Hazard Ground

Circumstances beyond his control brought him to the 75th Ranger Regiment. But once he made it in and earned the coveted scroll and beret, retired Sergeant First Class Jeremy Tindell found a home. So much so that he stayed in the Regiment after suffering a severe back injury in a training accident. Tindell retired from the Army after 13 combat deployments. And has now found a new passion as an active member of Merging Vets & Players – an organization designed to help both combat veterans and pro athletes transition from battlefield and playing field to new careers and new beginnings. Hear all about this Ranger’s journey from working in a machine shop to becoming an elite combat veteran in this latest episode of HAZARD GROUND!

Do your Amazon shopping with us, and give back to veterans organizations at the same time! Go to www.hazardground.com, click on the Amazon banner on the home page, and do your Amazon shopping from there. IT COSTS YOU NOTHING, and it helps the show out tremendously! THE BEST PART IS we’ll be donating proceeds from this partnership to the vet organizations featured on this podcast. So help us out, help out these great organizations, and head over to hazardground.com and click on the Amazon banner today, and shop away!

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As we mark our 2-year anniversary, it is an honor and treasure to have retired Sergeant First Class and Green Beret, Michael Rodriguez on the show for our 100th episode! Rodriguez, his wife, and son are all combat veterans. Between the three of them they have 16 deployments, with Michael serving 9 of those in combat. He was medically retired after 21 years of service, and continues to serve to this day as as a member for President George W. Bush’s Military Service Initiative Advisory Council; and most notably he is the president and CEO of the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation. Rodriguez has also contributed significantly to research on Traumatic Brain Injuries and Post Traumatic Stress, so much so that he was inducted as a Fellow into the lauded “Explorers Club” based in Manhattan, NYC. Hear all about Michael’s journey from his first combat deployment with the 10th Mountain in Somalia to what he’s doing today to help veterans across the globe, on our 100th episode of HAZARD GROUND!

www.gwotmemorialfoundation.org

Do your Amazon shopping with us, and give back to veterans organizations at the same time! Go to www.hazardground.com, click on the Amazon banner on the home page, and do your Amazon shopping from there. IT COSTS YOU NOTHING, and it helps the show out tremendously! THE BEST PART IS we’ll be donating proceeds from this partnership to the vet organizations featured on this podcast. So help us out, help out these great organizations, and head over to hazardground.com and click on the Amazon banner today, and shop away!

Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors at www.hazardground.com/sponsors!

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Her job as a combat photographer was to chronicle war, combat, human strife, and disaster relief efforts among other significant moments in history. But over time it became a much, much more weighty task. One that she was passionate about executing, but one that would ultimately take a heavy toll on her body and mind. Stacy Pearsall is one of the most decorated combat photographers in the U.S. military’s history. During three combat tours, she earned the Bronze Star Medal and Air Force Commendation with Valor for combat actions in Iraq. She is also one of two women to win Military Photographer of the Year and the only woman to win it twice. She has sacrificed so much for service to her country and her fellow servicemembers. But, most importantly she has given immensely to ensuring history won’t forget some of its most pivotal sagas and those that have served before and after her. Hear all about it, and the incredible work she’s doing now, on the latest episode of HAZARD GROUND!

www.stacypearsall.com | www.veteransportraitproject.com | www.ccforp.org | “Shooter: Combat From Behind The Camera” | “A Photojournalist’s Field Guide”

Do your Amazon shopping with us, and give back to veterans organizations at the same time! Go to www.hazardground.com, click on the Amazon banner on the home page, and do your Amazon shopping from there. IT COSTS YOU NOTHING, and it helps the show out tremendously! THE BEST PART IS we’ll be donating proceeds from this partnership to the vet organizations featured on this podcast. So help us out, help out these great organizations, and head over to hazardground.com and click on the Amazon banner today, and shop away!

Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors at www.hazardground.com/sponsors!

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We are extremely excited to have two very special guests on the show this week! On the heels of the premier of their new movie, “Sgt. Will Gardner” which hits select theaters, On Demand & Digital outlets January 11, 2019, actors Max Martini and Michael Hagerty join us to talk about the film, the importance of helping veterans when they come home from war, and war’s effect on the human condition. “Sgt. Will Gardner” tells the story of Iraq War veteran Will Gardner, played by Martini, who is struggling with the lingering effects of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) from his time in combat. A cross-country motorcycle trip provides the journey for Will to ultimately make the important move toward finding peace. Martini wrote and directed the film which Hagerty produced. The two partnered up to make the film and give back to veterans by not only telling a much needed story, but also donating a portion of the film’s proceeds to three charities which support veterans suffering from TBI, PTSD and veteran homelessness. Check it all out on this Special Edition of HAZARD GROUND!

“Sgt. Will Gardner”

Do your Amazon shopping with us, and give back to veterans organizations at the same time! Go to www.hazardground.com, click on the Amazon banner on the home page, and do your Amazon shopping from there. IT COSTS YOU NOTHING, and it helps the show out tremendously! THE BEST PART IS we’ll be donating proceeds from this partnership to the vet organizations featured on this podcast. So help us out, help out these great organizations, and head over to hazardground.com and click on the Amazon banner today, and shop away!

Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors at www.hazardground.com/sponsors!

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He had no intention of making the Air Force a career when he entered the service as a graduate of the San Diego State College ROTC program in 1957. But, Merrill “Tony” McPeak would go on to become the 14th Chief of Staff of the Air Force and retire as a 4-star general, closing out a career that included flying 269 combat missions in Vietnam and flying with the Air Force’s elite aerobatic team, the Thunderbirds. His experience in Vietnam is well-chronicled in the recent Ken Burns documentary, “The Vietnam War,” on which General McPeak worked as a technical advisor, ensuring utmost accuracy throughout the film and that the documentary told the complete story of all sides affected by the war in Vietnam. In this episode, General McPeak speaks to that roll, as well as some of the lighter-hearted moments flying combat missions in Vietnam, and his encounter with President George H.W. Bush when he was in office. Check it all out on our 2019 inaugural episode of HAZARD GROUND!

www.generalmcpeak.com | “Hangar Flying” | “Below The Zone” | “Roles and Missions”??

Do your Amazon shopping with us, and give back to veterans organizations at the same time! Go to www.hazardground.com, click on the Amazon banner on the home page, and do your Amazon shopping from there. IT COSTS YOU NOTHING, and it helps the show out tremendously! THE BEST PART IS we’ll be donating proceeds from this partnership to the vet organizations featured on this podcast. So help us out, help out these great organizations, and head over to hazardground.com and click on the Amazon banner today, and shop away!

Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors at www.hazardground.com/sponsors!

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Stuart “Stu” Steinberg has lived an adventurous life to say the least. Enlisting in the Army during the Vietnam War, he would eventually serve as an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) specialist from 1967-1971. During his 18 months in Vietnam, he would have one of the most dangerous jobs in the services, and his experience there would eventually paint the picture his recently published book, “This is What Hell Looks Like” so vividly describes. Following Vietnam, Steinberg would go on to earn his law degree, an advance law degree, and eventually teach at the Georgetown University Law Center. For several years as a capital defense investigator he would experience cases whose disturbing nature was innately characteristic of the hell seen in war. Hear how Stu Steinberg survived that hell, and has now gone on to live a life of service helping other veterans, on this latest episode of HAZARD GROUND!

“This is What Hell Looks Like: Life as a Bomb Disposal Specialist During the Vietnam War”

??Do your holiday shopping with us, and give back to veterans organizations at the same time! Go to www.hazardground.com, click on the Amazon banner on the home page, and do your Amazon shopping from there. IT COSTS YOU NOTHING, and it helps the show out tremendously! THE BEST PART IS we’ll be donating proceeds from this partnership to the vet organizations featured on this podcast. So help us out, help out these great organizations, and head over to hazardground.com and click on the Amazon banner today, and shop away!??

Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors at www.hazardground.com/sponsors!

Help grow the show! Spread the word, tell a friend!! Subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes!

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Col Kim Campbell's story is one of perseverance, and living proof that shutting down the urge to quit or give up, will ultimately lead to what others told you wasn’t possible. At a young age she set her sights on attending the U.S. Air Force Academy to ultimately put herself on a path to become an astronaut. Several "No's" and a few roadblocks later, Kim Campbell earned her way to becoming an A-10 pilot. And that "no-quit" attitude is exactly what she needed in probably her most jarring moment as a fighter pilot: the day she was nearly shot down in combat over Iraq. Her plane was so badly damaged that she had to pilot it using manual controls. When it was all over, she would be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. It’s one thing to fly and engage the enemy in combat, but it takes a special kind of composure to safely land a badly damaged aircraft in a war zone. Col Kim Campbell’s story is truly inspiring, and it was an honor to have her on the show!

Do your holiday shopping with us, and give back to veterans organizations at the same time! Go to www.hazardground.com, click on the Amazon banner on the home page, and do your Amazon shopping from there. IT COSTS YOU NOTHING, and it helps the show out tremendously! THE BEST PART IS we'll be donating proceeds from this partnership to the vet organizations featured on this podcast. So help us out, help out these great organizations, and head over to hazardground.com and click on the Amazon banner today, and shop away!

Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors at www.hazardground.com/sponsors!

Help grow the show! Spread the word, tell a friend!! Subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes!

