SOFREP Radio

Losing a family member in combat is an indescribably sad and tough experience, and each individual affected has to cope with the loss in their own way. For Renee Nickell, she decided to meet with some of the brave men who served with her brother, and self-publish a book that honors his legacy. Major Samuel Griffith served as a Marine Corps Officer & F-18 aviator, and was killed in late 2011 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Renee's book however, is not solely focused on her brother's tragic death, but the sibling bond they shared that was taken prematurely, and the many laughs that they enjoyed together. The book is "Always My Hero: The Road to Hope & Healing Following My Brother's Death in Afghanistan," and we hope that you give it a read. If you'd also like to cheer up a child of a service member killed in action for this Christmas and holiday season, Believe With Me is a great organization that Renee speaks highly of. This interview and more on Episode 408.

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J.T. Patten is a former counterterrorism intelligence adviser, and his wealth of knowledge and experience is likely a major factor in the praise he's received as an author in the past several years. That praise has landed him a deal with our friends over at Kensington Publishing with "Buried in Black." It's the first of the Task Force Orange Novel series, and his first book to be picked up after previous self-publishing endeavors. You're gonna love this in-depth discussion, so dig in!  J.T. last joined us on Episode 199, still available in the archives at SOFREPRadio.com. Hope all of you listeners enjoyed your Thanksgiving, and we salute any of you who had to sacrifice time away from your families to serve us.

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Post-Vietnam service, extraterrestrials, and UFO encounters? Sounds like a strange array of topics there, but Green Beret and author Jim Morris is quite a fascinating man of many interests. Jim was last on Episode 346, where we went pretty in-depth discussing his time in Vietnam among other things, so this episode we got into some different territory. "The Devil's Secret Name" is one of Jim's many books, and since Jack recently picked it up again, it was the catalyst for much of what we covered on here. Also on this episode we answer a thought-provoking question emailed to [email protected], and react to the charging of two Navy SEALs and two MARSOC Marines in the murder of Green Beret Logan Melgar. Last week we were also at the premiere for "I Am The Revolution" directed by Benedetta Argentieri. We both were very impressed and give our reactions to the film. With that, we wish ALL of you in our audience a very happy Thanksgiving Day. Especially those down range sacrificing time away from their families to protect us. Stay safe, and may God bless you all!

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I first met Ricky as a regular at UFC Gym, and he was a guy that everyone knew, and for good reason. Poh has such a diverse background in his passion for fitness from being a physique competitor, Crossfit trainer, and Olympic weightlifter. I don't know how we got into it, but one day I learned in addition to all this he served in the Army as a drill sergeant and also worked his way up to being a Level 4 Combatives Instructor. Naturally, I asked him to come on the podcast a few times. It took some coaxing, but somehow a couple of years later as he also become a member of the NYPD, I convinced him to join us in studio...and you'll be glad I did. Ricky discusses with us why he joined the Army and why his background made for a natural transition to becoming a police officer. He also talks some of the difficulty in between that period of finding what career path he set to embark on. He also gets into how his Chinese ethnic background made for some interesting clashes from his career choice, to his interest in Japanese martial arts, which delivers some laughs. The guys also give their take on the first female to pass Special Forces assessment, and we read an email as well as a voice memo from our shipmate Gene Farnsworth sent to [email protected].

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Imagine setting out on a five day adventure trip to Costa Rica, engulfing yourself in a regimen of yoga, meditation, fitness training, and hiking with a former Marine Scout Sniper turned Special Missions Unit Assault Commander. It certainly sounds like quite a departure from the usual tactical training that's prevalent among guys retired from the special operations community, but it's exactly what Todd Opalski sets out to embark on with the Pathfinder Course. It's a part of his project, Zen Commando. We had Todd on with us four months back on Episode 365 to discuss this, and he's in studio again to tell us how the project is fleshing out. Quite honestly, it sounds incredible, and you may be itching to get a spot when Camp Zen Commando opens shop after hearing more. Also on Episode 404, we answer your emails sent to [email protected]. We love getting them as well as your voice memos, keep 'em coming. Plus, how could we not give our reaction to Lieutenant Commander, Navy SEAL, and now Congressman-elect Dan Crenshaw making an appearance on Saturday Night Live? He delivered a swift verbal throat punch as well as a heartfelt message with comic Pete Davidson in a rare moment of Americans coming together. Enjoy our show? Then we ask you to follow us on Instagram and Twitter @SOFREPRadio, and please leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts.

