The David Johnson Show

Our new episode is a story of struggle and tough circumstances lived by a fellow veteran. In this new episode of “The David Johnson Show” - The Veteran Talk Show” we speak with Renford Ligon, who shares his story of growing up in broken homes and living rough on the streets of Dayton, Ohio.

Renford was raised in very challenging circumstances, being born in Pennsylvania, and later moving to Ohio at his early age. Then his family moved to Los Angeles, where he attended elementary school, while living out of a conversion van that served as the home for the family. After his brother got hit by a car, the family moved back to Dayton, Ohio to be around the support of the bigger family.

Renford went to four different high schools and later played football, but broke his leg in an early game. He ended up being out on the streets while in his mid-teens. Eventually, when faced with being on welfare, he joined the Army. For Renford, he had no other option. If the Army didn’t work out, Ligon had no other choices. He did his basic training at Fort Jackson, working in AIT, Airborne School, and Ranger Indoctrination Training.

Ligon eventually served 20 years in the army, in a top tier 1 unit with the Green Berets, and served in Iraq, doing fire fighting at extreme levels, then being sent home. In 2012, he started another 5 years with the Army as a contractor, going back and forth to Afghanistan doing gunfights with the Taliban, running through the US base.

We are happy to share Ren’s story of being a kid from Dayton who went through the military and has come out with an amazing future ahead of him, seeking to help people through his 22lbs organization.
 
Today, Renford is writing a screenplay, and living in Los Angeles. “I’m the king of one-liners!” he says. 

 “The David Johnson Show” is a national voice that talks about points of interest in the American military and veteran subculture. Each show episode showcases a different guest with a different story. Sign up to get notified of new episodes at https://thedavidjohnsonshow.com and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Follow us:
Website: https://thedavidjohnsonshow.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedavidjohnsonshow/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidJohnsonSho
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-david-johnson-show/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedavidjohnsonshow/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/davidjohnsonshow/

Former US Army interrogator Eric Maddox provides the now-unclassified story of how the U.S. Army tracked down Saddam Hussein, using information gained by Eric and his team, who were conducting interrogations with many Iraqi military prisoners.

This is the first episode in the 2nd season of “The David Johnson Show”, an online interview program in which former servicemen and servicewomen share their military stories as well as their present-day entrepreneurial pursuits.

Watch the full episode with Eric Maddox on YouTube and follow The David Johnson Show on social media. 

Follow us:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedavidjohnsonshow/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidJohnsonSho
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-david-johnson-show/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedavidjohnsonshow/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/davidjohnsonshow/

Season 2 of “The David Johnson Show” - The Veteran Talk Show continues with an enlightening episode with Ms. Danique Masingill, President/Founder of Leashes of Valor, who discusses her work with military dogs to help post-9/11 war veterans.

In her capacity as LOV’s president, Danique is at the forefront of efforts to advance both the law and science surrounding service dogs. Danique’s knowledge and experience helped quickly establish her as a canine expert. Congress, The Department of Transportation, the Government Accountability Office, and the airline industry have all tapped Danique’s expertise to craft wide-ranging policies governing service dogs and military canines.

For years, the U.S. military has enlisted military working dogs for various aspects of detection, apprehension, and other tactical duties. Dogs were used in this capacity in WWI and WW2 as well as in Korea and Vietnam. In fact, there were some 3,700 military dogs sent to work with the soldiers in Vietnam. By contrast, only 117 dogs were used in Operation Desert Storm, according to the U.S. War Dog Association.

Danique Masingill background

While serving five years in the Navy, Danique Masingill first learned about military service dogs. The lightbulb that went off for Danique was that she was seeing dogs being used in life-saving areas like in mental health, trauma, PTSD and other areas related to combat-repercussions. Previously, she had only known dogs to be used for military detection work, apprehension work, the types of tactical needs tactical work.

She saw a path in creating an organization for 9/11era veterans to help get through their combat trauma with the help of military dogs. Today, Leashes of Valor is a national non-profit working to provide post-9/11 veterans with highly-trained service dogs to help them limit the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), for example. The mission of Leashes of Valor is to bring veterans in need of companionship together with service dogs in order to enrich and improve both lives. It’s a very worthy mission.

