Military Matters

Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss last week's episode on the CBS News coverage of veterans seeking discharge upgrades from the "don't ask, don't tell" era. They talk military attitudes toward LGBTQ+ service members, witch hunts, agendas and what the DADT era did to the modern military. All that and more on this Fast Take!

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This episode is brought to you by Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit helping build and donate homes to injured post 9/11 veterans. Visit HFOTUSA.org for more information.

Now you can hear Military Matters Wednesdays at 5 p.m. ET and Sunday at noon ET on Wreaths Across America Radio available on the iHeart Radio, TuneIn and Audacy apps.

CBS Chief Investigative Correspondent Jim Axelrod and his CBS Producer Jessica Kegu have been covering the story of veterans who were separated from service with dishonorable discharges during the 'don't ask, don't tell era' and are now fighting to have the character of their discharges changed. A dishonorable discharge carries with it an unwavering stigma that has cost those veterans jobs, benefits, and some their lives. Is it time to fix what some call a terrible injustice?

Links to CBS stories:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/military-veterans-dont-ask-dont-tell-white-house-vows-reevauluate-process-dishonorable-discharges/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/navy-veteran-discharged-over-her-sexual-orientation-33-years-ago-cant-clear-her-record/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/air-force-veteran-imprisoned-being-gay-endures-stigma-felony-record/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/military-gay-lesbian-service-members-denied-honorable-discharges/

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This episode is brought to you by Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit helping build and donate homes to injured post 9/11 veterans. Visit HFOTUSA.org for more information.

Now you can hear Military Matters Wednesdays at 5 p.m. ET and Sunday at noon ET on Wreaths Across America Radio available on the iHeart Radio, TuneIn and Audacy apps.

Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy talk about last week's interview with author Don Bentley, the joy of seeing good people accomplish great things, Jack asserts he's ALSO a writer, and Rod laments he hasn't written a damn thing. All that and more on this Fast Take!

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This episode is brought to you by Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit helping build and donate homes to injured post 9/11 veterans. Visit HFOTUSA.org for more information.

Now you can hear Military Matters Wednesdays at 5 p.m. ET and Sunday at noon ET on Wreaths Across America Radio available on the iHeart Radio, TuneIn and Audacy apps.

Don Bentley is the bestselling author of the Matt Drake series and the man behind the two latest Jack Ryan Jr. books. Like the protagonist from one of his own works, Bentley has lived a pretty interesting life having spent a decade as an Apache pilot, serving as an FBI special agent focusing on foreign intelligence and counterintelligence, then as a SWAT team member, and now he's not only writing about his own original characters but he's also charged with shaping parts of the Tom Clancy universe. Is life getting stranger than fiction? Can reading fiction open your mind up to future decision making? Is Don Bentley really Matt Drake? All that and more on this episode of Military Matters!

You can find out more about Bentley, his books, and what he's working on go to donbentleybooks.com and of course you can find all of Bentley's books everywhere books are sold.

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This episode is brought to you by Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit helping build and donate homes to injured post 9/11 veterans. Visit HFOTUSA.org for more information.

Now you can hear Military Matters Wednesdays at 5 p.m. ET and Sunday at noon ET on Wreaths Across America Radio available on the iHeart Radio, TuneIn and Audacy apps.

Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss last week's interviews with NPR's Graham Smith and Tom Bowman. It all comes down to why do government offficials and military leaders think a cover-up is ever a good idea?

Listen to "Taking Cover" today, https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510368/taking-cover

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This episode is brought to you by Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit helping build and donate homes to injured post 9/11 veterans. Visit HFOTUSA.org for more information.

Was there a cover-up of the worst Marine-on-Marine friendly fire incident in modern history? We're talking with NPR investigations senior producer Graham Smith and NPR Pentagon reporter Tom Bowman about their podcast "Taking Cover," which delves into the story of the truth behind the deaths of Marines in Fallujah, the families seeking justice, and just how far some people went to hide the truth.

Listen to "Taking Cover" today, https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510368/taking-cover

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This episode is brought to you by Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit helping build and donate homes to injured post 9/11 veterans. Visit HFOTUSA.org for more information.

Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy talk about Jack's interview with Dr. Daniel Green and his book "Front Toward Enemy: War, Veterans, and the Homefront."

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This episode is brought to you by Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit helping build and donate homes to injured post 9/11 veterans. Visit HFOTUSA.org for more information.

With over 2 million post 9/11 veterans in America, the voice of this generation of vets is getting louder and more pronounced in television, film, theater, and in literature. What does this all mean for those vets transitioning back to a society they don't feel understands them? How do they make peace with wars that never really ended? Jack Murphy talks with Dr. Daniel Green about his book "Front Toward Enemy: War, Veterans, and the Homefront".

This episode is brought to you by Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit helping build and donate homes to injured post 9/11 veterans. Visit HFOTUSA.org for more information.

Military Matters hosts Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss Jack's interview with Dr. David Walton, the trauma of the Sand Man, VC bros at SOF Week, and what's coming up next week!

This episode is brought to you by Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit helping build and donate homes to injured post 9-11 veterans. Visit HFOTUSA.org for more information.

Jack Murphy talks with Dr. David Walton, retired US Army Green Beret, about his new book "Ruck Up or Shut Up: The Comprehensive Guide to Special Forces Assessment and Selection." Walton and Jack discuss what it takes to get through the rigorous assessment and selection process, some Green Beret history, and why you shouldn't spend thousands of dollars on "prep courses." You can find Walton's book on Amazon or follow the link above.

This episode is brought to you by Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit helping build and donate homes to injured post 9-11 veterans. Visit HFOTUSA.org for more information.