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Feeling an obligation to serve his country and fight for those lost, especially the first responders, after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, Dave Burton went into a Marine Corps recruiting office on 9/12. To his surprise, there wasn’t another person in line to sign up. He wasn’t dissuaded though, and he enlisted that day. He left for boot camp at the age of 25. Following boot camp and the School of Infantry, Burton first deployed to Iraq in 2003 as part of the initial invasion force. There he would fight in the battle of An Nasiriyah as part of Task Force Tarawa. Burton would go on to deploy three more times as an Infantry Marine between Iraq and Afghanistan, before leaving the Marine Corps. In this episode, he shares what those deployments meant to him, the permanence of war and its violence, and the indelible memories of going to war as a United States Marine.

www.shootoutforsoldiers.com

We are very excited to announce our newest sponsor, Combat Flip Flops! If you go back into the early HAZARD GROUND archives, we had the founders of Combat Flip Flops, Matt Griffin and Don Lee on Episode 20. Born out of the idea to bring peace to war-torn areas of the world through thriving business, Combat Flip Flops’ mission is to create peaceful, forward-thinking opportunities for self-determined entrepreneurs affected by conflict. Their willingness to take bold risks, community connection, and distinct designs communicate, “Business, Not Bullets”–flipping the view on how wars are won. Through persistence, respect, and creativity, Combat Flip Flops works to empower the mindful consumer to manufacture peace through trade. And now, our listeners will be able to benefit from that mission by getting 15% off every order when you use the coupon code “HAZARD1” at checkout!

Do your holiday shopping with us, and give back to veterans organizations at the same time! Go to www.hazardground.com, click on the Amazon banner on the home page, and do your Amazon shopping from there. IT COSTS YOU NOTHING, and it helps the show out tremendously! THE BEST PART IS we’ll be donating proceeds from this partnership to the vet organizations featured on this podcast. So help us out, help out these great organizations, and head over to hazardground.com and click on the Amazon banner today, and shop away!

Support the podcast by supporting all of our sponsors at www.hazardground.com/sponsors!

Help grow the show! Spread the word, tell a friend!! Subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes!

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Anthony Swofford joined the Marine Corps in 1988, setting in motion a series of events that would put him on the front lines of the liberation of Kuwait as part of Operation Desert Storm, and eventually help launch his career as a writer and producer. He’s probably best known for writing the book, “Jarhead” – a very honest memoir of a Marine’s life on and off the battlefield. The book would eventually be released as a major motion picture under the same name in 2005, with Swofford being played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Swofford takes us back to the uneasy days on the “berm” in the desert, and candidly recounts his time at boot camp and going through scout sniper training in the Marine Corps. It’s not often we get the chance to speak with veterans of Desert Storm, especially someone who has done so much with the experience. So sit back, and enjoy this latest episode of HAZARD GROUND, with writer, producer, Marine – Anthony Swofford.

“Jarhead”

We are very excited to announce our newest sponsor, Combat Flip Flops! If you go back into the early HAZARD GROUND archives, we had the founders of Combat Flip Flops, Matt Griffin and Don Lee on Episode 20. Born out of the idea to bring peace to war-torn areas of the world through thriving business, Combat Flip Flops’ mission is to create peaceful, forward-thinking opportunities for self-determined entrepreneurs affected by conflict. Their willingness to take bold risks, community connection, and distinct designs communicate, “Business, Not Bullets”–flipping the view on how wars are won. Through persistence, respect, and creativity, Combat Flip Flops works to empower the mindful consumer to manufacture peace through trade. And now, our listeners will be able to benefit from that mission by getting 15% off every order when you use the coupon code “HAZARD1” at checkout!

Do your holiday shopping with us, and give back to veterans organizations at the same time! Go to www.hazardground.com, click on the Amazon banner on the home page, and do your Amazon shopping from there. IT COSTS YOU NOTHING, and it helps the show out tremendously! THE BEST PART IS we’ll be donating proceeds from this partnership to the vet organizations featured on this podcast. So help us out, help out these great organizations, and head over to hazardground.com and click on the Amazon banner today, and shop away!

Support the podcast by supporting all of our sponsors at www.hazardground.com/sponsors!

Help grow the show! Spread the word, tell a friend!! Subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a matter of seconds Marine Cpl. Todd Nicely’s life was changed forever. After the blast and while he was flying through the air, he knew “they” had finally got him. On March 26, 2010, while leading his patrol back to base camp in Afghanistan, Cpl. Nicely stepped on a pressure plate mine. The blast almost instantly took all four of his limbs, forever changing how he would live his life, if he would live at all. Nicely would survive the blast, becoming a quadruple amputee, as well as an inspiration for others. He considers himself lucky and fortunate that he and all of his men came home from that fateful deployment alive, and would get to be with their families and friends once again – a testament to his warrior spirit that lives on to this day. Hear how Todd Nicely survived more than just the explosion that nearly took his life over 8 years ago, on this very inspirational episode of HAZARD GROUND!

If you shop at Amazon, go to www.hazardground.com, click on the Amazon banner on the home page, and do your Amazon shopping from there. IT COSTS YOU NOTHING, and it helps the show out tremendously! THE BEST PART IS we’ll be donating proceeds from this partnership to the vet organizations featured on this podcast. So help us out, help out these great organizations, and head over to hazardground.com and click on the Amazon banner today, and shop away!

Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors at www.hazardground.com/sponsors!

Help grow the show! Spread the word, tell a friend!! Subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices