SOFREP Radio

SOFREP writer Kurt Troter is a man who knows his firearms, and he had a few things he wanted to say about the ongoing debate centered on gun control.  He gives a few solutions, and I even bring up Navy SEAL Mike Ritland's take that maybe K9s in the classroom could be the most sensible approach that very few are talking about.  Kurt is also working on a memoir that is sure to be action-packed from the former Marine turned volunteer with the Peshmerga. If you're still hungry for more content after this episode, I'd highly recommend the latest Power of Thought podcast.  Brandon Webb had an outstanding interview with performance coach Jairek Robbins.  He's the son of the great Tony Robbins, but you'll see he brings his own unique perspective on achieving your goals.  As always, leave a review for us on Apple Podcasts if you haven't already, and be sure to check out the latest with SOFREP TV, and stay prepared with Crate Club.

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Navy SEAL Brent Gleeson joins us in studio for the podcast, which we livestreamed.  He has a new book out next week, it's called "TakingPoint: A Navy SEAL's 10 Fail-Safe Principles for Leading Through Change."  Be sure to pre-order it.  The book gets into some of the takeaways Brent was able to deliver to the business world, and we hear all about it.  You might remember seeing Gleeson on NBC's "Stars Earn Stripes" as a veteran cast member alongside Dale Comstock and the legend Chris Kyle.  Brent also writes a regular column for both Forbes and Inc. that we hope you check out.  We of course also get into Brent's combat deployment history, getting into the SEALs pre-9/11, and the chaos the ensued.   I also feel it's important to mention that recent guest of the podcast, Lt. Jim Downing, has passed away.  At the time when we interviewed him, Downing was the second oldest living Pearl Harbor survivor.  Feel free to re-live Jim's story from Episode 246.  What a true hero and a patriot.  I know that he will be revered by both myself and this audience.

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Most importantly, we start off this show with the events that occurred this past week in Parkland, Florida.  We hope that we spoke on this respectably, and wanted to articulate our condolences.  Of course, as we all know, this shooting has led to another national discussion on gun control which we tackle as well.  We don't have all the answers, but we're all about an open dialogue on a very complex and troubling problem in America. Our special guest this show is Dr. Leonard Wong, a research professor at the Strategic Studies Institute at the U.S. Army War College.  Wong is a retired Army Officer who has taught at West Point and served as an analyst for the Chief of Staff of the Army.  Wong co-authored a study titled "Lying to Ourselves: Dishonesty in the Army Profession."  It takes a hard look at what's become accepted in the Army in terms of lying on documents.  Is the problem that of bureaucracy?  Dr. Wong and Jack Murphy give their take based on what they've seen.

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Jack Devine's first appearance on SOFREP Radio was full of amazing insight from the former Acting Director and Associate Director of the CIA's operations outside the U.S.  For that, we had to meet him in person, and it was an honor to do so for Episode 326.  Jack did not disappoint.  We get into government intervention (particularly in Afghanistan,) and the concept of nation building at large.  Jack is a proponent of intervention and defends the U.S. going into Afghanistan, but takes issue with the occupation that followed.   Jack's three decades at the CIA also included the fight against international communism, which he reveals will be included in his next book.  We also talk about Russia's interfering with the 2018 U.S. Presidential election and he seems to have a different take than previous guests on the podcast.  Jack's book out now is "Good Hunting: An American Spymaster's Story" and people including our own Jack Murphy are very impressed by the content of it, so be sure to pick it up.  Jack Devine is currently the President of The Arkin Group, and you can follow him on Twitter @JackDevine_TAG.  Be sure to let him know what you thought of his appearance here on SOFREP Radio.

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We had to start off Episode 325 with our Marine Corps veteran writer Nick Coffman after hearing the news on the MARSOC 7.  For the past couple of years, Nick's been working hard to get out the truth behind the story of alleged war crimes at the hands of MARSOC in Afghanistan that we now know never happened.  Nick interviewed the guys that were there, and on this podcast, we even interviewed Maj Fred Galvin and LtCol Steve Morgan.  Well, Nick is excited to say that these men are now exonerated thanks to the work of Congressman Walter Jones and some other key players, but more work needs to be done which Nick outlines with us.  Be sure to check out his work on SOFREP as well as The Loadout Room. Our featured guest we follow that with is Shannon Miller.  A friend of SOFREP writer James Powell, Shannon has over ten years of experience in the security and intelligence industries as a government contractor, diplomat, trainer, and analyst.  Shannon now works as the CEO of her own security company, Lock Down Your Life.  She's very astute on the happenings in Korea, and with the current Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, it made for a perfect time to hear Shannon's analysis on the region at large.  We talk Kim Jong Un, Donald Trump, the threat of nuclear war, and yes folks, I couldn't help myself but to talk some Dennis Rodman as I often do when we get on this subject.  We hope you enjoy, and if you do, we ask that you leave a five star review on Apple Podcasts, we read them all and love hearing your feedback.  It's very simple to do right on the app.

