AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast

After a career undertaking secretive operations in the Special Forces, in August of 2023, SMA Michael Weimer was sworn into his new position and took his turn in the spotlight as Sergeant Major of the Army. What, in the first six months of his term, has been his most difficult assignment? Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with SMA Weimer to discuss his childhood as an Army brat, talk through some of his leadership theories, and learn how Genghis Khan influenced one of his favorite training exercises.

Guest: SMA Michael Weimer, Sergeant Major of the Army

Many thanks to our Presenting Advertiser: General Dynamics Land Systems

Has a member of the Army 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.

LTG Telita Crosland decided at the age of five she was going to be a doctor, and her later studies at West Point became her first official step into the field. Her thirty-year Army career has involved a great number of highlights and appointments, and she now heads the Defense Health Agency (DHA), overseeing the healthcare for almost 10 million citizens in and out of the military outside. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with LTG Crosland to discuss how DHA takes a leadership role in healthcare in the country, to share stories of mentorship… and to review a medically themed poem she wrote as a very young child.

Guest: LTG Telita Crosland, USA, Director, Defense Health Agency

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.

Comic book writer Chuck Dixon has produced more issues of comic books than any other living author today, most notably telling the stories of superheroes Batman, Robin, The Punisher and John Rambo. But his work on AUSA’s Medal of Honor comic series has allowed him to bring actual historical heroes to life to incredible effect. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with Dixon to discuss the upcoming comic Medal of Honor: Ruben Rivers, the story of the WWII hero featured, how a comic book is actually created, and to agree that a visit from the taxman can be the best form of artistic inspiration.

Guest: Chuck Dixon, Fictioneer & Comic Book Writer

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.

COL (Ret.) Greg Gadson originally attended West Point to play football, but quickly realized he wanted to be a Soldier for Life, and he was commissioned upon his graduation in 1989. His 25-year military career saw him serve in every major conflict of the past few decades, bringing him to many places, including Kuwait, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Afghanistan and Iraq. In May 2007, he faced his biggest challenge when he barely survived an IED attack and lost both of his legs; after that severe injury, he undertook a painful recovery that allowed him to continue to serve and to inspire countless people around him. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with COL Gadson to discuss lessons learned from his Army days, how his tales of teamwork led to two Superbowl rings, and how he’s recently discovered a new career as an actor. 

Guest: COL (Ret.) Gregory Gadson, Actor & Co-Author of “Finding Waypoints: A Warrior’s Journey Toward Peace and Purpose”

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.

While stationed in Germany in 1980, Dr. Rory Cooper was hit by a bus and paralyzed from the waist down. Responding to his condition, he decided he would devote his life to helping veterans and disabled individuals worldwide through the invention of new wheelchair technologies. Host SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey and guest co-host LaSherryn Duncan sit down with Dr. Cooper to discuss the impact of his Army experience, the numerous inventions he and his teams have overseen, his receipt of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation award – and what it’s like to be one of only a handful of inventors to have ever been immortalized with a collectible trading card AND appear on a Cheerios box…

Guest: Dr. Rory Cooper, Founding Director and VA Senior Career Scientist, Human Engineering Research Laboratories, University of Pittsburgh

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.

Matthew Weiss had a successful business career but wanted more, so he gave it all up to join the Marines. Curious as to why so few of his Gen Z cohorts were doing the same, he did some research for a better understanding and developed it into a book titled, We Don’t Want You, Uncle Sam. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with 2LT Weiss alongside 1LT Charlie Curtis to discuss the traits of Gen Z, how the Army can do a better job of appealing to them, and how veterans may have the biggest role to play.

Guests:

2LT Matthew Weiss, Author of We Don’t Want You, Uncle Sam: Examining the Military Recruiting Crisis with Generation Z

1LT Charlie Curtis, U.S. Army Recruiting Command

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.

AUSA's Army Matters podcast amplifies the voices of the Total Army – one story at a time. 
 
Join hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey every other Wednesday as they interview the modern chroniclers of the Army experience to discuss inspiring leadership stories, current issues faced by soldiers, and our military families’ journeys. 

Our co-hosts are: 

LTG(R) Les Smith: bio 

SMA(R) Dan Dailey: bio 

Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at [email protected]. 

Disclaimer:

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

Guests:

Dave Swenson, Creative Director, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Sledgehammer Games

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.

Over the last decade, Esports has grown into a billion-dollar business, with gamers and fans all over the world. Tapping into this popularity is the Army’s Esports Call of Duty team; these Soldiers not only go up against other gamers—they also spread the word in that community about their lives as Soldiers and the benefits of service. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and LaSherryn Duncan sit down with SSG Randy “Deja” Ojeda and SSG Stephen “SteveOWalle” Waller to talk about the benefits of gaming, how they balance gaming with their daily work—and how they came up with their unique nicknames.

Guests:

SSG Stephen Waller, U.S. Army

SSG Randy Ojeda, U.S. Army

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

Every December, thousands of volunteers from around the country place wreaths on millions of graves of fallen servicemembers—in cemeteries across the United States—thanking each one individually. This initiative was started by Morrill and Karen Worcester in 1992; from there, it has grown to include an annual event, a radio station, an educational guide and more. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and guest host LaSherryn Duncan sit down with Wreath’s Executive Director Karen Worcester and Education Liaison Cindy Tatum, a Gold Star mother, to discuss the creation of the organization, the importance of remembering each and every fallen servicemember, and how people in Maine refuse to say their “R”s.

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."

Guests:

Cindy Tatum, Gold Star Mom & Wreaths Across America Education Liaison

Resource: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/

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