Hazard Ground

On the one year anniversary of Hazard Ground, it’s probably fitting that we share part one of the two part story of how Staff Sergeant Ryan M. Pitts received the Medal of Honor for his actions in combat. His is a story that defines the reason we do the podcast every week – to tell the stories of service, sacrifice, of unbreakable spirit, and strength in the face of insurmountable odds, with the hope that these stories will help others, whether they’ve served in the military or not. Sergeant Pitts received the Medal of Honor with humility and grace, and it’s evident by his words that he doesn’t believe it was just him who earned the Medal of Honor, but it was him alongside every one of his fellow soldiers who fought bravely on that dark day of July 13, 2008, along with those who didn’t return. And Ryan Pitts, who is now out of the Army, understands the duty that comes with the recognition of distinguished gallantry. Hear how Ryan Pitts became a recipient of the Medal of Honor, and what he’s doing now to carry on the legacy of his fallen brothers, on this one year anniversary episode of Hazard Ground!

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We should consider ourselves fortunate to have someone like Scott Huesing to carry on the story of the brave men of Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines who fought daily in Ramadi, Iraq from the winter of 2006 to early 2007. During that period, Ramadi was considered the deadliest city in Iraq. Huesing and his Marines likened it to living in Hell. Scott Huesing served for over 24 years in the Marine Corps, both as enlisted and a commissioned officer, retiring as an Infantry Marine Major. His career included 10 deployments which have put him at the center of major operations in over 60 countries worldwide, leading and conducting combat missions in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. But it is his time leading Echo Company in Ramadi – the “Magnificent Bastards” of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines – that seems to have left the deepest impression on Huesing in all of his time in the Marine Corps. The Hell that he and his Marines lived through is captured so vividly in his new book, “Echo in Ramadi” which will be released in February 2018. Above all the book is a fitting record that explains the indelible scars of those Marines who lived through Hell in Ramadi, while carrying on the memory of those who didn’t return.

www.echoinramadi.com | www.bravacreativegroup.com | www.savethebrave.org | “Echo in Ramadi: The Firsthand Story of US Marines in Iraq’s Deadliest City”

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Joining the military had been a lifelong dream for Nick Irving. He even knew from a young age that he wanted to be a sniper, taking BB gun shots at just about every inanimate object in his neighborhood, using his homemade ghillie suit as camouflage. And like many who know they want to be a part of the best the military has to offer, Nick set out in high school to join the elite Special Operations Forces of the U.S. military. Through hard work, preparation, and perseverance he became a sniper with the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, where he completed 6 combat deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan. While with the 75th he also set a single deployment record with 33 kills in a 3-1/2 month timeframe, earning him the sobriquet, “The Reaper.” Nick takes us through the mind of a sniper, on and off the battlefield, and what it was like to come home as The Reaper, in this captivating conversation.

www.reaper33.com | “The Reaper” | “Way of the Reaper”

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Jason Beighley is a special breed of soldier. He has over 17 years experience serving and excelling in the U.S. Army’s top tier Special Operations units. Looking for a greater challenge and more fulfilling job in the military, he worked to join those units, and would soon find himself involved in combat and high-stakes engagements with the enemy. One of those engagements was the Battle of Mogadishu, better known by its film and book adaptation, “Black Hawk Down.” In this episode, Jason, like the other guests we’ve had who fought in that battle, offers up a perspective you only get from someone who lived it and battled through it on the ground those two intense days in October 1993. He especially highlights how the rigorous training he went through prior to Mogadishu prepared him for the stress and strain of combat, allowing him to be an asset to his fellow operators and survive that and several other engagements. Today, he helps provide that same level of training to others working in high-risk environments, continuing to help develop the next generation of warriors like himself.

www.strategiclinkpartners.com

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Dr. Julia D. Dye is an author and the VP and CFO of Warriors, Inc., “the entertainment industry’s premiere military advising company.”  She also runs Warriors Publishing Group with her husband, retired Marine, and star of such iconic war films as “Platoon” and “Saving Private Ryan”….And former Hazard Ground guest, Dale Dye. Julia also holds a Ph.D. in Theatrical Hoplology – a field which combines anthropology, sociology, economics, and the study of military history and combatives with performance. For this episode, Dr. Dye sits down with us to talk about the importance of accurately portraying warfighters’ stories in film and television. She also discusses her new book, “Through My Daughter’s Eyes,” which takes a close look at life growing up in a military family, with all of its ups and downs, and what it means to sacrifice in the name of service to one’s country. This episode is all about telling the warfighter’s story, the right way, and it comes straight from one of the leading experts in the business!

