SPECIAL EDITION AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY.. In this episode I invited Matt Powell, owner of eNVy Night Vision, "Darren" a longtime listener/watcher of many military podcasts, husband and wife Ryan and Lisa Hopkin who are big fans of Kit Cage and George "Smudge" Smith who was my very first guest on the show to come on and talk about the past year of Kit Cage interviews, their favourite episodes, favourite moments, what they took away personally from the podcast and what/who they'd like to see on Kit Cage in 2023.

#2022 #review #mentalhealthmatters #specialedition

Gregg joined the TF (TA) in 1991 and went full time in 1993. He was posted to an Infantry Bat and spent 3 years in the Battalion recon Platoon before doing SAS Selection in 1999. Gregg was badged into the unit sep 2000. He deployed 7 times with the unit mostly to Afghanistan.

Afterwards he spent 3 years as a contractor in Iraq first working for Control Risk group the Triple Canopy (all our leadership were from Black Hawk Down). Gregg got out of the Army in 2012 and worked for 3 years in Thailand for an Outdoor company doing training (for staff and shooting courses on the weekends for civilians) and some train for One of their SO units. He was doing some contracting in Jordan at the same time as KASOTC. After coming back to NZ he went back to school to up-skill in outdoor adventure activities so he could work at Outward Bound NZ. Gregg has a passion for Understanding PTS and in how we can use nature to help people.

After OB he went back into the Army in a training role as an SME in Urban Operations and in that time help create a Resilience program for an Infantry bat that they are running now. Gregg currently works for and organisation called pakari (pakari.nz) where they are offering Nature based trips for the Military, Veterans, Women, Emergency first responders, and youth.

Military:

• Commissioned Officer Graduate of The Royal Military College (the equivalent of USMA West Point).

• Paratrooper Platoon Commander and XO Delta Company in the Australian Army’s elite airborne 3rd Battalion 3RAR(Para).

• Specialist Combat Qualifications include: Airborne Operations, Air Mobile Operations, Survival Training,

First Class Marksman, Mine Warfare (Instructor), Anti Handling Devices (Instructor), Chemical-BiologicalRadiological-Nuclear Warfare/Defense, Unarmed Combat, Heavy/Anti-Armor Weapons (Instructor), and Heavy Machine Guns (Instructor).

Misadventure & Curious Achievements:

• Cosmonaut Graduate of the Russian Space Program (2004, Star City, Moscow).

• Chairman of the National Youth Poetry Prize for 6 years.

• 3 x Executive Creative Consultant in Residence at Walt Disney Imagineering’s elite Blue Sky think tank.

• French Polynesian Rock-Lifting Champion (2006, Ha’a’piti, Moorea).

• Formally adopted member of the Deisheetaan clan of the Native American Tlingit People of Southeast Alaska. BTG’s given Tlingit name is Yáa Gí Yéil (Raven by the pond).

• Has endured 21 major surgeries, countless sutures, and 7 treatments for rabies, so far.

• Much of BTG’s body has been scarred and disfigured during regrettable wildlife encounters (his left nipple was gored by a reindeer, then clawed by an Arctic fox, and his right nipple was bitten by a Mexican jack fish), BTG contracted chlamydial conjunctivitis from Koala urine in his eyes, his testicles were munched by a Polynesian pink stingray, and on at least one occasion his face was sexually assaulted by a giant bat.

https://instagram.com/tasmanian_grizzly?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBTG

Navy SEAL (Ret.) Chief Eddie Gallagher spent 20 years in the military as a Navy Corpsman, Marine Scout Sniper and Navy SEAL, deploying nine times to Africa, Afghanistan and Iraq, earning a litany of awards, including two Bronze Stars with Valor. In 2018 he was wrongfully accused of war crimes by underlings trying to ruin his career. He was eventually acquitted of murder, but only after exposing the mutiny and corrupt investigation that nearly sent him to prison for life. President Trump intervened to ensure Eddie was able to participate in his defense, retain his rank, and keep his Navy SEAL Trident.

Eddie has since co-founded The Pipe Hitter Foundation to assist other warfighters and law enforcement officers fighting a system designed to persecute them.

In this episode we talk about mental health, TBI, mental resilience and the path on leaving the military.

Pull up a sandbag and enjoy 🤙🏼

#navyseals #specialforces #mentalhealthmatters #tbi #mentalresilience

Zero Alpha https://www.zeroalpha.co.nz/

Burpee Wear https://www.burpeewear.com/

LinkedIn article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/putting-myself-yourself-out-joe-hotai

#NZSAS #SAS #SpecialAirService #mentalhealthmatters #newvideo #specialforces #specialstory #AustralianSF #podcast #interview #fyp #fypシ

Justin Melnick started out as a Combat Photographer visiting many warzones including being alongside the US Army in Afghanistan for a period of time. This is when he realised he had a passion to serve his country, the brotherhood was calling him. Live chose the path of law enforcement rather than the military, but nonetheless he got the brotherhood and family he was looking for.

Most will know Justin as the character "Brock Reynolds" from the hit CBS PARAMOUNT+ TV Series SEAL Team!!

Instagram: https://instagram.com/justinmelnick?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

“If you donate $18 to MWDTSA, you will be purchasing the ‘Magnum Black Stars and Stripes’ rope toy from USA-K9 by SodaPup pictured on the right. It’s made from extra sturdy rubber so teeth like mine can’t bite through it. As an added bonus, from November 1 through December 15, 2022, USA-K9 by SodaPup will match your tax-deductible donation with TWO additional toys. That’s right, you’re purchasing three toys for the price of one. Thank you!”

https://www.mwdtsa.org/pepper/?fbclid=PAAaZ9q1vkoiqkzs-mCzWUrChKeq8VfKXWgG7f6sS0nCVyFQrSRReQb2dYOrs

http://www.eaglesandangelsltd.com

http://www.urturt.com

Fan Pages:

https://instagram.com/justinmelnick_fans2?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

https://instagram.com/sealteamuk?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

https://instagram.com/sealteamfanarts?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

#sealteam #paramountplus #justinmelnick #navyseals

Eddie Penney spent 20 years in the U.S. military, first as a Marine and later as a Navy SEAL assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), better known as SEAL Team Six.

During the grueling six-month SEAL training and selection program known as Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) Training, Eddie and his fellow trainees watched the 9/11 attacks live as the images streamed worldwide. Knowing that he and his classmates would soon be in harm’s way, the training took on a sobering importance. Suddenly, it was real.

A Chinook helicopter, known as Extortion 17, was shot down by an enemy RPG, killing all 38 aboard. Among the dead were 15 fellow SEALs from Eddie’s own squadron, close friends and colleagues, fathers and sons. Eddie was asked by his friend’s widow to accompany his body on the long trip home, and he stayed by his friend’s side for over a week.

The stress and grief brought-on damaging behaviors, drinking, womanizing, anything that would stop him from feeling the pain. He was on a dark path, with few signs of hope. He was on his way to becoming yet another statistic.

On a whim and with nothing to lose, he agreed to attend a men’s retreat at a local church. The event changed his life, instilling in him the peace that he could be forgiven for his actions. His faith gave him hope and allowed him to attack civilian life with the same focus that he had used to forge such a successful military career.

I speak with him and gain insight into what an unafraid mindset is all about and how helping people grow has a hugely positive impact on his own life and mindset

https://eddiepenney.com/

https://instagram.com/eddie.penney?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

https://instagram.com/contingentgroup?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

https://instagram.com/unafraidmindset?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

@Eddie Penney

#devgru #navyseals #unafraid #unafraidmindset #god #faith

At 21, Sergeant Liz McConaghy was the youngest Chinook aircrew to see action – serving in Iraq. She was also the longest-serving female Chinook aircrew member on 18(B) Squadron. Much of her time was spent on MERT in Iraq and Afghanistan. She is one of only 6 women to serve as a loadmaster in the RAF.

Her biggest honour of all her duties, was serving on the Medical Emergency Response Team, or MERT, flying ambulance as it was more commonly known. This involved recovering wounded soldiers from the battlefield, often under fire, and witnessing them both die and indeed come back to life at her feet in the cabin of her Chinook.

Very few Chinook crew members, if any, spanned the length of time deployed as Liz McConaghy did.

This is a genuinely unique tale that only Liz could tell, which ends with her battling the memories that haunted her, long after she had left the battlefield. Her own war within took her to the point of suicide once she had left the service.

Her survival from both the battles in foreign lands and in her own head led her to begin telling her story, in the hope she can help others win their wars.

https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Chinook-Crew-Chick-Hardback/p/21676

https://twitter.com/chinnychick?t=1lZ_YoQNjcjvfkF1bpVnow&s=09

https://instagram.com/chinookcrewchick?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

#aviation #autobiography #royalairforce #suicidesurvivor #wokka #chinook #mentalhealthmatters #newauthor #newvideo #bestsellingauthor #heroine

Wes J. Bryant retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2018 at the rank of Master Sergeant after twenty years of active duty service. Embedded with Special Forces teams under a Navy SEAL task force, Wes was the tactical lead for a contingent of special operations JTACs to first set foot in Iraq to stop ISIS. As the senior enlisted JTAC to establish the BIAP Strike Cell, Bryant coordinated and controlled the first airstrikes against ISIS in the Baghdad region. He later deployed as the senior Special Tactics JTAC for special operations task forces hunting ISIS in Syria and Afghanistan.

Wes earned a bachelor’s in Asian Studies from the University of Maryland University College. He’s been a lifelong writer, amateur philosopher, and an avid student of the martial arts.

#veteran #specialforces #JTAC

SECOND CHANCE K9:

A former Special Forces dog handler, Travis had his dog Bear by his side for four trips to Iraq. When Travis left the military, he realized he wasn’t going to be able to bring Bear with him.

After the two separated, Bear wouldn’t eat. He wouldn’t work for anyone else and he was biting everyone.

Travis and Bear had some rough trips together where he and the dog both witnessed shootings and explosions. It was clear Bear was suffering from PTSD himself, which was triggered when Travis left.

Ultimately, Travis was permitted to adopt Bear, which became a life-changing event for both of them. Bear and another rescue had a litter of puppies and all but one were given away to Special Forces members – except for one puppy that Travis would keep because she was difficult. Travis says she hated his guts for some reason. Until he took her on a trip, which opened Travis’ eyes to what she was missing. Now Barin is Travis’ right hand, going everywhere with him.

A few years back a former Teammate contacted Travis about a mutual retired military friend who was suffering from PTSD. Travis had found several rescue dogs that he had rehabbed, trained and donated to people who needed them. Travis gave Misha, also a descendent of Bear, to the mutual friend who is now doing great.

This became the inspiration for Second Chance K9. Travis had seen success with connecting rehabbed dogs with Special Operation Forces (SOF) in need. He realized in order to continue to make these life-saving connections, he’d need to make it official by becoming a non-profit entity that would have the ability to fundraise and help more people than he was able to do alone.

Second Chance K9 focuses solely on connecting high-drive Military ADA-recognized Service Dogs with SOF of all branches of the Military suffering from PTSD.

https://www.secondchancek9.com

https://linktr.ee/SecondChanceK9

https://www.instagram.com/secondchancek9/

https://m.facebook.com/2CK9SD/

#veteran #SOF #greenberet #armyranger #specialforces