Tango Alpha Lima Podcast

Baltimore Ravens Senior Vice President of Communications Chad Steele joins American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast hosts Joe Worley and Adam Marr live at Media Row in Baltimore before the 2025 Army Navy Game presented by USAA to talk about how growing up as a military brat gave him the skills that help him thrive in his NFL career.

Social media influencers @MandatoryFunday (Austin von Letkemann) and @VivaLaVargas (Johnny Vargas) join American Legion Tango Alpha Lima Podcast hosts Joe Worley and Adam Marr to kick off a day of live interviews from USAA Media Row in advance of the Army/Navy Game presented by USAA.

The battle for equality in the U.S. military didn't happen overnight. It took decades of courage, persistence and women who refused to back down.

Documentary filmmakers Joy Bronson and Ellen Haring reveal the untold stories behind "The Fight to Fight," their upcoming feature film chronicling women's integration into combat roles from the 1970s through 2016. Hear firsthand accounts from a Gulf War Navy pilot and a retired Army colonel about the restrictions they faced, the lawsuit that changed everything, and why today's military women still face resistance. This episode of Tango Alpha Lima captures history in the making and honors the pioneers who proved they could "crush them with competence.”

Also in this episode, a preview of the Army-Navy Game, what’s ahead for Wreaths Across America and futuristic changes to an Army chow hall.

SHOW LINKS

Army vs Navy: Fuel the Fight. Fund the Mission

Wings of Gold: The Story of the First Women Naval Aviators 

Learn more about "The Fight to Fight"

Join the USA250 Challenge

The most dangerous gravesite in the US resides in Arlington Cemetery

Army tests out first robotically-operated dining facility

Air Force veteran Cami Gage shares her journey from competing in track and cross country at the Air Force Academy to becoming a professional triathlete and coach.

After her military career, Gage found deeper purpose in coaching adaptive and wounded veteran athletes, helping them overcome physical and psychological barriers through organizations like the Air Force Winter Warrior program and Semper Fi & America's Fund.

In this episode, she discusses the power of breathwork, mental regulation, and the fulfillment that comes from guiding others to achieve what they never thought possible. She reflects on the importance of continuing service, mental health and gratitude — and why showing up for people matters more than ever.

Also in this episode, a chat about Pearl Harbor's legacy, discussing the future of the USS Arizona, the continuing impact of service from those lost in the attack and more.

Marine veteran Tony Crescenzo's life changed in six days after reading an article on quantum physics where he sampled a technology on brainwave entrainment. That discovery led him to create Peak Neuro LLC to help other veterans and first responders transform mental health challenges into resilience.

The neuroscience and AI-driven platform harnesses proprietary neuroacoustic technology through a mobile app to enhance sleep, emotional resilience, and trauma recovery. It helps alleviate hypervigilance, PTSD and other effects of TBIs, brain fog, and other issues.

Other topics include the infamous Woody Woodpecker, a heartfelt story that inspired the Peanuts comic and the USA 250 Challenge.

Iraq War veteran Dr. Timothy Vermillion discusses his harm reduction approach to veteran mental health, trauma therapy, PTSD treatment and suicide prevention.

As founder of the Paradise Institute, he explains how EMDR memory therapy helps veterans process combat trauma and move from surviving to thriving. Vermillion shares how quitting smoking is also effective in mental health treatment and veteran suicide prevention.

Other topics in this episode include Project Athena, a visual map connecting the memories of those who served in Afghanistan to their coordinates; and “Angel’s Glow,” and why it took almost 140 years to understand it.

• 
  
• 
  Associate Sponsor of Army-Navy Game presented by USAA
• Veteran & Military Positive Event Timeline
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
  

"I felt like a waste of life, getting on a boat with my best friends." That realization on a deep sea fishing trip led Eric Tansey from a surfer lifestyle straight into the Army where he became a paratrooper. But his story doesn't end there.

After serving his country, Tansey became a police officer in one of Raleigh’s toughest districts, turned his craziest police stories into a published book, Pig Latin; appeared in “Office Joe,” a comedy series about veteran office life; and now does the “Failure to Stop” podcast and stand-up comedy.

This episode is equal parts inspiring, hilarious and proof that the most unexpected paths can lead to the most interesting lives.

Other topics in this Tango Alpha Lima episode include Veterans Day themes like sharing your military story and supporting veteran-owned businesses.

Veterans Day Deals & Discounts

Office Joe

Learn more about the Army/Navy Game

Eric Tansey author page

Failure to Stop podcast

Pig Latin: A Seriously Funny True Story of a Former Police Officer

Join the USA250 Challenge

Reddit Rabbit Hole: Veterans Stories

Veteran Owned Businesses

VA VETBIZ

PBS After Action

Military veterans and military family members are guiding the concept and design for the memorial that will honor and remember all involved in the Global War on Terrorism.

The Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Memorial Foundation is welcoming input into the design of the memorial from service members, GWOT veterans, their families, Gold Star Families, and others.

This is the final episode in “Welcome Home,” the initial six-part special podcast series produced by The American Legion. It focuses on the GWOT memorial in Washington, D.C., that will serve as a special place of honor and remembrance. Check back in the spring of 2026 for the next installment.

Marine veteran Mark Sewell joined the FBI after his military service, working on cases involving organized crime, human trafficking and more.

In the Atlanta FBI office, he was joined by agents who worked on high-profile mob crime such as the John Gotti case. Sewell wrote “Investigating America’s Most Notorious Strip Club: The FBI, The Gold Club, and the Mafia.”  His next book is about stolen valor. 

Other topics in this Tango Alpha Lima episode include a Reddit post about a survivor of human trafficking; whether bowling is the secret to living to 100; and arrests made in the murder of a Marine veteran.

LINKS

Investigating America's Most Notorious Strip Club

Reddit Rabbit Hole: Survivors of Human Trafficking

American Legion Resolution on Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention and Awareness

New disabled veteran parking rules take effect in Washington

Darius Holland won a Super Bowl championship playing for the Green Bay Packers during his 10-year NFL career. Afterward, he found his calling as a chaplain in the Army National Guard and as a pastor of 20 years.

He currently specializes in religious practices and coaching that bridges cultural gaps and fosters spiritual readiness, especially within the military community.

A member of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation’s Design Advisory Council, Holland is the special guest in this episode, hosted by Army veteran Jennifer Ballou.

He talks about his NFL career, service as a chaplain, moral injury, and how he helps veterans and servicemembers heal.

This is the fifth episode in the initial six-part special series produced by The American Legion. It focuses on the GWOT memorial in Washington, D.C., that will serve as a special place of honor and remembrance.