Semper Try

Semper Try

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Semper Try episodes

  • 010: Riley Jordan USMC, Joins the Corps, Finds His Father

    In Episode 10 of the Semper Try Podcast, Bill sits down with Riley Jordan, USMC, a Marine veteran whose journey proves that trying really does beat quitting.

    Riley shares his path from a small-town upbringing to Marine Corps boot camp, serving as a heavy equipment operator, and deploying overseas to Okinawa and beyond. Along the way, he learned hard lessons about leadership, discipline, camaraderie, and finding purpose after the uniform comes off.

    But the heart of this episode is a story you can’t make up.

    While still serving, Riley discovers that the father he never knew was also a Marine — a senior leader in the same Corps. What follows is a powerful story of timing, faith, reconciliation, and understanding why some answers only come when you’re ready for them.

    Now back home, Riley continues serving his community as a volunteer firefighter, a husband, and a soon-to-be father — proving that service doesn’t end when the uniform comes off.

    This is a story about brotherhood, family, second chances, and the courage to keep moving forward.

    Because trying beats quitting.

    48 min
  • 009 P3: Why Did Naval Intelligence Target Marines After Vietnam?

    In this episode of Semper Try, the story turns from escorting fallen Marines home… to being interrogated while still in uniform.

    After Vietnam, while stationed at a Naval Air Station in California, this Marine found himself under repeated investigation by the Naval Intelligence Division (NID). What started as questions turned into a sweeping probe of an entire barracks filled with decorated combat veterans — men with Purple Hearts, Silver Stars, and Gallantry Crosses.

    One by one, 12 Vietnam Marines were interrogated, pressured, and discharged.

    He was the only one who walked out with an honorable record.

    Not because he turned on them.

    But because he refused to.

    In windowless rooms, NID officers read statements, applied pressure, and tried to force him to confirm accusations against fellow Marines. Instead, he warned the others, requested mast with his commanding officer, and even testified at a court-martial to help save one Marine from being destroyed.

    This is a story about loyalty after war.

    About a witch hunt few people have ever heard about.
    And about what it really means to protect your own — even when the pressure comes from inside the military itself.

    Why did Naval Intelligence target Marines after Vietnam?

    Because trying beats quitting.

    44 min
  • 009 P2: How Do Six Hours Follow You for 60 Years?

    In Part 2, John Meade, a United States Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran, continues his story with the chilling aftermath of the Christmas Eve 1966 perimeter incident—when his foxhole partner admitted, “I did it. I killed the other Marine.” John shares the unanswered questions that still haunt him: missing rounds, missing memory, and the six hours in the foxhole he cannot recall. That gap becomes a turning point in understanding combat trauma, moral injury, and how PTSD in veterans can form even without constant firefights.

    John also explains what his Vietnam service was really like—nearly a full year in-country, never firing his rifle at the enemy, yet living in constant risk. He recalls tense moments on informal patrols through villages, the fear of hidden Viet Cong, and the deadly reality of convoy operations when a landmine blast killed multiple Marines. As a combat engineer in Vietnam, John describes the brutal scenes war leaves behind and the emotional toll of witnessing loss, violence, and survival so up close.

    Part 2 shifts to John’s return from Vietnam—how a night of liberty in Da Nang turned into a life-changing moment when he learned his father was on the verge of death back home. Rushed stateside, John shares the raw reality of coming home from war, confronting family crisis, and discovering painful truths about his father’s past, including prison time, generational trauma, and a rare blood disorder (porphyria) that shaped his upbringing.

    The episode then takes an unforgettable turn: John’s surreal stop in Las Vegas, where he’s unexpectedly taken under the wing of a powerful showgirl and introduced to a world of entertainers, high-profile rooms, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences—still carrying the mindset of a young Marine who survived Vietnam and wasn’t sure what came next.

    Part 2 closes with John’s transition into post-Vietnam Marine life, special duty details, and the strange contrast between public ceremony and private scars—setting the stage for what comes next in his journey.

    52 min
  • 009 P1: The Road to Vietnam 1966 | John Meade, USMC

    In Part 1 of this multi-part conversation, Bill sits down with John Meade, a United States Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran and author of Confessions of a Surviving Alien.

    John shares his early life growing up in Minnesota, the lessons learned from hard work at a young age, and the experiences that shaped his determination to always try. From boot camp and advanced Marine Corps infantry training to volunteering for Vietnam in 1966, John explains why he chose the toughest path and what it meant to serve during the Vietnam War.

    This episode covers John’s journey to Vietnam, landing in-country, building base camps as a combat engineer, guarding perimeters, and witnessing the realities of war for the first time. John also opens up about a Christmas Eve 1966 incident that would leave lasting effects, introducing the early signs of combat trauma, moral injury, and PTSD in veterans—long before those terms were widely understood.

    Part 1 sets the foundation for a powerful story about military service, Vietnam veteran experiences, survivor’s guilt, and the lifelong impact of war. It’s a raw, honest look at what happens when the fighting ends—but the memories don’t.

    54 min
  • 008: I Almost Drove Past Him… Four Days Later I Found Out Why I Didn’t

    Sometimes the biggest moments in life happen when you least expect them.

    In episode 8 of Semper Try, Bill shares a personal story from a freezing Friday night just before Christmas. What started as a simple dinner with family turned into a life-changing moment when he noticed a young man alone in a parking lot, clearly in distress.

    What followed was a conversation between two strangers — one trying to hold everything together and one simply trying to help.

    Days later, something unexpected happened that brought the entire story full circle.

    This episode isn’t about veterans, rank, or service branches.

    It’s about something just as important:

    Showing up for someone when they need it most.

    Because sometimes all it takes is stopping, listening, and reminding someone that life is still worth trying.

    Because Trying Beats Quitting.

    28 min

About Semper Try

From the publisher's feed

Hosted by Marine veteran Bill Lowe, Semper Try celebrates the people who never quit — the veterans, volunteers, coaches, and everyday people who keep showing up when…