SOFREP Radio

SOFREP writer and editor Luke Ryan makes his second appearance on the podcast as we dive into some very important topics. Luke's been speaking with former employee of Veterans Affairs and a veteran himself, Dan Martin, who's been strong-armed to stop talking after working to expose VA corruption. Luke has been writing about this, and we discuss getting to the bottom of the many issues veterans have experienced with their care. Is it the fault of the leadership at the top, or a culture of corruption at the VA as a whole? We get Luke's take. Next we discuss the future of the war in Afghanistan. Luke has seen a lot of articles asking the same question of why we're still there, but very few solutions. So we go more in-depth of what we can infer may happen in the coming years. I also Throat Punch a CNN contributor, and check our emails being sent to [email protected]. If you've been enjoying recent podcasts, please, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. We read them all, we love the feedback, and we work hard to get more listeners every show with the versatile guests we bring on.

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SOFREP writer Kurt Troter is truly an all-around great dude, and we had a lot of fun recording this episode. For the uninitiated, Kurt's a former Marine who spent some time in Kurdistan volunteering with the Peshmerga. This show, we hear what Kurt's been covering on the site, and talk Turkey (no pun intended) and Iraq. We discuss the Philippines, and their president Rodrigo Duterte in particular, as well. Topics we get into from there include networking as a fighter or a journalist in foreign countries versus the U.S. We then  get into some domestic stuff like our government's out of touch understanding of current technology, and the vocal minority of veterans opposed to shooting off fireworks on the 4th of July. We wrap up the show with Jack's daughter, giving us a review of "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom," and introduce a new listener suggested segment that may or may not become a mainstay called "#SoWoke." Enjoy, and as always leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. Email the show at [email protected] with any comments or questions, and keep them concise! Last, may I shamelessly plug that I penned my first ever full-length article for the site? It's titled "The mind-muscle connection (unplugging and escaping through exercise)." It's getting some great feedback thus far which excites me, and I hope you give it a read.

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There is no disputing that the top dog of the military thriller genre today is Brad Thor, and it's an honor to have him back on the show. Brad comes by to not only celebrate American independence with us, but also the amazing feat of releasing his 18th book, and the latest of the Scot Harvath series, "Spymaster." We ask how he's manages to keep readers entertained pumping out a new book every single year that always lands at the top of the New York Times bestseller list. As Thor puts it, his boss is not the publisher, but the readers themselves, and he takes their feedback very seriously with each new release.  "Spymaster" is heavily influenced by the current extreme tension between the U.S. and Russia, and Russia's invasion of Crimea. As we discuss this, we dive into some other hot topics such as the attempted democratization of other nations by the U.S., mainstream media fear-mongering, entitlement benefits in the U.S. versus European countries, and of course Thor's open criticism of President Donald Trump from a conservative standpoint. I ask Thor about his supposed campaign to unseat Trump in 2020, and if he was for real when he announced it...find out what he says. We also get into the origin of the hilarious photo of Governor Chris Christie reading Thor's last book "Use of Force" on the beach with his family when he shut the state's beaches down to the mere peasants of New Jersey. If you're listening to July 4th, as Brad Thor states, being the son of a Marine, he understands the sacrifice of our military, and this day is very special to him. We hope you are enjoying it as well wherever you are, as you check out this in-depth interview with one of the greats.

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Doing this show, we meet some guys with incredibly interesting backgrounds. Todd Opalski's history is particularly unique though, making the transition from serving in the Marine Corps as an Officer, a Marine Scout Sniper, and a part of Force Reconnaissance, to then going into the Army and being an Assault Commander in the Special Missions Unit. Prior to that, Todd was also a natural bodybuilder. After leaving the military, Todd transitioned to the tech world in Silicon Valley. So, you may wonder, where does one go from there? Todd has a pretty awesome plan for 2019 to open Camp Zen Commando in Costa Rica. Zen Commando plans on instructing people in a wide array of skills from self-defense to yoga. Todd's even looking for some people to help him on this journey which he gets into with us. Enjoy this great in-studio interview, and be sure to leave a review on Apple Podcasts when you're done with it.

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While doing intelligence work for the Marine Corps in Afghanistan during 2010, Craig Grossi came across a dog that changed his life. They sparked an immediate connection when Craig fed the dog and the dog wagged his tail in response. Deciding to keep him while he continued his service, and eventually giving him a new home in America, it's safe to say Craig also changed that dog's life. The story is the catalyst for the critically acclaimed book "Craig & Fred: A Marine, A Stray Dog, and How They Rescued Each Other." Craig joins me this episode to go into detail on rescuing Fred, and the philosophy of "stubborn positivity" as Grossi puts it, that Fred taught him. We also get into the subjects of Guantanamo Bay (where Craig spent his first four years in the Corps working as a prison guard), and why veterans should be encouraged to write and share what they've gone through, good or bad. Grossi has such a feel good story in a world where there's a lot of bad news out there, and I'm happy to have him on to tell our audience all about it. If you're a dog lover, you'll be moved. If you have a child in your life that loves dogs and the military, there's also a young readers' edition available. Tell us what you think on our Instagram and Twitter @SOFREPRadio, or shoot us an email at [email protected]. You can follow Craig & Fred as well @FredTheAfghan. Be sure to also leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

