Hazard Ground

In Episode 188, Andrew Bundermann walked us through the Battle of Kamdesh - the attack on remote COP Keating in Afghanistan, where 53 U.S. cavalry scouts held off over 300 Taliban fighters attacking from the mountains above. Bundermann was the acting commander at COP Keating on the day of the attack. His company commander, now LTC Stoney Portis, was stranded at a nearby base because the helicopter he was flying in had taken enemy fire two days prior, and air assets were unable to get him back to COP Keating prior to the attack kicking off on October 3rd, 2009. In this episode, Portis chronicles his fight to get back to his men as the battle raged from dawn until dusk. Hearing him talk about what his men did to save not just the outpost, but each other, is a powerful testament to what soldiers will do for each other in combat. Stoney also shares the leadership challenges he faced after the battle, reconstituting a unit that had just endured a brutal fight that took some of their own. It's clear from the way Stoney Portis speaks and carries himself, now and shortly after the Battle of Kamdesh, that his men couldn't have asked for a better leader to get them through the dark times after the bullets stopped flying, as well as to let the world know about the great things his men did for each other on that fateful day in 2009 in the remote mountains of Afghanistan. Hear the full story on this latest edition of HAZARD GROUND!

"The Outpost" | "The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor"

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An infantryman, looking for the next challenge in his military career, Gary Garza decided to try out for Special Forces Selection. After completing Ranger and Sniper Schools with the 101st Airborne, it only made sense that the next step was getting his Green Beret and embarking on a long career in Special Operations. That's exactly what Garza did, becoming a Special Forces Medical Sergeant, and completing 12 deployments in the Global War on Terror. Those deployments came with a price, but also with wisdom on how to better train and take care of SOF soldiers who deploy multiple times to high intensity, high op-tempo AORs over and over again. Garza speaks intently about the mental health aspect and ways in which SOF units are working to improve and strengthen soldiers' mental health, just like they would their physical health, in order to improve both the combat force, and the families that support them during and after every deployment. Garza also serves as the Executive Director of the Special Forces Foundation - a Foundation that provides a range of programs contributing to the maintenance of the mind and body, as well as ongoing support in resolving psychological, emotional, and relationship issues before they become chronic within the Special Forces community. Learn more about this foundation and the inspiring career of Sergeant Major Gary Garza in this latest edition of HAZARD GROUND!

www.specialforcesfoundation.org

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Donny O'Malley does not fit the typical mold of a U.S. Marine. Except for the part where Marines strive to be the absolute best at one thing: killing the enemy. In spite of being the type of person who never liked having a boss, and who was very entrepreneurial in nature, Donny O'Malley wanted to join the military and become a Marine, primarily so he could be the best at taking out bad people on the battlefield. And, after 9/11, that was all the motivation he needed for pulling the trigger, so to speak. His father however, convinced him to finish college and become a Marine officer. O'Malley took his father's advice, and would eventually serve in combat as an infantry officer, rifle platoon commander, and fire support team leader. Following his time in the Corps, O'Malley, who had already spent a significant amount of time mentally preparing himself for what he'd experience in combat, looked to humor as a means of maintaining good mental health, not just for himself but also for his fellow vets who were struggling. That motivation led him to becoming the founder and CEO of VET Tv, also known as Veteran Television, a streaming video on demand channel that has often been referred to as the Comedy Central of the military. VET Tv showcases the raw, dark military humor that has transformed dark days on the battlefield to brighter ones on and off screen. Hear how it all started in this latest episode of HAZARD GROUND!

www.veterantv.tv | @vet_tv | @donnyomalley

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On the morning of October 3rd, 2009, American Combat Outpost Keating was attacked by over 300 Taliban fighters, the small outpost defended by just 53 U.S. cavalry scouts. The location of COP Keating couldn't have been any worse from a tactical standpoint, inviting the inevitable before American forces would shut it down: an overwhelming attack by insurgent fighters. The small outpost sat along the banks of a river at the base of the mountains, deep within Afghanistan’s rugged Nuristan province. Built in 2006, COP Keating's strategic purpose was initially to serve as a base from which U.S. Army counterinsurgency efforts could win-over local Afghan villagers; however, after a few years, it had produced little counterinsurgency benefit. On the day it was attacked with overwhelming force, Andrew Bundermann, a platoon leader at the time, was the acting commander. He and his soldiers mounted a successful counter-attack, eventually taking back the outpost, but at the cost of losing eight men from their unit. Two soldiers would receive the Medal of Honor, and Bundermann would ultimately receive the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during the battle. It was one of the most intense firefights of the war, which by all accounts, Bundermann and his men should have lost. Hear how they took back COP Keating on this latest edition of HAZARD GROUND!

"The Outpost"

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Following a fairly short stint and multiple deployments with the Navy not long after 9/11, Mike Mednansky felt a calling to a military occupation much more technical, and challenging than the one he had in the Navy. He decided to go out for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) school - one of the most dangerous, but most rewarding jobs in the military. EOD technicians are some of the most highly trained, highly focused, technically surgical servicemembers on the battlefield. It takes nerves of steel to perform their job, and for good reason, as one slip-up could cost lives, or at a minimum, serious injury. Mike ended up transferring from the Navy to the Army in order to attend EOD School. Once out of school he went back to deployments, this time as an EOD tech. It was on what would be his final deployment, that an IED he was attempting to gather evidence from, partially detonated in his hands, causing serious injury. It would ultimately lead to Mike's medical retirement, but not his exit from the EOD community, as he continues to instruct Special Forces soldiers heading downrange. Hear Mike's complete story, from the constant academic pressure of the EOD schoolhouse to daily life on deployment as an EOD tech, walking the fine line between life and death...Get it all on this latest episode of HAZARD GROUND!

