Military Matters

In the wake of protests seeking racial justice following George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police, Military Matters podcast host Desmon Farris looks into U.S. Army posts that are named for Confederate generals and why the Army continues to honor men who fought against it.

Alongside the protest movement, calls have increased for the removal of Confederate statues, military leaders have moved to ban the display of Confederate imagery, and numerous officials have joined a push to rename installations that honor men who helped lead the armed insurrection against the Union in support of the institution of slavery.

Millions of people of color have served in the military, sometimes at installations that are named for men who tried to keep their ancestors subjugated — Fort Hood, Texas, Fort AP Hill, Va., and Fort Bragg, N.C., are among 10 such installations.

In this fast take episode, Desmon looks into the history of some of those Confederate leaders and how their names were chosen for those Army posts.

Stars and Stripes' podcast team is working to get the information that matters to you. Subscribe today!

Thanks for listening to Military Matters. Season two is coming soon, so stay tuned for updates.

In the wake of George Floyd's death, America continues to be roiled by protests and authorities' response. Military Matters podcast hosts Rod Rodriguez and Desmon Farris look into why and how elements of the U.S. armed forces were deployed to contend with the situation and what the ramifications could be.

To find out more about the impact of those developments on justice, the use of our military and the intersection between civil and military authority, Rod and Des talk to former Green Beret and Connecting Vets journalist Jack Murphy, as well as lawyer, veteran and former Department of Homeland Security senior counselor Kevin Carroll.

The hosts also talk with Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston about what he wants his troops to know during this tumultuous time.

Stars and Stripes' podcast team is working to get the information that matters to you. Subscribe today!

Thanks for listening to Military Matters. Season two is coming soon, so stay tuned for updates.

*Correction: A reference to the number of deaths worldwide from COVID-19 is misstated. Millions have been infected. Hundreds of thousands have died.

Troops could be deployed stateside to cope with the unrest gripping the nation after a Minneapolis man died in police custody. Military Matters podcast host Rod Rodriguez examines the laws that govern the use of troops in peacekeeping efforts on U.S. soil.

What is the Posse Comitatus Act, and what does it allow? What law enforcement roles could federal troops fulfill, and what are the potential dangers? How much authority does the president have to use troops this way?

Stars and Stripes' podcast team is working to get the information that matters to you. Subscribe today!

Thanks for listening to Military Matters. Season two is coming soon, so stay tuned for updates.

In the season finale of the Military Matters podcast, hosts Rod Rodriguez and Desmon Farris shed light on the murky world of information warfare.

Message manipulation can take many forms, it can be employed on any topic and it can be directed at anyone. It is used to alter our decision-making process and can have wide-ranging influence on our choices: what products we buy, which candidates we vote for, how we respond to a health crisis — it even can impact national security.

How can disinformation, misinformation, censorship, social media and news media all play parts in how facts are presented and potentially distorted? To find out, the hosts get insight from industry experts including Dr. Rand Waltzman, deputy chief technology officer of the RAND Corporation, Dr. Michael Shermer, who is a science writer and founder of Skeptic magazine, and Bob Reid, senior managing editor of Stars and Stripes.

What can you do to recognize and protect yourself from disinformation and misinformation? How can you avoid be part of the spread of untruths?

Stars and Stripes' podcast team is working to get the right information that matters to you. Subscribe today!

Thanks for listening to Military Matters. Season two is coming soon, so stay tuned for updates.

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

As we near the end of the inaugural season of the Military Matters podcast, hosts Rod Rodriguez and Desmon Farris offer a look at the topic for next week's season finale, information warfare.

Rod and Des examine what message manipulation might look like and find out from industry experts what we should beware of and how we can be prepared.

Stars and Stripes' podcasters are working to get the information that matters to you. Subscribe today!

In this review episode, Military Matters podcast hosts Rod Rodriguez and Desmon Farris talk some more with one of last week's guests, retired Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Juan Lewis — also known as the Fired Up Chief — about how his recovery from COVID-19 is coming along.

Lewis is continuing to improve, but he's not yet able to go home from the care facility. He talks about his current health status, what it's going to take to be able to go home, how long his doctor says his overall recovery is expected to take and what the full measure of that recovery might be.

Lewis also talks about the value of keeping a positive mindset while battling the disease, as well as the importance of following CDC guidelines as states and communities look to loosen restrictions to restart the economy.

Stars and Stripes' podcasters are working to get you information you need to help you get through this worldwide crisis. Stay safe, and subscribe today!

As Military Matters podcast hosts Rod Rodriguez and Desmon Farris dig further into the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, they find out what it's like to fight the disease; they learn about ventilators — why they're a political lightning rod, why they're needed and what they mean for patients; and they get the story behind an Air Force veteran's innovative, new ventilator.

Rod and Desmon talk with retired Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Juan Lewis, known as the The Fired Up Chief, who has been receiving treatment since last month after being forced into intensive care with a severe case of COVID-19. Lewis is winning his battle with the disease, but at a cost.

You’ve probably heard about ventilators in the news — how few we have, how badly they’re needed, and that some folks have said we don’t need as many as we think. But what is a ventilator, what does it do, and how is it used to treat patients with COVID-19? Rod and Des talk to a nurse with more than 30 years of experience, but she would talk only under the condition of anonymity, and you’ll hear why.

And finally, the hosts talk ventilators with Air Force veteran and AirMid Critical Care Products Inc. CEO Michael Maguire, whose company developed an innovative, new ventilator answering the Army’s industry challenge.

Stars and Stripes' podcasters are working to get you information you need to help you get through this worldwide crisis. Stay safe, and subscribe today!

Military Matters podcast hosts Rod Rodriguez and Desmon Farris continue to look at the mental health impact of the coronavirus pandemic by talking with Ellsworth Williams, a 24-year Army veteran, about what his organization, Veterans Counseling Veterans, is doing as we maneuver through and beyond the isolation induced by COVID-19.

After seeing shortcomings during his internship at the VA, Ellsworth founded Veterans Counseling Veterans, a network of mental health professionals who are veterans or spouses of veterans, as a way to help fellow veterans in need find assistance from the folks who understand best what they’re going through.

The network also reaches out to and tries to educate the veteran and service member community on the mental health issues that are important to them, such as suicide prevention or sexual trauma in the military.

How can you manage the challenges that arise from the COVID-19 isolation? What challenges could you face when it's over? And where can you go to get help? Find out these things and more in this week's episode.

Stars and Stripes' podcasters are working to get you information you need to help you get through this worldwide crisis. Stay safe, and subscribe today!

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world indoors with no clear end in sight. Military Matters podcast hosts Rod Rodriguez and Desmon Farris talk to two mental health clinicians, both veterans, about how the isolation and uncertainty have impacted the mental health of veterans and service members across the country.

Rod and Des talk with Dr. Carlos Garcia, a licensed clinical psychologist and Marine veteran, and Dennis Higgins, a mental health counselor and Army veteran, who share what effects they're seeing in the veteran community as the new coronavirus has shaken virtually every aspect of people's daily lives.

Is the tele-health approach to care working? What is being done for people who live in unsafe environments? And what can service members do for their own mental health while we shelter in place? Find out these things and more in this week's episode.

Stars and Stripes' podcasters are working to get you information you need to help you get through this worldwide crisis. Stay safe, and subscribe today!

In this episode of the Military Matters Review, hosts Desmon Farris and Rod Rodriguez dig into the financial impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the military community.

Rod and Des talk to Lacey Langford, a veteran and financial counselor who is known as the Military Money Expert, to find out what service members and their families can do to get through the crisis, which has catastrophic effects around the globe.

Langford offers advice on money management and how to identify good financial practices, particularly for households that have lost income through job loss.

How is the military community adapting to the crisis? What changes should you make to your financial plans? If you’re getting stimulus money, what should you do with it? Learn about all of this and more in this week’s Military Matters Review. Subscribe today!