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Hot Ashes Podcast Ep. 45 – Marine Corps Stories, Duramax Builds & Cigar Shop Banter

We’re back on the patio at George’s Cigar Shop in Swansboro, North Carolina for Episode 45 of the Hot Ashes Podcast. It’s a hot, humid day, the ash is falling, and the stories are flowing.

In this episode, Lee, TK, Cody, and Chris dive into:

• Cigars, drinks & shop talk
  • What we’re smoking: George’s box‑pressed torpedo, George’s Big Boy Robusto, Fat Bottom Betty
  • What we’re drinking: pernicious, Coors Banquet “Yellow Jacket,” high‑quality H₂O, and a “10mg can of fun”
  • Behind-the-scenes of recording at a cigar shop and upgrading the camera/AI setup
• Cody’s ’03 Duramax build & wrenching life
  • Blown head gasket, injectors, cups, fresh ECM and tune
  • The disappointment of “only” ~450 hp with a stock transmission
  • Father–son wrench time with Chance and what’s left to finish the truck
  • Future plans: building a motor from a bare block and dreaming about a dedicated project truck
  • Lee’s 1960 T‑Bird sitting in the driveway and what it would take to bring it back to life
• Beards, shaving & Marine regs
  • Growing beards after retirement vs. daily razor life in the Marine Corps
  • Beard oils, balms, and terrible scents (“dirt,” overpowering sandalwood, patchouli)
  • Is it ever “too hot” for a beard?
• Marine Corps life, leadership & war stories
  • Cody getting medically extended instead of cleanly retiring because of his bicep injury
  • Letting go of the uniform, rank, and identity after you retire
  • Toxic staff NCOs, NJPs, court‑martial stories, and Marines finally standing up to bad leadership
  • Writing honest reenlistment and character recommendations instead of rubber‑stamping
  • Being a det daddy on a MEU, running maintenance control for four birds and 58 Marines
  • Hitting 100% flight completion with zero liberty incidents by focusing on communication, trust, and accountability
• Ship life & aviation maintenance stories
  • Life aboard the Kearsarge and other ships: bad seas, “fun meters,” and nasty non‑skid
  • Working on CH‑53s: transition sections, tight spaces, dropped hardware, FOD walks
  • Night operations, NVGs, HSTs, and how dangerous decks and ramps really are
  • Falling, head‑smacking, and getting beat up by the aircraft and the ship
• Boot camp, drill instructors & recruit mayhem
  • Paris Island vs. San Diego culture
  • Getting bird‑bombed in formation, shitting your pants, and unfortunate…morning situations
  • Team week, working the chow hall/targets, and catching quick meals while never breaking the “angry DI” illusion
  • How boot camp habits (like inhaling chow) never quite leave you
• Rank, identity & what we miss
  • Why sergeant and gunny feel like the best ranks in the Corps
  • How master sergeant/master guns and first sergeant/sergeant major pull you away from the Marines you love leading
  • Regrets about not doing drill field, and why some of those “chest candy” quals feel hollow
  • The difference between officers who truly lean on their SNCOs vs. those who don’t
  • Trust, humility, and how crew‑served aircraft (pilots + enlisted crew) tighten the officer–enlisted bond

Timestamps (approx.)

• 0:00 – Mic checks, cigars, drinks, and kicking off at George’s Cigar Shop
• 3:30 – Cody’s Duramax, Father’s Day bicep tear, and wrenching with Chance
• 6:00 – Beards, shaving rituals, and surviving summer with facial hair
• 10:50 – Cody’s medical extension & the weird limbo before retirement
• 17:20 – Toxic staff NCO, charges, and leadership finally doing the right thing
• 24:20 – Subscriptions, AI tools, and gear for running the podcast
• 29:20 – Horsepower disappointment and dreams of a full build & the 1960 T‑Bird
• 32:20 – Lost bolts, oil change nightmares, and DIY satisfaction
• 43:20 – Ship deployments, fun meters, seasickness, and non‑skid injuries
• 51:00 – Det daddy stories, 100% mission success, and leadership roundtables
• 59:30 – Crew resource management, AOs, crew chiefs, and trust in the air
• 1:20:00 – Boot camp, drill instructors, bird‑shit stories, and Warriors’ breakfast
• 1:25:00 – Chow hall, eating in 15 seconds, and laughing your buddies into the pit
• 1:10:00–end – Rank, regrets, what we’d do again, and what we’d change

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