Fire Watch

Last week, Americans looked toward the sky … they were scanning for a 200-foot-tall white orb that traversed the entire country in less than two weeks. It stalked the Midwest and floated into the Southeast like an all-seeing eye.

It was a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon or spy balloon, according to the Pentagon, and on the afternoon of Feb. 4, an F-22 Raptor ripped across the blue expanse and punched a Sidewinder missile through its side.

The popping of the balloon came on the heels of a leaked memo from an Air Force four-star general predicting a physical conflict between the U.S. and the People's Republic of China starting as early as the next two years. At the time, it was rebuffed by critics as hyperbolic -- and many still consider it so.

But the balloon, the leaked memo, and an increasingly tense intelligence atmosphere between the U.S. and China raised a question in the last two weeks that in actuality has been looming for decades.

Is America going to war with China? And if so, what would it look like and when will it happen?

Appearing in this episode: Gen. Mike Minihan, Nicholas Eftimiades, Drew Lawrence, KTLA Eye Witness Video, Thomas Novelly, Allison P. Erickson, Rebecca Kheel

In 2019, when Gen. Milley marched his boots on Sesame Street, it was in April, the Month of the Military Child. What Gen. Milley, Elmo and the rest of the world did not know at the time was that in less than a year, the world would change.

The experts and researcher behind the family-friendly fun on Sesame Street realized that kids were particularly affected by some of the consequences of the virus: two years of online schooling, oscillating class schedules, a scary illness that may have hurt them or their family, frightening images flashing across TV screens of people in hospitals beds…and of course isolation from playmates, friends and family.

And within that group, a distinct and important pocket of Americans exists: military families, who already face an ever-changing homelife with regular – and often disruptive – moves, deployments with time away from mom or dad, new schools, new friends.

The effects of the pandemic compounded those stressors that exist in military family life, especially for kids. And the Muppets of Sesame Street - who have brought joy and hope and education to children for decades - are here…and looking to help.

Appearing in this episode: Muppets, NBC News Now, What Went Well, Keep It Simple, Elmo, Gen. Mark Milley, Drew Lawrence, Good Morning America, Rocío Galarza, CNN, Konstantin Toropin, Abby, Rebecca Kheel

Interview clips courtesy of Sesame Workshop

In late 2019, an explosion rumbled across a remote vista in Somalia, disturbing the low brush and red-brown dirt surrounding a lonely American airfield. It rattled the bolts of the decades-old base and buckled the knees of the National Guard soldiers tasked with defending it. Capt. London Nagai – the commander of the unit – and his Charlie Troopers knew the attack was coming.

A truck, up-armored and sickly yellow against its trailing dust cloud, broke off from the group. Unbeknownst to the soldiers inside the base, that truck carried one of the largest known vehicle-borne explosive devices on the African continent. And it was bound for them.

In 2019, as rumbles about the Global War on Terror ending, regular troops – many of whom are police officers, fire fighters, college students, and delivery drivers in their civilian jobs – found themselves at the tip of that long, gnarled spear that many Americans don't realize is firmly planted in the near center of Somalia.

Appearing in this episode: Drew F. Lawrence, Capt. London Nagai, Dr. Tricia Brown, W.J. Hennigan, the soldiers of C Troop, Rebecca Kheel, and Steve Beynon

When the red telephone began to ring, Col. Harry Shoup feared the worst. It was 1955, at the height of the Cold War, and Shoup was in the operations center of the Continental Air Defense Command in Colorado. CONAD, as it was known then, stood as the early warning system for a Soviet attack. So the ringing of the red telephone never meant anything good.

What happened next launched the now-named North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, into a decades-long tradition to track Santa and bring joy to children around the world. And it started with a simple act of kindness, a Cold War scare and a youngster hoping to tap into a little Christmas magic.

So who runs NORAD, and how do they know so much about Santa? On this episode of Fire Watch, we learn about the decades-long tradition and speak to the service members who track Santa on Christmas. Plus, a special reading of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" by the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. (Ret.) Martin Dempsey.

Sound & Music: Adobe Stock, Zapsplat.com

Appearing in this episode: Zachary Fryer-Biggs, Gen. (Ret.) Martin Dempsey, Gen. (Ret.) Gene Renuart, Capt. Alexandra Hejduk, Preston Schlachter, Drew Lawrence, Cade, Thomas Novelly, Amy Bushatz

This episode contains descriptions of suicide. Listener discretion is advised.

Traumatic Brain Injuries – the cost of the Global War on Terror is due – passed due – and veterans and families are footing the bill with their lives.

Suicide is a complex issue. And as we are learning, TBIs add to that complexity. One university cohort study showed that veterans who experienced even a mild traumatic brain injury were three times as likely to die by suicide compared to their civilian counterparts.

And as the Global War on Terror fades into the rearview for the public – so with it the cost of those wars. But a small and important section of America continues to foot the bill for the last 20 years – often with their lives, and with the lives of their families as they cope with their absence.

