Seymour Nussenbaum. Sadly, Mr. Nussenbaum passed away shortly after our recording. He died on October 5, 2024, at the age of 101.

Guests:

• Rick Beyer, Author, The Ghost Army of World War II: How One Top-Secret Unit Deceived the Enemy with Inflatable Tanks, Sound Effects, and Other Audacious Fakery

Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast!

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern  You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. 

Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.

On Mother’s Day, 1968, Army Medic SPC Allen Hoe watched 18 of his friends die in battle during the Vietnam War. In the five decades since then, he has devoted his life to helping the families of those fallen Soldiers and the Army community. And it was at a 2005 Memorial Day event in Washington that he met a nurse who returned the favor by giving Allen peace after the death of Allen’s own son, who died during a deployment to Iraq in 2005. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with now-CASA Hoe to talk about his Vietnam experiences, the bravery of his son, and about the history—and beauty—of his native Hawaii.

Guest:

Allen Hoe, Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army (CASA) and American Gold Star Father

Audio Clip Credit: Courtesy of the National Memorial Day Concert on PBS

Capital Concerts. "Ruthie Ann Miles Performs "Aloha ' Oe"| 2024 National Memorial Day Concert." YouTube video, 3:34, May 26, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzshhU5b_sY

Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast!

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern  You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. 

Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.

Almost 100 years ago, a mother grieving the loss of her son in battle brought together other mothers who were coping with similar losses; in the process, she started American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. Over the past century, the organization has grown and continues to aid mothers—and families—through the grieving process, inspiring its members to continue a life of service. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with Gold Star Mothers President Patti Elliott and new member Nichole Jackson Chilton to discuss what the organization is currently doing, the brave exploits of their respective sons, and to discover how one of them influenced the recent renaming of Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty.

Guests:

Patti Elliot, Gold Star Mothers National President

Nichole Jackson Chilton, Gold Star Mother Member

Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast!

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern  You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. 

Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.

When he was a young boy growing up in Puerto Rico, two relatives of Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez inspired him to enter the field of medicine. And an Army program led him to a 45-plus-year career saving lives, overseeing global medical innovation and preventing outbreaks, all culminating in his current position as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs of the United States. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with Dr. Martinez-Lopez to talk about the numerous obstacles he’s had to overcome, his most influential missions… and what dessert he likes to indulge in.

Guest:

Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs

Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast!

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern  You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. 

Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.

One of the most important elements of any large organization is to ensure free and clear communication between all levels and people. In the 1930s, the U.S. Army recognized this and relaunched Infantry Journal, which many attribute to helping craft tactics and technologies leading into World War II. Ninety years later and with new technologies and possible crises around the world, the Army has just launched The Harding Project, which aims to renew and re-energize the Army’s writings and communication channels. Host SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sits down with the Harding Project’s LTC Zach Griffiths and SFC Leyton Summerlin to discuss their own Army careers, the importance of the written word, and how diving classes influenced all of it.

Guests:

LTC Zachary E. Griffiths and SFC Leyton M. Summerlin, Special Assistants to the Chief of Staff of the Army

Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast!

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern  You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. 

Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.

In Paris this month, SSG Leonard Korir competed in the challenging Men’s Marathon event at the 2024 Olympics. He completed the August 10th race with a time of 2 hours, 18 minutes and 45 seconds. Also fortunate to take part in the 2016 event in the 10,000-meter category, this year’s Olympic qualification is the culmination of an impressive career that’s taken him from Kenya to Iona College and now the Army’s World Class Athletic Program. Host LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith sits down with SSG Korir to discuss what it takes to become an Olympic athlete, how his career was influenced by strong mentors and coaches, and why he’s committed to the U.S. Army and a life of service.

Guest:

SSG Leonard Korir, U.S. Army

Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast!

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern  You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. 

Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.

In the summer of 2021, SPC Christian Sutton reluctantly attended a punk rock concert and was intrigued by a bone marrow registration table there. Inspired, he created Operation Ring the Bell, a series of donor drive events that has taken place at multiple Army bases and led to thousands of new possible bone marrow donors—and saved lives. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie Smith and LaSherryn Duncan sit down with SPC Sutton to discuss how his life has been driven by volunteering, how a few Afghan refugees have inspired him, and how his vision turned the Army into a worldwide leader in bone marrow donations.

Guest:

SPC Christian Sutton, Founder and Lead Coordinator, Operation Ring the Bell

Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast!

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern  You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. 

Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.