SOFcast

What would you do if the one thing you’ve worked harder for than anything else, was suddenly taken away from you?

CW4 Bradley Palm, a 160th SOAR pilot, woke up 15 days after his Chinook crashed during a daring night-time mission. He would awake to injuries that should have permanently ended his flight career. Even worse, he found out the crash had claimed the life of his co-pilot CW3 Jake Sims and caused injury to every member of his flight crew.

SGM Matt Parrish and CCM Greg Smith talk with CW4 Palm about what it takes to not only to become an elite Night Stalker, but how family, faith, and a ‘Don’t Quit’ mindset helped him overcome life-changing adversity.

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What can you learn from someone who led a team of Afghan commandos up a mountainside under enemy fire to save wounded comrades? How about someone who helped rescue hostages from a burning building under hostile fire?

US Army Sergeants Majors Matt Williams and Pat Payne both earned the Medal of Honor for their heroic deeds respectively, but not only did they earn the Nation’s highest medal, they both decided to stay in the Army serving their country while passing their experience on to the next generation of Special Operations warfighters.



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How does a warrior find the balance between fight and faith? Chad Robichaux is a Recon Marine, MMA champion, and family man who found himself trapped in a dark place in his life. Chad takes you through his personal journey of almost losing everything including his family, coming to terms with his PTSD, and discovering the balance between being a warrior and a man of faith. All that and more on this episode of SOFcast.

Join Iowa Senator Joni Ernst with Senior Enlisted Leader CMSgt Greg Smith and Green Beret SGM Matt Parrish as they discuss a range of topics like motivation for service, leadership, and navigating the challenges of being a female commander in combat.

Senator Ernst is the Senate’s first female combat veteran, on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and is a strong advocate for the military. She discusses how she still uses the military decision-making process in her personal and professional life. Additionally, she explains her connection to the Ranger Regiment and her work focusing on the health and resiliency of the Warrior and their families. We know you’ll enjoy hearing this important conversation about leadership and the well-being of Special Operations Forces.

Advancing international partnerships is a key component to success across our many global requirements throughout the #SOF enterprise. In this episode of #SOFcast, our USSOCOM J3 International liaison from New Zealand, LTC Bryan Dill-Russell, joins us to share his experiences and perspectives in both conventional and special operations forces along with his time here at USSOCOM.

Lateral to #SOF Truth III: Competent Special Operations Forces cannot be created after emergencies occur, nor can successful partnerships be built after emergencies occur. Listen today as we discuss creating mutually supportive partnerships and opportunities, how we can remain the #SOF partner of choice, and more in today’s episode.

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When you are not at war are you at war with yourself? Are you a quiet professional or a silent professional? Join Green Beret MSG Geoff Dardia and Chelsey Poisson, an emergency room nurse and Army veteran, with Green Beret SGM Matt Parrish, as they discuss the pace of operations and its effect on health and families. Also, they discuss the environment the military operates in and conditions like repetitive blast exposure, toxin exposure and their long-term effects.

Listen to the trio discuss admitting to a vulnerability is a sign of strength and being “ahead of the bang” is an important tenet to good health. They advocate taking ownership of health and action with individual responsibility should be life-long philosophy. We know you’ll enjoy hearing this important conversation about taking care of yourself.

What is the best way to lead? Do you learn from a bad leader? Join retired LCDR Jocko Willink, a former SEAL, New York Times best-selling author and entrepreneur, with Senior Enlisted Leader CMSgt Greg Smith and Green Beret SGM Matt Parrish as they discuss leadership perspectives. A veteran of SEAL Teams ONE, TWO and THREE, his operational experience includes participation in the seizure of the Russian tanker Volga-Neft-147 in the Gulf of Oman when the tanker was in violation of a U.N. economic embargo and commanding Task Unit Bruiser conducting operations in the Iraqi city of Ramadi in 2006.

Listen to Jocko explain how his outlook on leadership was impacted by a leader he calls “Delta Charlie” and how extreme ownership is the foundation of good top-down leadership. Jocko’s leadership style is based on building relationships, asking good questions, being humble and empowering people. He talks about how he used these principles during combat operations in Ramadi. We know you’ll enjoy hearing this compelling conversation from this charismatic and inspirational leader.

Developing our people is our most important responsibility as a leader or instructor. Are we doing enough to develop those who will be leaders 20 years from now? Join Dr. Preston Cline, who has been a consultant on all the SOF Assessment and Selection courses, with Senior Enlisted Leader CMSgt Greg Smith and Green Beret SGM Matt Parrish as they discuss whether we teach our people to navigate uncertainty properly, whether SOF is transactional or transformational, and whether SOF has a gatekeeping mentality.  

Listen to Dr. Preston describe the dynamics of highly-functioning teams, argue why women have and should always be part of special operations, guard against placing cultural fitness above all else, and challenge the special operations community to build cognitive, social and family resilience throughout your career and not wait until the end of it. We know you’ll enjoy hearing this compelling conversation about leadership, resiliency, and the cognitive domain within the special operations community.

What happens to the operator when he becomes badly injured while deep in the jungle of a foreign country? Join retired Air Force Colonel John Alvarez with Senior Enlisted Leader CMSgt Greg Smith and Green Beret SGM Matt Parrish as they discuss the formation of “Special Forces with wings,” counter-narcotics missions in the 1990s, and John’s experience surviving a catastrophic helicopter crash in a piranha-infested Ecuadorian river.

John describes his challenging journey back to the cockpit after becoming the first amputee to return to full combat flying status. He credits his family, teammates and generous civilian benefactors for his successful return to the Special Operations community. Today, he is a strong advocate for USSOCOM’s Warrior Care Program chartered with advocacy for the command’s wounded, ill, or injured service members and their families. We know you’ll enjoy hearing this compelling conversation about resiliency and the support network within the Special Operations community.

Do we need to fail forward as part of innovation? Is AFSOC the air arm of SOCOM or the SOF arm of the Air Force? Join SOFWERX director and retired MC-130 pilot Air Force Col. Leslie Babich with Senior Enlisted Leader CMSgt Greg Smith and Green Beret SGM Matt Parrish as they discuss SOFWERX’s mission of being a bridge for bringing industry-leading innovation to the warfighter.

Leslie explains the three pillars of SOFWERX's teamwork strategy; discovering new technology, engage and create solutions between industry and the warfighter, and accelerate the delivery of the technology to the operator. Additionally, she discusses transition strategies from military to civilian life. We know you’ll enjoy hearing this conversation about bringing cutting edge technology to the special operator.