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Jeffrey Wright is an A-List actor who's starred in films and shows like "The Hunger Games," "Boardwalk Empire," "Casino Royale," and "Westworld." He's won Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe awards for his masterful performances, but how did he get hooked up with a collective of veterans creating poetry to deal with issues like post-traumatic stress from combat and sexual assault in the military? You'll hear all about it on this episode where he joins us in studio, along with a 26-year veteran of the Army featured in "We Are Not Done Yet," April Harris. It premieres tonight on HBO @ 8 PM EST, so be sure to tune in right after you check this out. If you're hearing this after, check HBO for future showtimes. As you'll hear, Brandon Webb hosted this episode with me, and we dive into a lot of other major issues and controversies. We also give an update on some great things happening with Crate Club, and if you're not already a subscriber, now is the time to become one! If you're a new listener, be sure to subscribe to the podcast. Follow us on Instagram & Twitter @SOFREPRadio, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

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Andrew Wilkow is the host of "The Wilkow Majority" on Sirius XM Patriot, "Wilkow" on CRTV, and a long time good friend of ours at the podcast. It's now become tradition that every year at Emmett O'Lunney's in Times Square, New York City, he hosts a Veteran's Day event benefiting different grassroots charities in the community. This year, the money is going to Operation Chillout, Wishes for Warriors, Stop Soldier Suicide, Horses for Heroes, and American Warrior Initiative. You'll hear all about what each of them do on this episode. The way it works is that there is going to be a vet ride of bikers from Harley Davidson in Hope, NJ to the bar for the event. If you want to ride, you just need to give a $30 minimum donation which also gets you a shirt, and you can sign up right now for that through Eventbrite. For you non-bikers, be at the bar for the Voices of Veterans broadcast from 1-4 PM EST on November 11th, and long-sleeve shirts will be available there for a minimum $25 donation (that is if any are left by than!) Now, for those of you outside of the area, you can still donate and get a limited shirt through Andrew's webstore. Of course, we also get into some other talk while Andrew joins us in studio. We talk about the midterm elections, and the problems we see in today's mainstream media. We touch on a recent Newsrep article of some disturbing war crime allegations against the Navy SEALs by writer Stavros Atlamazoglou. Also, Andrew tells a great bar fight story about CJ Ramone from Chiller Theatre in New Jersey that you won't want to miss.

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Here at SOFREP Radio we really pride ourselves on having on a diverse group of guys that are a part of the spec ops community from around the globe featured, and Jeff Depatie is the first guest of ours who served as a sniper/assaulter from Joint Task Force 2. That's right, the name may ring a bell as you might remember a member of the unit beating the record of longest sniper kill at a mind blowing 3,540 meters. You'll hear the info from him, from the selection process to the characteristics of the Canadian operators he served alongside. An interesting tidbit he gets into is the secrecy around Canada's spec ops community, and how it differs from the now more high profile Navy SEALs for example. Currently, Jeff is running The Special Forces Experience as the Chief Course Architect. What they are is a group of seasoned operators giving the ultimate experience of what it means to serve in high stress combat situations for those guys out there who are dying to get a taste of what it's really like. There's an excellent video on Vimeo giving a sample of what it is that they do. The men from Canada have been some of the toughest and most crucial in the War on Terror, and it's an honor to learn about that story first hand.

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What happens when you bring together long time friends and veterans of the Special Forces community, Dale Comstock and Jim West, to share some mind blowing fighting stories? Well, let me just say that Episode 400 does not disappoint. Jim West trained Dale in American Extension Fighting, and not only does Dale have a great respect for Jim's craft, he fesses up to having some fear of the guy early on. Can you blame him? Some of you may have seen an excerpt being circulated on Youtube from a much longer DVD of "Smokey" training Comstock in some lethal techniques. The guys bring you back in time to that era, and some of the real life brawls that inspired these deadly skills. These men are the real deal, and you'll hear why if you don't already know. It has truly been an honor working on this show on behalf of everyone involved for 400 episodes. It is incredible to us that we get to do this, and we owe it all to you, the listeners. We reflect on the past five years and what this show means to us. We also answer your emails sent to [email protected]. Have a Happy Halloween, and here's to 400 more!

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Social media's impact on issues ranging from the democratic process to terrorist recruitment is a subject we've covered in great detail on SOFREP Radio. That's why we were excited to bring on P.W. Singer, co-author of "LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media" written with Emerson T. Brooking, a best-selling book that goes in-depth on this very subject. Singer is also a strategist and senior fellow at New America. We get into Russia's hand in the election of Donald Trump through propaganda spread on Facebook, as well as the de-platforming of vocal figures in conspiracy theory movement. Much scarier than these issues however, is the future of technology that you'll hear us get into, where videos of fake events will become the norm much like the Photoshopping of images. There are no easy answers in this world of "fake news," which is why you'll hear some difference of opinion on the subject from us. If this is a topic you're interested in, we hope you pick up "Likewar."

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