www.warriorsinc.com | www.warriorspublishing.com | “Through My Daughter’s Eyes” | “Code Word: Geronimo” | “Backbone: History, Traditions, and Leadership Lessons of Marine Corps NCOs”

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As a young infantryman, Jesse Yandell knew he wanted to serve with the best units the U.S. Army had to offer - with soldiers who had the desire to take on more and always push further than the rest. He settled on the elite soldiers of the 75th Ranger Regiment. Once in, he never looked back, serving 15 combat deployments with the Rangers, and eventually reaching the position of Company First Sergeant within the Regiment. Many describe him as "cool and calm" in combat, and a "rock" who others look to in times of trouble. His will and strength are simply outmatched, as evidenced when he came back from a near-career ending and nearly fatal gunshot wound to the chest. He let the Army and others around him know that he had more to give and wasn't finished serving, by successfully summiting Mt. Rainier, just four months after surgery! If you're looking for inspiration, or searching for motivation to push yourself to your max potential, look no further than the story of Jesse Yandell! www.jesseyandell.com | www.hooahinc.org

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Having decided that eight years of medical school was not the right fit for him, and stung by a desire to do something immediately more challenging with his life, Robert Disney dropped out of college to join the Air Force to become a Pararescue specialist, more commonly known as a "PJ." The PJs primary mission is to rescue, recover, and/or provide medical aid to downed air crews anywhere in the world, in any type of environment, both hostile and friendly. The attrition rate within the PJ training and qualification pipeline is extremely high. Disney's class started out with 86 recruits, and graduated just 6. It's no wonder Robert Disney went on to have such a successful career as a PJ, and survive an absolutely insane amount of combat and training related traumatic events, including a helicopter crash and being shot through the face. Hear about this incredible ride he's taken through the ranks of the Air Force, in combat and brotherhood, and how he's found peace amongst the inescapable scars of battle, on this amazing episode of Hazard Ground!

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A self-described hellion growing up, Kirstie Ennis has always had the fire inside of her to overcome virtually any obstacle. That trait was put to the test on June 23, 2012, when the helicopter she was a door gunner on crashed in Afghanistan while performing combat resupplies. Kirstie, the daughter of two Marines, had planned to stay in the Marine Corps for a full career. The injuries she sustained as a result of the crash, which included an above-the-knee amputation on her left leg and a traumatic brain injury, forced her to medically retire from the Marine Corps in 2014. The fire inside was never needed more than in her years of recovery, fighting to become something greater than the person she was before joining the military. And Kirstie has done just that. She's now a mountaineer, Olympic hopeful, and the first female US veteran above-the-knee amputee to summit Carstensz Pyramid, a 16K foot peak in Indonesia...And she's working on a host of other high alpine summits! She's also just an all-around incredible and inspiring human being, and we're beyond honored to have her on the Hazard Ground Podcast!  www.theheroesproject.org | www.thevetsproject.com

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They're father and son, bonded by war. Both of them, Marines. The father fought in Vietnam, during one of the most violent periods of that conflict. The son did the same in Iraq. For the longest time, the son only knew that his dad was Alvin Bert Grantham, or "A.B." as he's known, the wounded Marine on the tank in one of the most iconic photographs from the Vietnam War. The photo of A.B. Grantham was shot by award-winning photographer, John Olson. It was featured in the March 8, 1968 issue of "Life" magazine, and would come to symbolize the horrific fighting that took place in Hue City during the Tet Offensive. It wasn't until the son, Joshua Grantham, fought as a Recon Marine in Iraq in 2004 and 2006, that father and son would finally solve the enigma of one another, revealing the haunting wartime past that had made the father a hero to his son, and unveiling the son's reasons for following in the hero's footsteps. This is an amazing story of family, brotherhood, sacrifice, and raw human experience that we truly consider ourselves lucky to cover on the Hazard Ground Podcast! www.reconsniperfoundation.org | "Hue 1968"

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Each time Peter van Agtmael has been to war, he's gone without a weapon. No pistol, no knife, no rifle. The only thing he's carried into combat is a camera. And through that camera he has captured the human toll of war, both mental and physical. Since 2006 he has covered the Global War on Terror, working primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has since produced three books of images from these wars that are at times just as moving as they are haunting. Without these works, we would be devoid of a very important and sobering reminder:  That war is an instrument so powerful, it should only be used when all other options have truly been exhausted. This conversation with Peter van Agtmael is an interesting and thought-provoking discussion on that perspective, and what it's like to not only document, but to feel the consequence of such violent action. www.petervanagtmael.net | "2nd Tour Hope I don't Die" | "Disco Night Sept. 11" | "Buzzing at the Sill" 

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