REDACTED Culture Cast

Talk Back to Me

While the Antihero Podcast has gone through great journalistic lengths to investigate the claims made by Tim Kennedy in his book, this episode is to probe the question of how someone could have gotten so far without someone noticing. The Special Operations community is small, and everyone knows each other or at least has a pretty short chain of connection. When someone claims to have an award or to have graduated some prestigious course, it's relatively easy to verify if you know the right channels. 

With this being the case, one might wonder how Tim Kennedy got away with publishing a record in the form of a book of his exploits, which are easily verifiable, and no one noticed for years. 

But there's another side to this dark story, one where resentment is concealed as holding others accountable. And it begs the question of what to do with those who break the trust of their community. The Bible contains warnings against gloating over your enemy's downfall, and this lesson as well as others from the same book can be applied to this situation.  

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This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com

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Talk Back to Me

After some time away from the desk, the REDACTED Culture Cast returns with a review of the Brave Castle Chest Rig. Having an opportunity to attend a course at DARC that required a chest rig, this one was selected for its inherent "features." While others tend to silo into either the sewn together or modular categories, Brave Castle did something a little different with theirs. 

In the episode, we cover:

A brief history of Chest Rigs

Why this one was chosen

Testing Criteria

Loadout for DARC

Performance Review

Brave Castle can be found on instagram: @brave_castle

By fitting between different categories of Chest Rig, this one made a lasting impression as both capable out of the box and a good foundation for expansion to meet the end user's needs. 

Use Code 2025deaddrop10 for 10% off your order at obsidianarms.com

This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com

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Support the REDACTED Culture Cast at redactedculture.locals.com
SSP and boutique products at redactedllc.com
Follow us on Instagram at @redactedllc

Talk Back to Me

The first six months of 2025 have displayed a roller coaster of events, many of which presented as catastrophes, or great victories depending on political affiliation. At the same time, the Gun Culture has witnessed the end of an era, where names that once led companies and held the attention of millions slip away in disgrace. Not all kingdoms are built to last. 

Whether it's Military action in Iran, or Riots in LA, or Parliamentarians getting in the way of a long awaited curbing of the NFA, it's easy to look at what we're up against and throw up one's hands in lament. But that is not the path. Did we expect it to be so easy as an election? Did we expect that, with every step forward we would face less and less opposition? 

This isn't a problem that can be solved in the mind alone. Having the right answers is just the first step, one that must be followed with Courage. 

Use Code 2025deaddrop10 for 10% off your order at obsidianarms.com

This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com

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Support the REDACTED Culture Cast at redactedculture.locals.com
SSP and boutique products at redactedllc.com
Follow us on Instagram at @redactedllc

Talk Back to Me

This weekend, a so-called Peacekeeper opened fire, shooting and killing a bystander at a No Kings protest this weekend. The presence of these armed individuals at left-wing protests has increased since the summer of love in 2020. Generally identifiable by loose, barely used gear, they present a specific type of danger to themselves and those present, similar to conscripted soldiers.

In this episode we cover how to identify low-skill, low-intelligence threats in both a military and non-military setting, some of the history of these self-proclaimed peacekeepers, and the moral behind training that has caught the ire of tyrants. 

Use Code 2025deaddrop10 for 10% off your order at obsidianarms.com

This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com

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Up your helmet camo game: pickup the REDACTED x AXL Squid Scrim Kit at axladvanced.com

Support the REDACTED Culture Cast at redactedculture.locals.com
SSP and boutique products at redactedllc.com
Follow us on Instagram at @redactedllc

Talk Back to Me

Adventure, what a marketing term. We grew up on Lord of the Rings and watched as beloved characters embarked on a great journey. Ivan Loomis of Kit Badger joins the show to talk about spending a whole year shooting left handed, and balancing risk in thrill seeking. Join us in this episode as we talk about discerning good training, challenging the status quo on advanced skill, and turning to the mountains for a sense of adventure. 

Ivan Loomis can be found on Youtube at @kitbadger

Instagram: @kit_badger

Website: kitbadger.com

Use Code 2025deaddrop10 for 10% off your order at obsidianarms.com

This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com

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Up your helmet camo game: pickup the REDACTED x AXL Squid Scrim Kit at axladvanced.com

Support the REDACTED Culture Cast at redactedculture.locals.com
SSP and boutique products at redactedllc.com
Follow us on Instagram at @redactedllc

Talk Back to Me

The media will tell you that Soldiers are trained to dehumanize their enemy in order to become more efficient fighters. The propaganda sacrifices our own soldiers on the alter of efficiency, leaving them later to pay the price in the form of PTSD and trauma. And while we can be critical of the military, and of media, and of our politicians, none of this really matters if we don't take responsibility for our own thoughts and actions. Turns out, Dehumanization makes you Weak. 

