Semper Try

Robert Mitchell didn’t go looking for war.

In 1966, his student deferment disappeared and the draft was closing in. Instead of waiting to see where the Army would send him, Robert made a choice: if he was going to serve, he wanted to fly.

That decision put him into the Army’s Warrant Officer Rotary Wing Aviation program and eventually behind the controls of helicopters headed for Vietnam.

In Part 1 of my conversation with Robert, we talk about his path from a struggling college student to Army helicopter pilot, nine months of flight training, and the incredible moment when his plan was selected from roughly 400 students to lead a massive training exercise involving 200 helicopters.

Then came Vietnam.

Robert arrived in January 1968, just before the Tet Offensive. Within days, he was being fired on while flying a Huey toward Dong Ha near the DMZ. He would go on to fly command and control missions, support missions, and scout operations where finding the enemy meant deliberately flying out in front.

But Robert’s story isn’t only about flying helicopters.

It’s about what he calls the warrior spirit and what happens when the military trains someone for combat, awakens that instinct inside them, and then suddenly takes the battlefield away.

Robert’s tour ended violently when his helicopter crashed, rupturing a fuel line and erupting in fire. He was badly burned, medevaced out of Vietnam, and spent eight months in the hospital.

The fire sent him home.

The war came with him.

Robert openly discusses returning home still carrying the desire to fight, the internal conflict that followed, and the long journey that would eventually take his life in a completely different direction.

This is only Part 1.

036 P1: Robert Mitchell: Sent Home by Fire, Still Wired for War

📚 Find Robert Mitchell’s books, including Journey to Mirtos, on Amazon:

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This episode of the Semper Try Podcast is a little different.

What started as a six-part Today in Military History series turned into a full deep dive into one of the most historic units in the United States Army:

The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment :The Old Guard.

This whole series started after I heard Army veteran David Weisenhorn on the Chat 62 Podcast, a fellow member of VET: Voices Empowering Tomorrow. David talked about being selected for the Old Guard, and it made me realize that even though I had heard the name and seen the Tomb Guards before, I didn’t really understand what the Old Guard was.

So I started digging.

In this episode, we cover:

The history of the Old Guard going back to 1784

How the regiment got its name

What it takes to serve in the Old Guard

The history of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

How Tomb Sentinels are selected and trained

The 21-step walk

The Changing of the Guard

The Tomb Guard Identification Badge

And why the watch never stops

This is six parts of military history, tradition, discipline, and service brought together into one episode.

David Weisenhorn’s story continues on the Chat 62 Podcast, with new parts releasing on Tuesdays, so make sure you check out their series as well.

Semper Try Podcast is a member of VET: Voices Empowering Tomorrow, a Veterans Podcast Network.

Have a story, or know someone whose story should be heard?

Email: [email protected]

Website: sempertry.com

Because Trying Beats Quitting.

In 034 P3, the final part of Eusebia “Chappy” Rios’ story, Chappy shares what happened after 33 years of military service.

From searching for a massive cobra in Baghdad to surviving dangerous missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, Chappy brings humor to some of the hardest moments of her career. She also opens up about retirement, losing her mother, living with PTSD, and finally asking for the help she needed.

Chappy explains how that healing led her back to Minnesota, to CRMC, and to a new mission serving veterans and their families. Her uniform may have come off, but her calling never ended.

Patriot Grounds meets on the third Saturday of every month from 10:00 to about 11:00 a.m. at Heritage Church in Baxter, Minnesota. All veterans and their families are welcome. You do not need to be a combat veteran or a career service member. It is a safe, alcohol free place for conversation, connection, resources, coffee, and fellowship.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988. Tomorrow needs you.

Semper Try Podcast

n Part 2 of my conversation with Eusebia “Chappy” Rios, we pick up her journey from enlisted Airman to Air Force chaplain—and the moments that shaped the way she showed up for the people around her.

Chappy shares the advice that reminded her never to forget her enlisted roots, why she wanted people to see the cross before the rank, and how an unexpected conversation with a young Security Forces Airman helped confirm her own calling to become a chaplain.

We also get into the moments you simply can’t plan for: a struggling service member under the wing of an aircraft in the darkness of a deployed location, a shared connection to Minnesota and the Vikings, and a brutal ruck march where being late, getting the heaviest ruck, and ending up at the back of the group put Chappy exactly where someone needed her.

Sometimes Plan B becomes your calling. And sometimes you find out there was a Plan C.

This is Part 2 of our conversation with Chappy. Part 3 concludes the conversation next week.

If you enjoy Semper Try, follow the podcast and share the episode. Have a question, a guest idea, or someone you think we need to hear from? Email [email protected].

Semper Try is a proud member of VET — Voices Empowering Tomorrow, a Veteran Podcast Network built by veterans and supporting veteran podcasters and the stories they choose to tell.

On this Patriot Day, 25 years after September 11, 2001, four members of VET, all United States Marine Corps veterans, come together to remember where we were when America changed forever.

We share our memories of that morning.

We remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost, those who answered the call, and a country that came together.