We are thrilled to share Danique’s story with military veterans. To learn more about Danique, read this article from her college alumni magazine.

The David Johnson Show is the veteran talk show that talks about points of interest within our cultural – The Military and Veteran Cultural.

“The David Johnson Show” is a national voice that talks about points of interest in the American military and veteran subculture. Each show episode showcases a different guest with a different story. Sign up to get notified of new episodes at https://thedavidjohnsonshow.com and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Follow us:
Website: https://thedavidjohnsonshow.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedavidjohnsonshow/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidJohnsonSho
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-david-johnson-show/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedavidjohnsonshow/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/davidjohnsonshow/

“The David Johnson Show” - The Veteran Talk Show - continues with a heartbreaking episode of loss and suicide with U.S. Army Veteran Cindy McNally and Marine Corps Veteran Andrew Farrer, both of who are currently involved with Irreverent Warriors, a non-profit organization that works to bring veterans together using humor and camaraderie to improve mental health and prevent veteran suicide.

In the first half of the episode, Cindy and Andrew share details about their military background and the trials they both faced in tackling life’s challenges. The second half of the program covers their work with Irreverent Warriors, and how they create meaningful connections for Veterans through Silkies Hikes. These are amazing community events for active duty men and women and veterans to get together to hike, connect, promote community and raise awareness for suicide prevention and other traumas faced by vets.

Watch episode 2 of “The David Johnson Show” below or on our YouTube channel to see the amazing camaraderie that exists in the veteran community. Read more about Cindy and Andrew below the video clip.

Cindy McNally bio

Cindy McNally is President/CEO of Irreverent Warriors, designed for active-duty soldiers and veterans. She is also a founding member and past president of WilCo Blue Star Mothers, an organization with the mission to support other military parents.

Cindy came from a military family, having seen both her uncle (Marine in Vietnam) and father (36 years in Texas Army National Guard) serve their country well. She joined the Army in 1978, straight out of high school and into Fort Jackson. Her class was only the U.S. Army’s 2nd class of co-ed basic training, and “they were still trying to figure things out then” remembers Cindy in the clip.

After two uneventful years as an admin clerk, she joined the Texas Army National Guard, where she received her commission and stayed on as a tack officer. She eventually met a Marine who became a fighter pilot and eventually married him. They were married 22 years, raising three children, and her husband flew for America Airlines for 21 years. Sadly, her husband had insurmountable psychological issues that resulted in him taking his own life in 2007. From this experience, she became deeply involved in helping veterans through her non-profit organizational work.

Andrew Farrer bio

Andrew Farrer, now active with Irreverent Warriors, joined the Marines at age 26, and served in 2005/2006 in Iraq, fighting in Al-Karmah and Ramadi. He received a Purple Heart in 2006, having received shrapnel in his foot during a patrol. 

In the program, Andrew shares some of the duties of working in these pivotal wars. “We did posts, we did patrols, I fired my gun a lot, I cleaned it a lot, I walked a lot, and we lost a lot of guys in that time,” remembers Andrew. Like Cindy’s sad experience, Andrew also lost his father, a Lt. Commander in the Navy, to suicide while he was in boot camp.

It’s the unclassified story of the manhunt for Saddam Hussein as told by lead interrogator Eric Maddox, a U.S. Army Veteran who spent 6 months serving in Baghdad interrogating members of Saddam Hussein’s inner circle. In this episode, Eric shares the stories, challenges, and the process of how his team gathered all the key intel that led to Saddam Hussein’s eventual capture.

He eventually shared his story about his experiences in Baghdad in his book “Mission: Blacklist #1”.

The David Johnson Show is the veteran talk show about points of interest within our culture – The Military and Veteran Cultural.

More so than ever the Military and Veteran community has created a culture in America. A sub-culture unique to our way of life, our experiences and the language we speak. Military forces have been deploying to fight the war on terrorism since 09/11/2001 and remain engaged in combat operations to this day. We have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. This mindset of a Soldier, Airman, Sailor or Marine is never lost. Yes, the individual will exit the Military and start a new chapter in their life, however, the culture never dies.