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SOFREP Radio is normally a spotlight interview show highlighting some amazing things happening with individuals in the veteran community, and telling their stories. This show however, is not that. There's been a surge of left wing activists in the veteran populace, many of whom attended Jack's alma mater Columbia University, and many of which also write for Task & Purpose. These #WokeVets or social justice warriors as we'll refer to them as, have attacked Jack Murphy and SOFREP in the past, and Jack decided to give a well researched exposé response in the form of this podcast.  Some of the major issues tackled here are Task & Purpose CEO Zach Iscol's ties to the Clinton family, which explains their glowing coverage of Hillary. We also get into comments made in a leaked private chat log by Alexander McCoy and other writers from Task & Purpose. As Jack puts it this episode, he is by no means the PC police, nor is he politically correct, but if you're going to posture as being such, you'd better be consistent. Strap in for this one!

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Rob Trivino has had a highly decorated military career from serving in the Special Missions Unit under the Army's Special Operations Command, serving in the Army's 18th Airborne Corps, as well as the 75th Ranger Regiment. We're honored to have him join us, and hear him open up about his history including being there at the inception of the war in Afghanistan. We also get into Rob's experience with General Stanley McChrystal while serving, who he could not speak more highly of. He details all of this in his book "A Warrior's Path: Lessons in Leadership." It's a great read, we suggest you pick it up. Currently, Rob is the founder and head instructor of Evergreen Mountain, LLC. Evergreen Mountain offers tactical classes of many varieties which you can see on their website at EverGreenMountainUSA.com. If you are in the New Mexico or Colorado Springs area and want to learn from one of the best, check them out. Also on Episode 362 we check our email, keep those coming to [email protected]. Plus, we react to the announcement of an upcoming Space Force. Not much is known yet, but the response has been interesting.

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Alex Hollings's "Old Man Fitness" column here on SOFREP has truly gained a sizable following, and we often get asked when he'll be back on with us to discuss, and so we delivered. We talk personal fitness goals, but as usual with Alex, we dive into a whole lot more. We talk about a breaking controversial story of Australian SASR soldiers flying a Swastika flag. That gets us into another recent story of a National Guard officer stealing an armored personnel carrier, driving it off base, and leading police on a two-hour chase. We talk about disaster preparedness, and in particular how urban environments would respond VS rural areas. We react to Trump saluting a North Korean general (a huge topic of conversation as this week ends.) Plus, we also get into some social justice warrior talk. Needless to say, a lot is covered, and we had a lot of fun on this two-hour hang. We hope you enjoy.

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Watching The President of the United States shake the hand of North Korea's dictator early this week was truly a sight to see.  I believe it is something that will be remembered for decades to come regardless of where things progress from here. For over three decades serving in the CIA, Jack Devine held the prestigious positions of both Acting Director and Associate Director of operations outside the U.S. He's been on with us twice before, is a wealth of knowledge, and I really couldn't think of anyone better to react to this major world event. Devine also wrote further on the subject which you can read in his Spring/Summer Intelligence Report for his LLC, The Arkin Group. Also joining us is Dr. Leonard Wong. You may remember "Lenny" from Episode 327 on with us discussing a culture of lying in the military due in part to a great deal of monotonous paperwork and courses required for soldiers. Well, in some positive news, the military has taken steps to reduce this, and we feel it is in great part due to the study he co-authored, "Lying to Ourselves: Dishonesty in the Army Profession." We follow up with him to discuss. Last, you'll hear about some new material we shot over the weekend for the latest "Inside the Team Room" series. That will be up on The Spec Ops Channel, which you can subscribe to now for only $4.99 a month if you're not already a Team Room member. Some really awesome content is on the horizon!

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Andy Grant served as a Royal Marine for the U.K., something that he had always dreamed of. The dream however became a nightmare when he received a life changing injury at the hands of The Taliban in Afghanistan to his right leg that he electively amputated because of it's severity. This is his story which he documents in his new book release "You'll Never Walk." The title may seem obvious, but it's actually a reference to his "You'll Never Walk Alone" tattoo (paying homage to the song that became the battle cry of The Liverpool Football Club) ironically losing the last word of the phrase during his amputation surgery. As you'll hear, he laughs about it now, but it took a great deal of willpower to carry on and inspire others the way that he has. Running became therapeutic for him with the ultimate goal of becoming a record holder. He now is, holding the record for the fastest 10K with one leg. We hope that you pick up the book, and you can follow Andy on Twitter and Instagram @AndyGBootneck.  Let him know what you thought of the interview!

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