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A lot of keyboard commandos talk about flying over to Iraq and bringing the fight to ISIS, but SOFREP writer Kurt Troter on the other hand is the real deal.  A former Marine, Kurt volunteered in fighting with the Peshmerga, and the group seems to be getting a taste of some long awaited recognition for their efforts.  Just recently, Norway lawmaker Himanshu Gulati nominated the group for a Nobel Peace Prize, which would be well deserved if they win.  We hear the latest on the Syria/Iraq region from Kurt, and him and Jack also discuss some of the funnier cultural divides they picked up on while over there.  Kurt is now a full time writer with the site, and has been pumping out some tremendous work for us.  You may also remember him from "Inside the Team Room: Peshmerga," which is available now for subscribers of SOFREP TV to check out. - http://sofreptv.us Jack Murphy also touches on some hard truth regarding the supposed trade of terrorists for Bowe Bergdahl back in 2014, which he believes to have been a disinformation campaign that not many are talking about.  You will not want to miss it.  We also check your emails sent to [email protected], keep 'em coming.

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Buck has been a friend to the website at large since around it's inception, but we've never brought him on for a full episode in studio, just the occasional quick update.  So it was cool to sit down with him and get into some interesting subject matter ranging from where the mainstream media gets things wrong, some of his heated debate moments over the years (on CNN in particular,) and also the major problem largely being ignored of the impact of Mexican drug cartels on the U.S.  Sexton's former job was working as a CIA analyst, so he also gives an interesting perspective on what makes a true subject matter expert. You can hear "The Buck Sexton Show" live from 6-9 PM EST through iHeartRadio, and it is also available through podcast.  Buck's newest side venture though, is his podcast "Shields High" detailing the battles that saved Western civilization.  As a history buff, Buck was inspired by the popularity of podcasts like "Dan Carlin's Hardcore History" to explore this same realm, but to give it some more attitude and flair.  We hope you give it a listen.  Be sure to check out BuckSexton.com, and follow Buck on Twitter @BuckSexton.

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SGM Mike Vining is a man who has been there, done that, and lived to tell about it.  From attending OTC Class #1 (the first ever Operators Training Course for Army Delta Force) to being a part of the failed Iran hostage rescue mission Operation Eagle Claw, Desert One which resulted in the death of eight Air Force and Marine Corps crewmen, Vining has some very rich history that operators of today have benefited from tremendously.  We also get into Vining's job as a bomb disposal technician during Vietnam, and the story of him watching the demise of his teammate Sgt. Maj. Kenneth Foster in his heroic attempt to defuse a bomb during a rally featuring then Vice Presidential candidate Bob Dole at a rally taking place at an Illinois high school.  These stories may be heartbreaking, but it's great to see that Vining is in great condition himself and in good spirits.  He currently does work for the National EOD Association as well as the EOD Warrior Foundation, and enjoys traveling across the country with his wife. On this episode we also check your emails sent to [email protected], and answer an interesting question from an Australian listener about secrecy (or lack thereof) in the SOF community.  We also Throat Punch an idiot by the name of Gregory Salcido, as he used the platform he holds as a high school teacher as his soapbox to disgrace the U.S. military.  You'll also hear Jack's recap of SHOT Show, as well as the Women's March, and you won't want to miss that.

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Steve Balestrieri, former Green Beret, and the editor/head writer of Hurricane Media site SpecialOperations.com joins us for the first time on SOFREP Radio.  Steve's been listening to the show a while, so it's long overdue that we bring him on.  As a self-described military history buff, he's really excited to be working on a current project filming veterans of WWII, The Korean War, and Vietnam.  It's important to him because we're losing a lot of these guys and many of them never told their story, including Steve's own father which he discusses.  If you or someone you know is a veteran of these wars and would like to take part in this project, he hopes to hear from you, email him at [email protected]. Steve also writes for PatsFans.com, so of course I had to let him boast about the upcoming Super Bowl.  Plus, on that note, Steve wrote an excellent piece titled, "The NFL, The National Anthem, and The President Make an Explosive Mix" about the kneeling protests from the unique perspective of both a veteran and an NFL sports writer.  It received some backlash, but as we discuss, that's to be expected when covering such a divisive issue in the media right now.  We also hear from friend of the show Gene Farnsworth.  So check it out, and enjoy!

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Ian Scotto here back from Las Vegas, and let me tell you, the Hurricane Group house was packed with a lot of names familiar to you the listeners, and shit did indeed get rowdy.  From the SOFREP end of things we had Jack Murphy, James Powell, The Odyssean, Kurt Troter, and Alex Hollings.  And our friends from The Loadout Room and The Arms Guide there were Travis Pike, Erik Meisner, Rex Nanorum, Mark Miller, and Scott Witner.  Even more familiar names came out for the annual Team Room/Crate Club event including Frumentarius and Christian Prosser who you'll hear from. I start off sitting down at the house with Kurt, Travis, Erik, Mark, Scott, and Jens (A.K.A. Rex) and hearing about about their experiences at media range day.  You'll hear which firearms really impressed the guys, and some of the big names in attendance to the exclusive event including James Yeager, Instructor Zero, and regular on the podcast, Kris "Tanto" Paronto.  I'm then off to the Team Room event at Sierra Gold that couldn't have been more awesome.  What an experience meeting all of you who loyally listen to the podcast, I'm always humbled and impressed by our audience.  Be sure to keep your eyes on SOFREP.com and especially LoadoutRoom.com for more great content as SHOT Show 2018 continues on.

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