Spotterup Podcast

I catch up with Dale. We discuss his family, life and his new book. Dale...

Andrew E. Coussens spent nearly eight years deployed as a contractor for the CIA in a classified program that is still active in numerous areas of the world in the War on Terror. He spent four years simultaneously training partner nations in counter-terrorism tactics for the US State Department's Global Anti-Terrorism Assistance program. Since leaving these programs, including his time with an elite federal search and rescue program, Andrew has been employed as a consultant for a field trauma medical company as well as representative for a K9 centered executive protection and hostage negotiation retrieval firm. He is the author of A FAILED STATE and RELAPSE. On Amazon or Audible

Join me Monday August 9 at 4pm EST as I speak with George. George J . Veith, a former Army captain, is the author of Black April: The Fall of South Vietnam, 1973-1975, Code-Name Bright Light: The Untold Story of U.S. POW Rescue Efforts during the Vietnam War (1998), and Leave No Man Behind: Bill Bell and the Search for American POW/MIAs from the Vietnam War (2004). He has testified on the POW/MIA issue before the U.S. Congress, and is currently working on his PhD and a study of the career of Nguyen Van Thieu. He lives in Delaware.

Jordan Laird of @warhippie_ Former Chief Scout, Staff Non-Commissioned Officer, Platoon Commander, Pre-Sniper Instructor, Infantry Squad Leader, Infantryman and Scout Sniper in the U.S. Marine Corps. Serving with: 2nd Btn. 23rd Mar. • 3rd Btn 25th Mar. 2nd Btn 5th Mar. • 3rd Btn 5th Mar. After leaving the Corps, he became a private contractor working both over seas and in country, as a DDM (Designated Defensive Marksman) and WPPS instructor in CQC, CQB, Weapons and Tactics, Land Navigation, S.E.R.E techniques and more. This opened the door for opportunities, that led to his recruitment as an operator in a CSOT (Contingency Special Operations Team.) Again working as an instructor and operator, both in the states and overseas in austere environments. He finished his career in the tactical community as a Special Weapons And Tactics Instructor for the coveted DOE Courier program, teaching advanced marksmanship, tactics, and more.

Pete Blaber commanded at every level of one of the most elite counter-terrorist organizations in the world during most of recent history’s most significant military and political events (Panama, Colombia, Somalia, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq).In 2006 he retired from the military and transitioned from leading elite combat teams around the globe, to leading elite corporate teams for one of the world's largest and most innovative Biotechnology Companies.

“After 21 years of using the term ‘common sense’ to describe the way I lived and led in the military, this was the first time I actually paused to ponder what ‘common sense’ actually is and why people seem to recognize, respond to, and appreciate ‘common sense leadership’ whenever they experience it. I didn’t have to look far to find the answer. The answer is both all around and inside us. It’s not political, or religious, or philosophic. It’s biologic. Biology reveals that life always finds a way. It’s the "Common Sense Way.” In 2015 I left my job as a Biotechnology executive to write this book.

“In 2018, while still working on this book, I decided it was time to pressure test the “Common Sense Way” in the living laboratory of real-world experience, so I started an international company that adds armor protection to any type of vehicle (e.g. cars, trucks, vans, buses, etc.). The idea behind Adding Armor is to create a “Mobile Safe-Room” that protects the vehicle’s passengers from would be attackers (criminals, terrorists, active shooters, and anarchists) while also providing “peace of mind” that cannot be attained in an unarmored vehicle. In today’s world, adding armor to protect your family, friends, and colleagues is common sense. It’s the ‘Common Sense Way’”.

Pete was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois. He has an MBA and an MS in National Security and Strategic Affairs.

Sergeant First Class (SFC) Ryan Hendrickson is a brave, determined, and courageous soldier — a Green Beret clearing the way for his twelve-man team while conducting combat operations against the Taliban.

As the “tip of the spear,” his role is to insure the route taken by U.S. and Afghan troops are free of IEDs — improvised explosive devices. Many soldiers do not survive their last step; those who do often lose at least one limb. While rescuing an Afghan soldier outside a mud-hut compound in 2010 — knowing that he was in “uncleared” territory — Ryan stepped on an IED with his right foot. The device exploded, leaving his foot dangling at the end of his leg.

