Navy SEAL Museum Friendly Fire Podcast

Our Ukraine involvement and what have we ever gained from going to war? The World Order and how nations behave with each other. US military recruitments rates down; how can we make the military a viable option for young people today? The "shiny" image of our military or its dysfunctional one? It's not a social experiment, and the military doesn't reflect the politics of the United States.

Welcome to Season 2 of the Friendly Fire Podcast. Navy SEAL Museum COO Rick Kaiser and Duke Professor Tim Nichols come together again to discuss current events and trending topics. Our co-hosts see the world from very different vantage points, but while they do not always agree on the subject matter, they always part as friends. Tune in to hear what they have to say. 

We kick off our Second Season of the Friendly Fire Podcast with great discussion! Flourishing in the Free State of Florida. Muster 37 is upcoming, celebrating veterans. Forgiving Student Loan Forgiveness and subsidized public schools. Do we get good values from our parents? Is good not of our own doing? Giving to the common good and getting America healthier. 

Tim pummels Rick with some tough questions. Up in arms over gun control and qualifying crew-served weapons. Triggering the need for firearms legislation. Maximum liberty, maximum responsibility. Tax laws and Federal programs. Should the Federal Government use tax law to influence State Government behavior? Jack Daniel’s Squires and the Museum’s Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Program. The due diligence of journalists and media bias. 

“Kaiser Family, still in the fight.” Rick’s prosthetic leg: not a WWII amputation. A formula for blade length for amputees competing in running races. Supporting the COVID policy and states all stumbling over it. Criminals versus the mentally ill: alternatives for helping those in a mental health crisis to avoid jail time. The correlation between mass shootings and our country’s deficit in care for the mentally ill. Building cities under sea level, storm surges, and houses on stilts. 

Florida’s “common sense governor” and Miami’s bikini-clad beaches. “The Compact” at Duke University and misbehavior. Rick, a person of the people. Gold Star Families visit the Museum’s Memorial Garden and its healing impact. The “non-crisis” at the border and FEMA’s involvement. “Walls don’t work” while COVID continues to crush businesses. BUD/S in quarantine times. Admiral Sands, innovation, and SOCAFRICA.

Retired Master Chief Museum Assistant Executive Director Ken Corona joins the conversation. A whole buffet of stupidity and shutting down young SEALs. Tim’s tenure at Duke with motivated students, Millennials before there were Millennials, believers in democracy, vitriol over the immigration crisis at the border. Precious Memorial Day at the Museum. Speaking about the struggles of our Special Operations Forces and suicide. 

The complicated issue of immigration at our border and the need for reform with policy. How much power do citizens have over governance? The “distasteful” position of politicians. Rick’s time at Great Lakes as a cadre for Naval Special Warfare recruitment. Today’s challenges recruiting for the military–should the uniform services be presented as a more mainstream career option? Educating the public about the many benefits and responsibilities of the military. 

Exercising our First Amendment rights and cancellation. Integrating schools with the use of vouchers and the comprehensive cost of public education. “Sending” Tim some tough questions. Is the government inherently inefficient? Connected, demanding, consuming Americans. Amazon, the 800-pound gorilla. The need for diversification of economy.

Authorizing airstrikes and the upper hand–plus hypocrisy. The President’s ultimate authority, a hierarchy of authorities from Congress,  and shackling elected leaders. Higher stakes with bigger bombs, breaking rice bowls to reorient the military, and cake-eating officers. Active combat or nothing. The bell curve of anti-authoritarian, curious, problem-solving, decentralized SEALs walking a fine line of productive citizens and criminals. Fostering a creative, harmonious tactical force without creating biker gang criminals.

Praise for the Heroes and Legends Lecture Series and more speakers to come. The Museum’s Memorial Day Service on the horizon, including the annual Flag Retirement Ceremony, Beyond The Teams’ beach arrival, the Museum’s Memorial Garden, and the Living Beach Dedication. The Scholarship Program application process opens the end of March for the 2021-2022 academic year. Accountability in the military among leadership and set procedures for addressing sexual harassment.