Never forget September 11, 2001.

Sometimes Plan B becomes the path you were supposed to be on all along.

Eusebia “Chappy” Rios spent 33 years in the United States Air Force, but her story didn’t begin with plans for a military career. When college wasn’t financially possible, the Air Force became Plan B — and that decision changed the course of her life.

Chappy started as an Airman Basic in the Dental Corps, eventually working in oral surgery, dental forensics, post-mortem identification during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and research involving HIV/AIDS, oral pathology, synthetic bone, and dental disease.

She climbed the enlisted ranks from E-1 to E-6, but along the way, another calling kept pulling at her — ministry.

In Part 1, Chappy shares the journey from enlisted Airman to commissioned officer and Air Force chaplain, and what it means to “be a chaplain to all and a pastor to a few.”

It’s a story about service, faith, opportunity, and discovering that sometimes the road you never planned to take becomes exactly where you were meant to go.

Because Trying Beats Quitting.

In Part 3 and the final part of my conversation with Marine veteran Clifford Sosamon, we talk about something a lot of veterans face after leaving the military  finding that next mission.

Cliff shares how getting involved with the VFW and veteran organizations helped him rediscover the community, camaraderie, structure, and purpose he had been missing since leaving the Marine Corps. We also talk about starting podcasts, embracing the imperfections, Military CreatorCon, and why sometimes you have to stop overthinking it and just move forward.

Cliff is the host of the Tailgate Chat Podcast, so make sure you check out what he’s doing there.

Semper Try is also proud to be part of VET Voices Empowering Tomorrow  bringing veteran podcasters together to share stories, build connections, and make veteran voices heard.

Because Trying Beats Quitting.

In Part 2 of my conversation with Marine veteran Cliff Sosamon, we pick up his story as the Marine Corps starts taking him places he never expected.

Cliff went from becoming an LAV mechanic — a job he never wanted — to deploying to Haiti as part of Operation Restore/Uphold Democracy. From there, his career took another turn when he became a Marine Security Guard.

Cliff shares what it was really like protecting U.S. embassies, serving in Bangkok, Thailand, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and working around ambassadors, government officials, and even presidential security details. Along the way, Brazil became more than another duty station when he met the woman who would become his wife.

We also get into the injuries and personal decisions that eventually led Cliff to leave the Marine Corps and begin figuring out what came next.

And we're not done yet. Part 3 comes next week as we finish the rest of Cliff's story.

Semper Try Podcast — Because Trying Beats Quitting.

This week on the Semper Try Podcast, I sit down with fellow Marine veteran Cliff Sosamon for Part 1 of a three-part conversation.

Cliff grew up in a small town in Illinois surrounded by military history. His dad served in the Air Force during Vietnam, and Cliff knew early on that college wasn't his path — he wanted to become a Marine.

He shipped to MCRD San Diego in October 1992, and that's where our conversation gets really interesting. Cliff went through Marine Corps boot camp before the Crucible existed, and just five years later, my experience earning the title Marine looked completely different.

We talk about the yellow footprints, becoming a squad leader, Edson Range, the hikes at Camp Pendleton, mess and maintenance week, and what those final weeks of boot camp looked like in 1992.

Back then, there was no Crucible followed by an Eagle, Globe and Anchor ceremony. Cliff remembers still being called a recruit while standing on the graduation parade deck in his Dress Blues. It wasn't until the final moments of graduation that he heard the words telling him he had earned the title Marine.

We also get into Cliff's military family, the flags hanging in his office, and the Congressional Veterans Commendation Award he received for continuing to serve the veteran community after leaving the Corps.

And this is only Part 1.

Semper Try Podcast — Because Trying Beats Quitting.

One wrong step.

That's literally all it took to change the direction of Erik Monarca's Marine Corps career.

In Part 3 and the final part of my conversation with Erik, he talks about a training accident that started with simply stepping the wrong way. What seemed like a foot injury he could push through eventually became something much more serious — doctors discovered two crushed bones in his foot, leading to surgery and ultimately changing his plans to stay in the Marine Corps.

But getting out was only the beginning of the next chapter.

Erik talks about losing the purpose and structure that came with being a Marine, trying to find his place in civilian life, and finally beginning to get himself back on track.

Then September 11, 2001 happened.

Erik was still in the Individual Ready Reserve, and just days after the attacks, he received a phone call telling him to report for a physical. Suddenly, the possibility of putting the uniform back on became very real.

We also talk about where life eventually took him, the veteran community, why our stories matter, and how a 2 a.m. conversation between a few Marines eventually became the Chat 62 Podcast.

And since Erik and I recorded this conversation, that shared belief in veterans supporting veterans has grown into something new: V.E.T. — Voices Empowering Tomorrow, a Veteran Podcast Network.

Erik, Jonathan Cole of The Bunkhouse, and I are the three co-founders — and we're just getting started.

This is the final part of Erik Monarca's story.

Your story matters.

Semper Try Podcast — Because Trying Beats Quitting.

V.E.T. — Voices Empowering Tomorrow.

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Email: [email protected]