SOFREP Radio

Pashtana Durrani (b. 1997 near Quetta, Pakistan) is an Afghan feminist, human-rights advocate, and educator devoted to securing education for girls in Afghanistan. Born and raised in a refugee camp, she was deeply influenced by her parents—her father, a tribal leader, had opened a girls’ school in the camp, and her mother and aunt taught there—a foundation that sparked her lifelong commitment to learning.

In 2018, she founded LEARN Afghanistan, the nation’s first digital school network, which delivers educational content via tablets and an offline platform to girls and boys in underserved areas. By the Taliban’s return in 2021, LEARN operated 18 digital schools, educating over 10,000 students and training more than 80 teachers in digital literacy. It also includes programs on menstrual hygiene, reaching hundreds of girls.

After the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Durrani went into hiding and eventually fled to the United States. Undeterred, within a month, she resumed operations covertly, creating underground schools across six provinces—Kandahar, Helmand, Daikundi, Samangan, Herat, and Bamyan—educating hundreds of girls daily.

Academically, Pashtana was a visiting fellow—and later International Scholar-in-Residence—at the Wellesley Centers for Women, continuing her work on girls’ education and maternal health, while pursuing a Master’s degree at Harvard University.

Her work has earned global recognition through many accolades, including the Malala Fund Education Champion award, the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Emerging Leader Prize, recognition among the BBC 100 Women, the UN Young Activists Award, and honors from the World Economic Forum, the Muhammad Ali Center, and the International Leadership Association, among others.

Durrani is also the author of Last to Eat, Last to Learn, a memoir recounting her journey from refugee to activist and her fight for Afghan girls’ education.

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Logan Spiewak is the dedicated executive director of the Boots To Health Foundation, bringing a
wealth of experience and a deep commitment to supporting veterans' health and well-being. As a
former infantry Marine, Logan understands the unique challenges faced by veterans and is
passionate about providing them with the resources and support they need to thrive.
Prior to his work with the foundation, Logan successfully started and operated his own business,
demonstrating his entrepreneurial spirit and leadership skills. His experience in business has
equipped him with valuable insights into organizational management and strategic planning,
which he now applies to the Boots To Health Foundation to ensure its success.
Logan's journey from the military to entrepreneurship to nonprofit leadership reflects his drive
and determination to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Under his leadership, the
Boots To Health Foundation continues to grow and fulfill its mission of supporting veterans in
achieving their health and wellness goals.

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Tactical Traveler Group is not your average vacation service. It’s a purpose-driven platform offering deeply discounted and even complimentary travel opportunities for veterans, active duty members, and their families. With PTSD and burnout at an all-time high among the military community, John is on a mission to make healing, family reconnection, and mental decompression accessible and affordable through unforgettable travel experiences.

As a decorated warrior and former 6-time MMA champion, John knows the value of resilience and recovery. He’s already helped countless vets transition to civilian life through mentorship—and now he’s using his platform to give them something many have never had: peace of mind on a beautiful beach or a mountain retreat.

This is a powerful human-interest story of transformation, service, and visionary thinking—perfect for your readers who care about wellness, military life, and purpose-based entrepreneurship.

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In this episode are documentary filmmaker Jake Rademacher whose new film “Brothers After War“, a follow up to his 2009 documentary “Brothers At War”, is currently available on DVD and digital platforms. He’s joined by his Executive Producer Gary Sinise (“Forrest Gump”, “The Green Mile”). “Brothers After War” finds Rademacher on a journey to reconnect with the veterans (including his two brothers) he embedded with in Iraq during the making of the first film. Combining footage from his time in Iraq with a journey around the World to reunite with the members of these elite combat units, Jake furthers his mission of helping service members and their families navigate the challenges of deployment and life beyond service.

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Sean Hagerty is a retired Special Operations Soldier with over 25 years of experience. He spent his younger years training and conducting combat operations with the 1st of the 75th Ranger Regiment. After nine years, in 2005, he was selected for and assigned to a Special Operations unit at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. There he spent sixteen years and finished his military career, retiring as a Sergeant Major. He received several awards and decorations throughout his career including three Bronze Stars. Sean currently works for the Department of Defense Science Board as the Senior Advisor. “The Defense Science Board (DSB) is charged with solving tough, technical, national security problems for the Secretary of Defense, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Under Secretaries of Defense, the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other senior Department officials.” His wife Misty is an Executive Officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Their children Courtney, Travis, Samantha, and Delaney all live in the Washington D.C. area and are thriving, growing and traveling along their own paths. The grandchildren Rowen, Jameson, and Wren keep Sean and Misty busy. Sean Hagerty has combined over 25+ years of service in the Special Operations community and deep-rooted research instincts from years of academic pursuits in history to tell this story. This story was written mostly in the plush seats of the daily Tackett's Mill/Pentagon commuter bus and the shaky bucket seats of the Franconia Springfield/Largo blue metro line. However, a few chapters were written while traveling for work, taking advantage of uninterrupted thoughts on an airliner. One chapter was even written during an evening break while on a business trip aboard the USS Nimitz CVN 68 aircraft carrier out in the Pacific Ocean. Cabal all came together during evening edits in his home shared with Misty, in Lakeridge, Virginia. Jones Point was the first novel in the Dane Cooper series. Cabal is the second. The Department of Defense, Defense Office of Prepublication and Security Review has cleared the publication of both novels. Review was required due to Sean's past and current security clearance. Jones Point was published by Blue Handle Publishing on April 15th, 2024. Cabal will be released June 6th, 2025.. Readers can learn more about Sean at authorseanhagerty.com and follow Sean.Hagerty.73 on Facebook/Instagram and @seanhagerty850 on TikTok.

