In today’s episode, I sit down with Marine Corps Spouse Nikki Wilkinson. Nikki has been a military spouse for about 6 years, and together with her husband Mike for a total of 9 years. Nikki and Mike are an Active Duty family currently stationed aboard Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California. Nikki currently works at MiraCosta College in the Veterans Services Department. In her current role, Nikki can assist a lot of active duty, veteran, and transitioning military members and their spouses/family members in pursuing their educational goals (specifically using VA Education benefits). Prior to being stationed at Camp Pendleton, Nikki and Mike spent 3 years in Okinawa, Japan, where she was able to do a lot of traveling around Asia. Soon, Nikki plans on going to nursing school and is able to do so with the help of Mike’s GI Bill, which was gifted to her. Nikki loves being a military spouse and being able to support Mike while he serves our county. 

Contact us:

@email: [email protected]
@Facebook: @Everyday Veteran
@Instagram: @theeverydayveteran
@Twitter: @EVERYDAYvetrn

In today’s episode, we sit down with Retired Navy Seal, Rick Winters. Rick has 30 years of combined experience in Hostage Rescue, Counter Terrorism, SWAT Operations, and Executive Security. A decorated combat veteran of the US Navy, Rick served 14 years as a SEAL operator, instructor, and training supervisor with SEAL teams 1 and 4, SDV team 2, and the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU). Rick made numerous deployments overseas working alongside other Tier-1 assets as well as training foreign Special Operations Forces around the world. 

As a police officer, Rick served with the West Sacramento/Davis SWAT team from 2004-2018 before retiring as a detective and was the senior breacher and primary tactical training instructor. He has provided tactical instruction in SWAT Operations to dozens of Law Enforcement Agencies throughout the State of California and is a recognized expert in tactical breaching. 

During his tenure, he was selected by name, along with other local SWAT operators, to assist the U.S. Secret Service for the George W. Bush Presidential visit to West Sacramento. Additionally, he was identified to assist in the security detail of the official visit to the U.C. Davis Campus by the President of Soviet Georgia  

Rick’s professional experience also includes Technical Climbing, Air Operations, Maritime Interdiction Operations, and Combat Trauma Medicine. Rick has also been formally trained by the U.S Dept. of State in Diplomatic Security and Dignitary Protection.

In addition to Military and Law Enforcement experience, Rick has worked professionally in the private sector. As a Security Supervisor with Apex Security Group, Rick managed numerous high-level security details, including a four-year assignment with the San Francisco 49ers. Under Rick’s leadership, his team provided personal security for NFL players, visiting owners, celebrity VIPs, and government officials. Rick also serves as an instructor and Subject Matter Expert for Pinnacle Tactical Solutions, Inc. He is a Basic SWAT Instructor and provides instruction in Tactical Breaching, Firearms, and Hostage Rescue tactics. 

In 2017, Rick formed his own company, Tier-1 Concepts, which provides elite tactical training and consulting to Law Enforcement and private sector professionals. 

Contact us:
@email: [email protected]
@Facebook: @Everyday Veteran
@Instagram: @theeverydayveteran
@Twitter: @EVERYDAYvetrn

In today’s episode we sit down with Marine Sergeant MadJack Floyd.  Jack grew up in small town USA in the mountains of North Carolina.   Shortly after his seventeenth birthday, the summer before high school graduation, he joined the Marine Corps delayed entry program.  A year later he entered MCRD Paris Island where he spent his eighteenth birthday.  Fulfilling his childhood dream of being a Marine Jack continued his service for four years and eight months completing two years in Marine Corps Security Forces Company as part of the CQB Team and two years and eight months in 1st Battalion 2nd Marine Infantry where he also became a Small Arms Weapons Instructor.  Jack and his wife Nikki have five children, one boy and four girls (Jacob, Shelby, Gracie, Sophie, and Savanna)!  He and Nikki currently live in the foothills of North Carolina where they enjoy fresh air and clean water.

