We welcome Ted Harding back to the show. Ted was a guest back in May 2010 right before he left for Fort Benning for Army boot camp. He has now graduated and is a Spc 4 11C (Specialist 4/E-4 Mortar Man) with the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, NC. We ask him about recruit training, jump school, and what its like to be out in the Regular Army. Some explicit language—as always. Hey—when you’re chatting with Marines, ya just gotta accept it!

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In today’s episode, we welcome Peter Hartmayer, a Marine who served with Jim at Second Division Schools at Camp LeJeune. We discuss Veterans’ health issues, including cancer and PTSD treatments available through the VA. Another topic that came up is the importance of getting a Veterans Service Officer through organizations like the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), or the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

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The Purple Heart – Jim discusses his trip to The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor.  Jim met General Petraeus at the event, and speaks of the honor it was to meet him.  We also discuss what it means for the war in Afghanistan now that General Petraeus is back in charge.

Finally, if you have a family member who has received a Purple Heart, we’d like to invite you to get him or her listed on the register at The National Purpler Heart Hall of Honor: http://www.thepurpleheart.com . 

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War Stories – Jim, Gar, and David discuss some of their “favorite” activities and experiences during boot camp and other parts of their tours while in the Marines.  We also find out just how ‘fuzzy’ Jim’s memory is about certain events in our lives…(selective memory perhaps?)  Lots of laughs on this show, and some very good solid take away points as well. (Explicit Language)

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In this week’s podcast, Ted Harden discusses his decisions about enlisting in the Army. Ted’s leaving on Monday, May 17th for Fort Benning to start his journey in the military. Jim, Gar, and David give Ted some sound advice. We also have invited Ted back when he’s done with boot camp and again in one year (and as often as we can get him!) to keep us up to date on his experiences. God speed, Ted, and keep yourself safe!

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On this week’s show, we welcome a new contributor, Jeff Glessing (Ssgt, USMC, ‘95-‘07). Jeff did a few WestPacs with an LSB (Landing Support Battalion – the Red Patchers), then did two tours as on embassy duty.

Our theme for this show is ‘Coming Home,’ exploring some of the challenges service members go through when they leave the military and transition back to the civilian world.

Through this conversation we touch on our frustrations with leaders who get in the way of success because they don’t understand the basic Five Paragraph Order and how to get out of the way of accomplishing the mission.

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In episode 2, we explore the reasons why the hosts served our country.  David and Jim discuss the similarities between how they enlisted, and David and Gar find out that one of the big reasons they joined the Marines was because the Army recruiters never called back.  

We also discuss the transitions coming back from Viet Nam to the civilian world and the challenges he faced in 1970.  At the end of the show, Jim also shows his support of the people who support our troops.

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In the first episode of “Stand At Ease,” Jim, Gar, and David introduce themselves and how they came to know each other, discuss the mission of the show, and where their responsibilities lie. Keeping on track with that idea, they explore the different spheres of responsibility the active duty service member and veteran are beholden to and how our training helps us face them – as well as what happens when we forget what we’re trained to do.

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Also introduced in this show are a few of the many services available to Veterans and their families, topics which will be expanded upon in future shows. Finally, there is an open invitation to others to participate in future “Stand At Ease” podcasts.