Watch the interview at https://thedavidjohnsonshow.com/video/ or on The David Johnson Show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheDavidJohnsonShow/ 

Transitioning from the military world to the civilian world is a major step for many veterans, one that likely doesn’t get discussed enough among veterans. On the new episode of “The David Johnson Show”, a national voice that talks about points of interest within the post 9/11 military and veteran culture, David speaks candidly about the transition to civilian life with James Lloyd, former Drill Team Marine, and current photography/videography entrepreneur. 

James Lloyd served in the Marines for nearly five years (2008-2013), acting in various roles as an infantryman, ceremonial marcher, silent drill platoon, and later deployed to Jordan and Afghanistan. While in the silent drill platoon, James appeared all over the USA, performing with his Marine team at awards ceremonies, NBA halftime shows, and elsewhere.

“It was fun,” says James. “You have to develop a level of discipline and attention to detail to even make it on the team. That helps you become self-sufficient.”

James then served in combat infantry in Afghanistan in 2011 with the 3rd Battalion 7th Marine Regiment (3/7), a Marine Corps infantry battalion. He eventually reached his expiration of term of service (ETS) and came back to the Phoenix area.

After getting out of the Marines, James struggled to find a new niche for his skills and talents. He moved from job to job, often searching for a new passion in work.

“When you’re in the Marine Corps, you have one purpose. You have a unit of guys who have the same core values and all that stuff.

And when you get out, you kind of lose that,” he says. “And so, my biggest struggle was trying to figure out, OK, now that I’m done with the Marine Corps, what do I do now? So I was left without an identity and I kind of struggled to find that.”

James continued searching, went to film school for a year, found strength in Christ, and persevered. He relied on his faith to pull through the struggles.

“We saw people going through very similar things, and you then realize like Jesus is always there for you,” says James. “And my faith is what got me through that.”

 In the past two years, James started a new video production company called Striking Media, which he realized was a passion for him, and he’s working with that today. 

David Johnson says “I’ve said it on the show numerous times and I’m a firm believer in this knowledge is cumulative. You don’t know what you don’t know in your 20s and you think you know a lot. And you get older and you learn things. I’m 38 now, and have been a full-time entrepreneur for 13 years now.” 

Watch the full interview at https://thedavidjohnsonshow.com/video/ or on The David Johnson Show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheDavidJohnsonShow/ 

On the new episode of “The David Johnson Show,” a national voice that talks about points of interest within the post 9/11 military and veteran culture, David speaks with Gabriel Uliburri and David Martin, aka Gabe and David, the founders of RAH, Real American Heroes Coffee Company.

Real American Heroes (RAH) Coffee Company launched in December 2018, and has grown since and partnered with the largest coffee roaster in Arizona to offer seven delicious coffee blends, using only premium beans found all over the world.

“Our goal is to share our military experiences, discipline, and drive to create a respectable brand that provides our customers with great tasting coffee blends, apparel, and the honor of being part of an amazing culture and a brand that recognizes the Everyday hero,” remarked Gabriel.

Their friend Todd Martin handles the financial side of the business, Gabe runs marketing and social media, and David is in charge of operations. Their skill sets came together when they were serving as U.S. Air Force Reservists in Phoenix, Arizona. They were deployed to Kuwait in early 2018. During that year, the three of them manned weapon systems as combat convoy gunners while defending off IED’s, small arms fire, and Vehicle Borne IED’s. They saved the lives of lost hikers in the forest as Search & Rescue members, drove in the President’s motorcade, responded to worldwide humanitarian disasters, fought raging house fires, responded to downed military aircraft, and volunteered at homeless shelters on Christmas in Korea and in Japan.

In their military service downtime, they would often discuss their entrepreneurial dreams over cups of coffee. Coffee was their story time and time to reflect on important things, that’s when RAH Coffee Co. was born.

David says “We wanted to create a brand around our passion for coffee and find a way to highlight these real American heroes and the service they do daily, the actions they did to save another, or months they spent in a war zone away from their families.”

Watch the Video interview version of this video podcast.

David Johnson speaks with Aaron Bare, a multi-talented entrepreneur who is co-founder of the HeroZona Foundation, which serves the Arizona veteran community and national veteran interests.