After departing Marine Corps active duty Jack made a career working in Energy Management and Building Automation.  Despite battling Alcoholism for many years, with the help of God and his family, he has excelled in building strong relationships in the community and with other veterans.  Working with others in need and helping them overcome adversity is where he spends a lot of his personal thoughts and time.  Today he is the president of ASI Controls, a global manufacturing company helping companies around the world lessen their carbon footprint.  During his service he received two Navy Achievement Medals, two Meritorious Unit Citations, Good Conduct medal, National Defense medal, and overseas service deployment.  He also earned the Expert Rifleman and Expert Pistol with multiple awards.

In this episode we talk with Retired Air Force Major Bill Young. Bill had an amazing career in the Air Force as a Meteorologist taking part of some historic events. One event that Bill talks about is when he was the head Meteorologist for the very first NASA Space Shuttle mission and it's safe return to Earth.  Bill is an extremely humble man who does great work in the Coachella Valley supporting Military, Veterans, and their families. Below is a brief bio of Bill.

William (Bill) Robert Young

Born December 27, 1947 in Foxboro Massachusetts

Family moved to California in Fall of 1959.

Graduated High School … Santiago High, Garden Grove, Calif in 1965

AFROTC at Colorado State

Graduated in January 1970 with degree in Social Studies (Mechanical Engineering Major most of time at CSU but switched majors to start studying meteorology for Air Force) and commissioned as a Second Lt in Air Force

Spent all of 1970 at Texas A&M in basic meteorology program

1971 to 1974:  Dobbins AFB, Georgia.  Forecaster/worked with C-5 program.  Many of the original astronauts passed through our weather station during this time.

1974-1976:  AF Global Weather Center, Offutt AFB, Nebraska.  Assistant weather team chief.  Forecast weather for bases all over the world including support to resources in Viet Nam

1977:  Back to Texas A&M to get Master’s Degree in Meteorology

1978-1981:  Los Angeles AFS, California.  Working with Space Division.  Meteorologist in charge of support to the Space Transportation System (STS) more commonly known as the Space Shuttle.  At Edwards AFB for landing of STS-1 in April 1981. Put together weather support plan for the Space Shuttle.

1981-1984:  Commander of the weather station in Giebelstadt Germany in support of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (Wurzburg)  Staff weather officer to commanding General of 3rd Infantry Division. Many field exercises during this period.

1984-1990:  Current Operations Officer for the 5th Weather Squadron located at Ft McPherson, GA in support of Army bases in USA and FORCES Command. While there was a briefer for General Collin Powell. Lots of assistance visits to Army Posts all across America.

Retired in January 1990 and started working for a private weather company (Strategic Weather Services later changed to Planalytics) in July/August.  Company headquartered in Valley Forge Pennsylvania but with a weather forecast office in Palm Springs which was just starting and I was asked to head up.  Worked for them until about 2006.  Spent 2 years at company headquarters including 2001 where I was located at the time of 9/11.  Weather forecasts for big businesses, helping them plan their long range sales projections.

Since retirement, I have been on the Advisory Board of the local Salvation Army (about 14-15 years) and active in the Air Force Association and the American Legion.  Also been blessed to be on the veterans committees for Congresswomen Mary Bono Mack and then Congressman Raul Ruiz as well as Supervisor Manuel Perez. While working with the Salvation Army, we started the Veterans Easy Access Program (VEAP) and accomplished 9 live Veterans Expos and a monthly e-mail newsletter, the ReadBack which updates local veterans on what is happening locally and on a national level. Hope to return to having live veterans expos once again in 2022.