TBI has largely gone unrecognized, untreated, unnoticed, and ignored by the institutions charged with caring for those who bear its weight…as well as the ones who are left picking up the pieces when that load becomes too great to bear at all.

This reporting is based on a three-part Military.com series on TBIs from reporters Patricia Kime and Rebecca Kheel.

Appearing in this episode: Drew F. Lawrence, Kristina, Frank Larkin, Rebecca Kheel, and James LaPorta.

Veterans Day is a holiday meant to honor those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. It is also a day that has historically served as a platform for those outside of the community to offer their thoughts on service – whether sincere or platitudinous.

On this episode of Fire Watch, we speak to many veterans – ones with unique, distinguished or important backgrounds – and ask them their thoughts on the day, what phrases like "thank you for your service" means to them and why it may mean different things to different veterans.

In this episode you'll hear from a Navy pilot and son of one of the most influential veterans of our lifetimes, a Silver Star recipient who fought in one of the most infamous and deadly battles of the Afghan War, a Vietnam veteran who has covered military issues for decades, an Iraq War veteran and proud immigrant who defended the Capitol against rioters on January 6th 2021, a founding leader for Black veteran voices and equity across the country, and a Marine who was relieved of command after she said she took a stand against gender bias in the Corps.

Appearing in this episode: Drew Lawrence, Jonathan Hill, Kate Germano, Jack McCain, Aquilino Gonell, Alex Horton, Daniele Anderson, Rebecca Kheel and Richard Sisk.

Interviews edited for time and clarity.

Ambrose Bierce was an American Civil War veteran. As a Union soldier Bierce fought in many battles, was wounded, and went on to become a pioneer in the horror genre, helping introduce the psychological thriller to the American story.

American tradition is steeped in rich horror and veterans like Bierce who have taken their experiences in war and service and twisted them into terrifying tales for the public are a staple in that tradition.

Edgar Allen Poe, a king of the American gothic, had a stint in the Army, enlisting under a fake name and age in 1827. Rod Serling, the creator and host of The Twilight Zone, fought in World War II, earning a bronze star and purple heart before going on to terrifying millions with dark, otherworldly frights on TV.

These are some of the few, but impactful authors who have transposed the horrors of war into macabre fiction – and today, that tradition continues.

On this episode of Fire Watch, we explore that tradition through contemporary authors – who are also veterans – in a reading of Bierce's An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.

Appearing in this episode:

Weston Ochse, Russell James, Dacia Arnold, Drew Lawrence, Jonathan Raab, Brian Keene

This episode contains adult themes, violence and swearing.

Sound effects courtesy of Zapsplat.com.

These are the family members who were part of the Department of Veterans' Affairs caregiver program, a largely unsung army of thousands of friends, family members and guardians that quietly take care of veterans who cannot independently take care of themselves as a result of injury or illness incurred from their service.

Many have quit their jobs to work full time as a caregiver, sacrificing an otherwise independent life to help their veteran do things like bathe, dress themselves, eat, take medication, and other daily tasks they couldn't do on their own.

And until recently, the support they got from the VA to give that 24/7 care was essentially a sure thing.

So what happened and why were 90% of them at risk of being disqualified for the program?

Appearing in this episode:

Paul Szoldra, Drew Lawrence, Amy Bushatz, Alana, Rebecca Kheel, Elisa, Dr. Colleen Richardson

On the way out of the military, troops get a single document that has the power to get them a job and healthcare. It is constantly used by the Department of Veterans Affairs as reference for disability or benefits ratings. If a veteran wants to go to school, a university is going to ask for it. So why are some sailors being forced to wait and wait, facing extensive delays, for such a crucial proof of their service?

In this episode of Fire Watch, we're going to examine the Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty – also known as the DD-214 – and why, in the last few months, sailors haven't been getting theirs, causing hardships while trying to move, go to school, find a job, and get healthcare. These veterans are stuck in limbo, unable to move on with their lives while confronting a Navy backlog with no easy workaround.

Appearing in this episode:

Petty Officer 3rd Class James Donald, Steve Beynon, Drew Lawrence, Corpsman Chris Atkins, Military Presenter, Konstantin Toropin, Rear Adm. Stuart Satterwhite, Rebecca Kheel

Guest interview edited for time and clarity.

Some sound effects from Zapsplat.com

Who are the women shaking up Army rules? Today, junior ranks are leading the charge to make change in the military. Not only for hair policy, but for women's reproductive health and in tackling the pervasive sexual assault issue that has been plaguing the military for decades.

On this episode, we're going to talk to some of those soldiers who have spoken up and found ways to shape policies aimed at making the service more supportive for women and families so that soldiers can focus on winning wars.

Appearing in this episode: WACs Presenter, 1st Lt. Kait Abbott, Army Video, Drew Lawrence, Tucker Carlson, Congressman, Staff Sgt. Nicole Edge, Konstantin Toropin, Senator Ted Cruz, Rebecca Kheel