Hazard Ground

This week's episode is all about highlighting an incredible career in Special Operations that spans from Vietnam to Operation Gothic Serpent - better known as the battle portrayed in the book and film, "Black Hawk Down."  More importantly this is a conversation about turning combat experience into leadership and mentoring the next generation of individuals to lead in positions from military service to business and government. Richard Rice began his military career as a Green Beret in Vietnam and served in just about every major conflict after, up until the mid 1990s. He now serves as a Senior Advisor to GORUCK along with developing leaders through speaking at leadership conferences and post graduate programs. Hear his powerful story on this latest edition of HAZARD GROUND!

www.goruck.com | www.goruckevents.com

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Dale Rider deployed to Iraq as a bridge crew member of an Engineer unit initially assigned to advise and assist the Iraqi's, after the war had theoretically ended. So, naturally, in the middle of the Iraq mission, his small detachment would head into Syria for a different mission. Dale shares his experiences with that sudden change of mission, and the struggle to deal with some of its side effects when he returned home. It's an interesting story that explores the volatile environment in Iraq and the surrounding region after the major troop drawdown, and how it's still affecting young servicemembers today. Hear Dale Rider's complete story on this latest episode of HAZARD GROUND! 

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Episode Intro Music: "Prelude" by "Silence & Light" (www.silenceandlightmusic.com)

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Once again, we step outside the bounds of the typical HAZARD GROUND guest to tell Char Fontan Westfall's story. Char is the wife of the late Navy SEAL, Jacques Fontan. Jacques was killed while attempting to rescue survivors of Operation Red Wings, the ill-fated reconnaissance mission in June 2005 in Afghanistan, that left one lone survivor. Char talks about receiving the news of her husband's death, and the long, difficult road she's traveled dealing with the pain, anger, and grief of losing a spouse in such a tragic way. Although not easy, she's handled it with grace and strength, and inspiringly found new hope in an unfamiliar world. Hear her and Jacques's story on this latest episode of HAZARD GROUND!

"A Beautiful Tragedy: A Navy SEAL Widow's Permission to Grieve and a Prescription for Hope"

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Episode Intro Music: "Prelude" by "Silence & Light" (www.silenceandlightmusic.com)

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GORUCK founder Jason McCarthy went from Green Beret to building a 100 million dollar company, starting with just a napkin sketch of a rucksack that could withstand the abuse of war torn Baghdad and still look good on the streets of any major city. Along with a backpack company he also started a global movement to get people outside rucking, adventuring, and forming community through his GORUCK Challenge events. Hear how Jason McCarthy survived combat and went on to build one of the most inspiring and value-based companies in the world today, on this latest episode of HAZARD GROUND! 

www.goruck.com | www.goruckevents.com | "How Not to Start a Backpack Company"

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Episode Intro Music: "Prelude" by "Silence & Light" (www.silenceandlightmusic.com)

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Retired Air Force Colonel, Joe "Spoon" Rizzuto has had one of the most interesting careers a military pilot could have. The Air Force Academy grad started out flying C-130s in Alaska - something he wasn't initially thrilled about, but he describes as extremely rewarding and beneficial as a young pilot. He would eventually go from the C-130 to flying both the A-10 and Reaper and Predator drone aircraft in combat. He was even one of the first to fly drones in Afghanistan shortly after 9/11. Hear his powerful story - the highs and lows of flying close air support in combat, and the psychology around piloting drone aircraft engaged in combat from thousands of miles away from the battlefield, on this latest edition of HAZARD GROUND!

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Episode Intro Music: "Prelude" by "Silence & Light" (www.silenceandlightmusic.com)

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For Tonya Oxendine the Army offered an escape from a rough upbringing - a chance for a better life. Although not without extreme hardships and challenges, Tonya embraced the military, using the trauma she experienced in it and after, to become an incredible leader who has made it her life's mission to take care of others. She served over two decades -  including several years in the 82nd Airborne - retiring as a Command Sergeant Major. Today she serves as the Atlanta Program Manager of Merging Vets and Players - a veteran service organization that pairs veterans with former pro athletes to empower them through the transition once they've taken the uniform off. Hear her incredible story of resilience on this latest edition of HAZARD GROUND!

www.vetsandplayers.org

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Episode Intro Music: "Prelude" by "Silence & Light" (www.silenceandlightmusic.com)