American soldiers losing a limb is an all-too-common occurrence. But what makes Ryan’s story different is that after undergoing two dozen surgeries and a tortuous rehabilitation, he was medically retired but fought to return to active duty.

Multiple skin grafts to his lower leg and right foot successfully reattached his lower leg, and he was aided in his recovery by wearing a new prosthetic device known as an IDEO (Intrepid Dynamic Exoskeletal Orthosis).

Once he passed a series of crucial physical tests, Ryan was able to rejoin the Green Berets within a year and physically perform his duties, redeploying to Afghanistan in March 2012.In 2016, he volunteered to return to Afghanistan with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group. During a firefight with the Taliban, he risked his life under heavy enemy fire to rescue three Afghan soldiers cut off from friendly forces and return the bodies of two dead Afghan soldiers under the ethos that “no one gets left behind.”

For his heroic efforts on the battlefield, SFC Ryan Hendrickson was awarded a Silver Star, the nation’s third-highest award for valor.

An engaging and harrowing account, Tip of the Spear tells the amazing story of one Green Beret’s indomitable spirit.

David Wood spent his teen years in Knoxville, TN, and enlisted for active duty in the Marine Corps from 1999 – 2005, attaining infantry Sergeant in his first two years and serving with SRIG (Surveillance / Reconnaissance / Intelligence Group). David was deployed four times: Panama, two Marine Expeditionary Unit floats and, following 9/11, Operation Enduring Freedom as part of the first wave of troops in Kandahar, Afghanistan. After being honorably discharged from the Marine Corps, David entered the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he studied philosophy and religious studies, graduating with his BA. In 2009, David moved to Hong Kong, where he did liaison work for three NGOs, founded several companies that he owns and runs under the banner of DJW Holdings, and still lives with his wife and children. David’s passion and expertise in designing and sourcing tactical clothing, gear, and camo, came out of his military service.

Brian Thebaud, Green Beret and one of the founders of Operations RSF; @operationrsf we will talk about Grit. What is it and why do some seem to have it, and some don't?

Tom Young served in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Air National Guard. He has also flown combat missions to Bosnia and Kosovo, and additional missions to Latin America, the horn of Africa, and the Far East. In all, Young logged nearly 5,000 hours as a flight engineer on the C-5 Galaxy and the C-130 Hercules, while flying to almost forty countries. Military honors include the Meritorious Service Medal, three Air Medals, three Aerial Achievement Medals, and the Air Force Combat Action Medal. Young retired from the Air Guard in 2013 after more than twenty years of service. In civilian life he spent ten years as a writer and editor with the broadcast division of the Associated Press, and currently he works as an airline pilot based at Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. Young holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Young’s well-received military adventure novels include The Mullah’s Storm, Silent Enemy, The Renegades, The Warriors, and Sand and Fire. The Mullah’s Storm was a Book of the Month Club Thriller of the Month and an Indie Next List Selection. Publishers Weekly gave starred reviews to The Renegades, Silent Enemy, and The Warriors. The Mullah’s Storm earned a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. The Mullah’s Storm, Silent Enemy, and The Renegades received Gold Medal awards from the Military Writers Society of America. Sand and Fire received a starred review from Booklist. Young is also the author of the nonfiction book The Speed of Heat: An Airlift Wing at War in Iraq and Afghanistan, released in 2008. His narrative, “Night Flight to Baghdad,” appeared in the anthology Operation Homecoming: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front in the Words of U.S. Troops and Their Families. The Washington Post listed Operation Homecoming among the best books of 2006.

Join me Thursday May 20th on YouTube live at 6 EST as I speak with Kasey Pippit. Kasey is a Former Army Ranger, Student of psychology, fan of Alan Watts and runs a podcast called TFRecovery where he shares his personal experiences, thoughts, and ideas on the veteran transition to civilian life as well as his personal perception on life and mental health. @kaseypipitt @tfrecovery.