Or at least that's my thoughts on the matter. John Soden, a former Ranger, instructor for Method Endeavors, and student of Psychology joins the show to talk about the aftereffects of dehumanization. This episode addresses the multiple layers of responsibility that comes with war fighting, and how those who have the least skin in the game are most likely to dehumanize the enemy. 

Use Code 2025deaddrop10 for 10% off your order at obsidianarms.com

This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com

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Support the REDACTED Culture Cast at redactedculture.locals.com
SSP and boutique products at redactedllc.com
Follow us on Instagram at @redactedllc

Talk Back to Me

Both Army Rangers and Special Forces call back to Robert Rogers in their lineage. Today, the missions of the Green Beret and the Tan Beret are vastly different, so who is right? Zach Masek joins the show again to go deep into the history of Robert Rogers starting with his rise to fame and his fall from grace. 

If you ask the soldiers of fortune, you'll find out they don't really do it for the money. This common thread was reflected in the life and tragedy of Robert Rogers. The man who is credited as being the founder of modern special operations set the mold in more ways than one, whether in standardization, or the sad but common trajectory of the special operations veteran without a war to fight. 

Follow Zach Masek on YouTube at the Dead Warrior Society. 

Use Code 2025deaddrop10 for 10% off your order at obsidianarms.com

This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com

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Up your helmet camo game: pickup the REDACTED x AXL Squid Scrim Kit at axladvanced.com

Support the REDACTED Culture Cast at redactedculture.locals.com
SSP and boutique products at redactedllc.com
Follow us on Instagram at @redactedllc

Talk Back to Me

The Flux Defense Raider has been on the scene for a few years now. This Flux Raider review is less about the Chassis alone, and more about how, with the right parts and a little bit of garage engineering, one can make the tool sing. 

Is it worth the attention or is there more to it than meets the eye? The Flux Raider has garnered attention, and for good reason: it challenges the status quo. Still, one might need to make a few adjustments to hone the platform into what they need. 

This build includes parts from SIG SAUER, Lead & Steel, Reptilia, Obsidian Arms, RovyVon, and More. 

Use Code 2025deaddrop10 for 10% off your order at obsidianarms.com

This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com

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Up your helmet camo game: pickup the REDACTED x AXL Squid Scrim Kit at axladvanced.com

Support the REDACTED Culture Cast at redactedculture.locals.com
SSP and boutique products at redactedllc.com
Follow us on Instagram at @redactedllc

Talk Back to Me

The acronym TTP refers to Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures. While these terms are most at home in military situations, we're seeing more than just soldiers implement them. In this episode we break down the definition of tactics, and take a look at the Siege of the 3rd Precinct in Minneapolis back in 2020 to identify the TTPs of anarchist groups present at the time. 

What about Citizens? What does the Second Amendment concern itself about Tactics? The episode carries on to address these questions.

Stick around, 

Go Forth and Conquer

Use Code 2025deaddrop10 for 10% off your order at obsidianarms.com

This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com

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Up your helmet camo game: pickup the REDACTED x AXL Squid Scrim Kit at axladvanced.com

Support the REDACTED Culture Cast at redactedculture.locals.com
SSP and boutique products at redactedllc.com
Follow us on Instagram at @redactedllc

Talk Back to Me

Both Rangers and Green Berets point to Robert Rogers as a figurehead of their history. But in today's conflicts, they perform considerably different roles. Where the current Ranger Battalion focuses on direct action, Green Berets point to Unconventional Warfare as their primary task. 

Zach Masek of the Dead Warrior Society, a Green Beret Veteran and Columbia graduate draws out misconceptions that prevail to this day about the history of special operations, Robert Rogers himself, and the Spartans. 

This sets the stage for his critique of the Green Beret mission, and how it claims a history of Unconventional Warfare, even when they rarely, if ever, participate in it. 

Use Code 2025deaddrop10 for 10% off your order at obsidianarms.com

This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com

--
Up your helmet camo game: pickup the REDACTED x AXL Squid Scrim Kit at axladvanced.com

Support the REDACTED Culture Cast at redactedculture.locals.com
SSP and boutique products at redactedllc.com
Follow us on Instagram at @redactedllc