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Our conversation this week is simply about service - service in combat, and continued service when the uniform comes off. David Smith is a former Navy Corpsman who served in combat in Afghanistan. When an aspiring career in the Navy was cut short, David found another way to serve his country. Ultimately he started an organization called, CONTINUE TO SERVE. Through this organization, he brings together other veterans in continued service to the Nation, particularly when it comes to civic duties and standing up for those less fortunate. Most recently, he rallied a group of veterans through his organization to lead the clean-up of downtown Washington, D.C. and around the Capitol after the January 6th attacks. CONTINUE TO SERVE has also been an outlet for David to seek healing from post traumatic stress, as well as find the same sense of purpose he felt as a Navy Corpsman on the battlefield. His story, and this conversation are something we all can take a little good from. Hear it all, on this latest edition of HAZARD GROUND!

www.continuetoserve.vet

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Episode Intro Music: "Prelude" by "Silence & Light" (www.silenceandlightmusic.com)

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Grant Broggi didn't take the typical route to the Marine Corps. The extra time he took before ultimately joining meant he entered the Marines with life experience - a key attribute in forming who he would become as a leader of Marines. And the experience he gained from leading Marines in combat would eventually pay dividends when he became a strength coach, preparing Marines for combat as well as forming a small business. That small business would take a punishing hit during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Broggi used the principles learned through his experience in the Marines to navigate the uncharted waters of the pandemic, taking care of people first. Taking care of his members also meant going against sound business principles to ultimately remain afloat and begin to thrive again in uncertain times. Broggi still serves in the Marine Corps while running The Strength Co., focusing on enriching others' lives through physical fitness, training servicemembers for the rigors of combat, and helping to revive U.S. manufacturing. Hear his inspiring story of service, risk, and resilience on this latest edition of HAZARD GROUND!

www.thestrength.co | @thestrengthco

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Episode Intro Music: "Prelude" by "Silence & Light" (www.silenceandlightmusic.com)

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When Rod Lurie immigrated to the United States at a young age, he was taken by what he saw when he visited The United States Military Academy at West Point for the first time. Beyond the institution, he knew attending West Point would provide a means to pay back the country that welcomed him from abroad. Whether his decision to ultimately go to West Point was right or wrong, Lurie has found that his attendance and graduation from there prepared him very well for the profession he knew he always wanted to go into - that of filmmaking. West Point taught Lurie "never to panic, and there is a solution for everything" - guidance that has served him well as he went from Army officer to film critic, to writer and director of feature films. His latest film is "The Outpost", released in July 2020, which tells the story of the Battle of Kamdesh and the fight to save Combat Outpost Keating in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. It's a moving and intense film, that portrays the battle and the men who fought there in a way most feature films about war fall short of. It's also a film Lurie poured his heart and soul into, and almost didn't finish. Hear the complete story on this latest edition of HAZARD GROUND!

"The Outpost" | "The Last Castle" | "The Contender"

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Episode Intro Music: "Prelude" by "Silence & Light" (www.silenceandlightmusic.com)

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Ryan Hendrickson doesn't know when to quit. If you've served alongside Ryan in combat, that's probably a good thing. Ryan Hendrickson is a retired Green Beret, leaving the Army as an E-7 in January of 2020. Before joining the Army, Hendrickson enlisted and served in both the Navy and the Air Force, until he found his true calling in Special Forces. As a Green Beret demolitions expert, he would find a passion hunting IEDs and working with local villagers. In the high risk confines of Afghanistan, that work would also lead to Hendrickson nearly losing his leg, if not for an experimental limb salvage procedure and an Army surgeon willing to take the risk. Hendrickson then fought through painful rehab to deploy back to Afghanistan roughly eighteen months after his initial injury. As if that wasn't enough, in 2016 Hendrickson was involved in a brutal firefight in which his actions would earn him the Silver Star. Even after his retirement, Ryan still continued to deploy to high risk areas as a civilian. See now why we said he doesn't know when to quit? In all seriousness, this is a story about service, about fortitude, about resilience, and about taking care of those who fight beside you. Hear Ryan Hendrickson's inspiring story of combat and survival on this latest episode of HAZARD GROUND!

www.ryanmhendrickson.com | "Tip of the Spear"

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Episode Intro Music: "Prelude" by "Silence & Light" (www.silenceandlightmusic.com)

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