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Chili Palmer's military career started off with a bang...or rather, a combat jump into Panama. Less than two weeks after arriving at 1/75 Ranger Battalion, Chili jumped into combat for Operation Just Cause. It was just his ninth static line jump, and although the action on the ground was minimal for Palmer, he would go on to participate in and experience a heavy amount of kinetic operations throughout the rest of his over two-decade long career in the Army, serving much of that time as an operator in a special mission unit. Chili goes in depth into the highs and lows of serving as an operator, the early days of fighting in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and what has changed in the SOF community since his time there. He also talks about his time working as a military advisor on the films “How It Ends” (2018) and 2020’s Netflix original, “Extraction.” Tune in to another powerful and interesting story of combat and survival on this latest edition of HAZARD GROUND!

@chilipalmershooting

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For 14 years Elana Duffy lived with chronic physical and mental pain, the result of injuries sustained from an IED blast and vehicle collision during one of her deployments to Iraq, two years into the war. During that time she had struggled with figuring out exactly what was wrong, and healing enough to continue on with a promising Army career, injury-free. Elana Duffy enlisted in the Army with an Ivy League Masters education and a desire to perform a job where she would see tangible results. But the IED blast and vehicle collision in 2005 would unfortunately inhibit her ability to continue to deploy, even after she had worked her way into selection to an elite Army unit. The invisible wounds of war had caught up with her, and she was medically retired in 2012. But through all of her struggles to figure out what was wrong, Elana Duffy never gave up the fight, both on and off the battlefield. She continued to perform her job at a high level in combat, and found a way to heal once she left the military, up to electively amputating her leg at the calf muscle to finally rid herself of the chronic physical pain. In the end, she also found a way to help others with similar struggles, by starting Pathfinder, a Veteran Service Organization that helps vets connect with local community services that help them reintegrate into civilian life after leaving the military. Hear Elana Duffy's powerful story of combat and survival on this latest episode of HAZARD GROUND!

www.pathfinder.vet | www.getheadstrong.org

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Aaron Love joined the Air Force shortly after 9/11 to become a Pararescueman, or “PJ” as they are more commonly known. PJs are expert combat medical professionals capable of providing life-saving measures in hostile areas, as part of the Air Force's special operations force. A few missteps along the way though, nearly derailed Aaron’s pursuit of becoming a PJ. But Aaron’s desire to succeed in one the military’s most difficult training and qualification pipelines, ultimately led him to earning the title of Air Force PJ and deploying in support of the Global War on Terror. In this episode, Aaron talks about operating as a PJ in combat; the highs and lows, and what it’s like when the reality of war sets in and there’s one fellow soldier you can’t bring home alive. Today, in the true spirit and path of a Warrior, Aaron also continues to prepare the next generation of special warfare servicemembers through his own podcast and website, called "Ones Ready", while still serving on active duty. Aaron has led an inspiring career as a PJ, and the only way to dig into it is to listen to Aaron talk about it firsthand, on this latest edition of HAZARD GROUND!

www.onesready.com

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Today we go back to the first Gulf War and Operation Desert Storm! Shane Hudella joined the military to carry on a family tradition of serving. Not long after signing up, he was headed for his first and only major combat deployment in Desert Storm, where life became quite interesting with the constant threat of SCUD missiles targeting and raining down close to his unit's location. Following Desert Storm, Hudella would go on to serve in the Army until 2012, when he retired as a First Sergeant. But, perhaps of equal note to his military service was what he did outside of the military with the United Heroes League - a hockey, and now multi-sport focused non-profit he started in 2009, under the name Defending The Blue Line (DTBL). Hudella initially founded DTBL to help military families with the high costs of hockey and help ensure children of military members are afforded every opportunity to participate in a sport he loved, being from Minnesota. Since 2016, when DTBL transitioned to United Heroes League, it has grown to support all sports and help a much broader base of children connected to the military, helping both military families at home, as well as directly impacting soldiers in combat zones during the GWOT, as you'll hear in one poignant story told in this episode. Hear Shane's entire inspiring story of service on this latest edition of HAZARD GROUND!

www.unitedheroesleague.org

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Chris VanSant had an impressive career in the Army. He retired with twenty-plus years as a Special Operations veteran, operating at the highest level in a special mission unit for a good portion of that time. He took part in eleven combat deployments as both a team member and team leader in 1st SFOD-D, deploying to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Horn of Africa. During that time he took part in 500-plus combat operations. One of those operations was the capture of Saddam Hussein. But, all that time in combat took its toll on VanSant, as it often does despite the person or the unit they serve in, leaving Chris to deal with the effects of Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, and the dependence on chemicals that is so often associated with attempts to heal from injury. As you'll hear in VanSant's story though, he found a way out of the darkness, and continues to lead a life of purpose, developed through the moments he spent as a warrior in combat. Hear about his powerful journey of combat and resilience on this latest edition of HAZARD GROUND!  

www.tyrtactical.com | @vansanttyrtactical

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