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Peter Linquist is a United States Marine Corps veteran who served two tours in Iraq before being injured in 2005. Originally from Canton, Ohio, he now lives in Santa Cruz, California, with his wife Shawndy and their two children, Kylee and Milo. Peter is deeply involved in the veteran community as the Championship Director and Member Liaison for the Veteran Motocross Foundation, an Ambassador Athlete for Operation Vet Now, and an instructor with MotoDemption. His passion for motocross and service continues to fuel his mission of helping fellow veterans find purpose, healing, and adrenaline beyond the battlefield.

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Doug Norton drew on both experience and research to pen the Code Word novels. As a warship captain during the cold war, Doug held launch codes for nuclear weapons and was prepared to use them, but he also participated in high-stakes international negotiations to reduce their numbers and the chance of nuclear war. In Geneva, Brussels, London, and Washington he experienced diplomacy and politics in tense meetings, glittering receptions, and deadline-driven all-nighters. A graduate of the Naval Academy and of the University of Washington, Doug was a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow and Director of International Studies at the Naval Academy. After serving more than twenty-five years, Captain Norton retired from the navy and was an executive recruiter for fifteen years.

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Originally from Hawaii, Patrick Naughton is a United States Army officer and a Military Historian. He is currently teaching at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In 2012, he received the Army’s General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award. He has had unique opportunities to serve as an Interagency Fellow with the Department of Labor, a Legislative Liaison to the U.S. Senate, and a Congressional Partnership Program Fellow with the Partnership for a Secure America—all in Washington, D.C. He also served as a Senior Leadership Fellow with the Center for Junior Officers at West Point. Patrick holds a Master of Military Arts and Science degree in History from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, where he was recognized as an Art of War Scholar. He also holds a Master of Science in Crisis and Emergency Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, both from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he was named an Army ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate. Patrick Naughton’s first book, “Born from War: A Soldier’s Quest to Understand Vietnam, Iraq, and the Generational Impact of Conflict,” is now available in hardcover or eBook format through Amazon, directly from Casemate Publishers, and from a variety of other booksellers. The book compares his father’s time in Vietnam with the 82nd Airborne and advising the South Vietnamese Army, to Patrick’s own experience during the Global War on Terror and in Iraq. Though decades of history and politics separate their service, the similarities between their experiences are undeniably striking. The result is an engaging and eye-opening narrative that weaves together the combat experiences of two generations of soldiers. From the failure of grand strategies to personal combat stories, the memories of those lost, and the evolving social challenges facing today’s military—America’s wars against communism and terror are laid bare through the lens of one family’s service.

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After graduating from the University of New Hampshire, Brennan Morton joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served as a sniper, breacher, and team leader in 2d Recon. He deployed for two combat tours before opening a gym in Northeastern Pennsylvania, where he currently lives with Christine, his muse, and their daughter Pepper.

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Major General William M. Matz, Jr, U.S. Army (Ret), was appointed as the eighth Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission in January 2018 by President Donald Trump, a position he held until March 2021. 

General Matz is a highly decorated combat veteran of the United States
Army with a distinguished military career spanning four decades. As an
infantryman, he served in Korea and Panama, and as a company commander with the 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam, where he was wounded in action in the 1968 Tet offensive. He served multiple tours in the 82d and 101st Airborne Divisions and was executive secretary to two secretaries of defense, Caspar Weinberger and Frank Carlucci. During the Vietnam War, he served two years with the Navy/Marine amphibious forces in the Pacific and deployed with the 7th Infantry Division to Panama during Operation JUST CAUSE in 1989. 

Upon retirement from the Army in 1995, General Matz worked nine years in the defense industry. He was first employed by Raytheon Company as vice president, Army Programs; and later as general manager for Vinnell/Northrop Grumman’s Saudi Arabian National Guard Modernization Program in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, returning to the United States in June 2004. 

In 2005, President Bush appointed him to the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission, where he served until the commission rendered its report to the Congress in 2008. He is also past President of the National Association for Uniformed Services (NAUS), a national veteran’s organization that advocates in Congress for service members, veterans and their families. 

He is on the Eisenhower Institute National Advisory Council and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association. 

He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Airborne and Ranger Schools, the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Gettysburg College and a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of San Diego. He is also a graduate of Harvard University’s Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security. 

Among his military service awards and decorations are the Distinguished Service Cross (second highest award our nation bestows for valor on the battlefield), Silver Star, Bronze Star for Valor, Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge. 

General Matz was born in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Linda, reside in Naples, FL, and have three children and seven grandsons. 

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