Aaron Bare calls himself a “micro-entrepreneur”, meaning he’s used a model to start a lot of different companies (3 non-profits, 12 companies sold) and then finds management teams to take them and accelerate them. Aaron’s experience helps veterans to really understand the process to move from having a great idea, to put it into practice in a business solution.

David Johnson speaks with Bare about a new program he’s launching - the Heropreneur Academy - an entrepreneurial incubator designed specifically for active military veterans and their spouses to teach and promote entrepreneurship.

Bare notes that the Foundation's free course will help veterans basically incubate their idea, test to see if it solves a problem for consumers, and see how it tests with customers.

Currently, Aaron Bare is Co-Founder & Vice-Chairman of HeroZona Foundation; Founder of Namaste Republic, the Arizona Accelerator, & Author of Reimagining Innovation. He also teaches courses on entrepreneurship and innovation and has a wide-ranging background in entrepreneurial business.

The David Johnson Show is a veteran talk show and growing voice of interest within our cultural – The Military and Veteran Cultural.

More so than ever the Military and Veteran community has created a culture in America. A sub-culture unique to our way of life, our experiences and the language we speak. Military forces have been deploying to fight the war on terrorism since 09/11/2001 and remain engaged in combat operations to this day.

We have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. This mindset of a Soldier, Airman, Sailor or Marine is never lost. Yes, the individual will exit the Military and start a new chapter in their life, however, the culture never dies. Watch the video of this podcast on  veteran entrepreneurship.

Season 1, Episode 6 of The David Johnson Show - "USMC Veteran and military rape survivor, Athena Ives shares her story of resilience & hope and how she went from trauma to survival to victory in the latest episode of “The David Johnson Show”.

Athena recounts her story of being a child rape victim to serving in the U.S. Marines as a combat engineer and FST member with CLB-1, 1st MLG in Fallujah. In her 2018 book “Thank You for Raping Me” she speaks out against the physical and sexual assault she suffered in the military."

Watch the video version of this podcast and the article about this interview on  A Marine's Story of Resilience- TDJS.

And check out our other full episodes of The David Johnson Show:

Episode 1: US Army Veteran Keith Caraway – The Cost of Being Hooah – https://youtu.be/HUIaJCw2Q98

Episode 2: US Navy SEAL Veteran Craig “Sawman” Sawyer – The Chapters in Your Life – https://youtu.be/8oDzws7AR2Y

Episode 3: Navy SEAL Retired Jon Fussell Talks Fear, Stepping It Up and Leadership https://youtu.be/DPKTfjTFc3E

Episode 4: S.C.A.R.S. The Science Behind Combat and Eliminating Fear – https://youtu.be/QuMgfBQxmbo

Episode 5: Veteran Employment: An Employers Perspective – Jay Sheehan https://youtu.be/vk13e4XRqTI

“The David Johnson Show” is a national voice that talks about points of interest in the American military and veteran subculture. Each show episode showcases a different guest with a different story. 

Follow us:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedavidjohnsonshow/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidJohnsonSho
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-david-johnson-show/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedavidjohnsonshow/
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/davidjohnsonshow/

Sign up to get notified of new episodes at https://thedavidjohnsonshow.com and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Scottsdale community leader and digital marketing professional Matt O’Brien shares his insights to veterans on giving back and impacting one’s community on this episode of “The David Johnson Show.” O’Brien, CEO of MINT Social, an award-winning digital marketing and social media company, wants to help veterans build their brands online and use their Veteran Influence.

By using his digital marketing talents O’Brien aims to bring together this veteran and military community. To that end, he has created an entirely new opportunity for military veterans looking to launch a new business or find their passion in a new career using The  Veteran Influence program for personal branding to your advantage...learn more and get access to the personal branding strategy template for veterans.

Watch Matt’s inspiring words about finding one’s passion for making an impact in the community. “The David Johnson Show” is a national voice that talks about points of interest in the American military and veteran subculture. Each show episode showcases a different guest with a different story. Sign up to get notified of new episodes on The Voice of Veterans website and  subscribe to our YouTube channel.

MINT Social is a digital marketing agency that accelerates online marketing results to help businesses get found online.