Married since 1982 to Deanna/ no children

In this episode we talk with Air Force Veteran, Michael Hill. Michael was born in Alameda, CA in 1965 and his father, James Marion Hill, Sr., served in the Coast Guard Reserve. Michael had the great opportunity to grow up in Greer, South Carolina. While in school, entering the military never entered his mind. In 1984, he graduated from Greer High School and didn’t want to go to college, as he had no real direction of what he wanted to do in life. Michael worked for a private aviation company in Greer and thought about getting his A& P (airframe & power) certification. But again, money for school wasn’t there. During this time, he was still struggling with what he wanted to do in life and thought about the military, seeing that it would give him a job, an education, and other opportunities that he didn’t have at the time. So, off the recruiting offices he went and when he looked at all the different branches, he decided on the Air Force. As a young man who had no direction in life, no self-esteem, and the feeling that the boot camps of the Army, Navy and Marines wasn’t something that he would pass, he chose the Air Force. Michael enlisted in the Air Force and was on the delayed enlistment program and had about 6 months before leaving to Basic. Michael was afraid to tell his parents but remembers telling his dad while standing in the driveway. Michael says, “I told him a month before I was to leave (February 1986). He was surprised but happy that I had decided about what I wanted to do in life. I come from a long line of Veterans. My Great Grandfather, Leonard A. Purdy was in WWI. All my dad’s uncles (both his parents' brothers) were in WWII. My mother’s oldest brother did two tours in Vietnam and her youngest brother was in the Army as a Paratrooper. I am the last of in the family to go into the military. After going to MEPS, I received my job as a 906X0 – Medical Admin Specialist. Basic training was at Lackland AFB, and Tech School was at Sheppard AFB. I was a Squad Leader in Tech School. I served at David Grant USAF Medical Center (DGMC) from ‘86-’88. While there, I was assigned to the Command Section, supporting the Command Staff of DGMC. I was also assigned to the Personnel Office, taking over the “Officer Affairs” programs and was handed a task to get the programs in shape and to have the failure rates (the time of completion has passed, and the item/program is still not completed) less than 10%. At the time of this job, all programs were over 50% failure rate. I succeeded in achieving what the Command Staff wanted. I was Airman of the Month, Airman of the Quarter, Sr. Airman Below the Zone (6 month accelerated promotion) and I received the Sr. Enlisted Advisors Award for DGMC. Upon my release from Active Duty to the Reserves, I served in the 12th Contingency Hospital at Travis AFB”. After his military service, Michael served in Law Enforcement, later retiring, and moving to Palm Springs, California. Michael currently lives in Conroe, Texas, volunteers, and helps other veterans suffering from PTSD through cooking and sharing meals.

Picking up from last night's episode, Blake continues his story of service in the Marine Corps with 2/7 and what his transition out of the USMC was like. Blake also updates us on what he is doing since separating from the Marine Corps. 

In today's episode we talk with Marine Combat Veteran Blake Weller. Blake was born in Potsdam New York, and has 4 siblings and grew up in Whitehouse, Texas. Blake graduated high school in 2005 and joined the Marine Corps on July 18, 2005. After completing boot camp he went to Marine Combat Training in Camp Pendleton and then moved on to the Motor Transportation school in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. After completing his training, Blake checked into Second Battalion Seventh Marines in February of 2006. Blake deployed with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines to Iraq in 2007 and Afghanistan 2008. He continued with his service back at Fort Leonard Wood as a Motor Transport instructor. After spending two years at the school house, Blake went back to 29 Palms to end out his contract. While in the Marine Corps, Blake achieved the rank of Sergeant. Once out of the service Blake worked at Pechanga Resort and Casino and then onto the U.S. House of Representatives where he is today. He is Married with two children Silas, and Everett, and married to his wife, Christina. Blake's passion is helping Veterans and families transitioning out of service and spending time with his family.
For Blake's service he was awarded (2) Purple Hearts, (2) Navy And Marine Corps Achievement Medals, (2) Good Conduct Medals, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, National Defense Service Medal, the Overseas Ribbon, Combat Action Ribbon and a Navy Unit Citation.  Blake also earned the Sharpshooter Rifle Badge and Expert Pistol Badge.

In today's episode we talk with Marine Combat Veteran Blake Weller. Blake was born in Potsdam New York, and has 4 siblings and grew up in Whitehouse, Texas. Blake graduated high school in 2005 and joined the Marine Corps on July 18, 2005. After completing boot camp he went to Marine Combat Training in Camp Pendleton and then moved on to the Motor Transportation school in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. After completing his training, Blake checked into Second Battalion Seventh Marines in February of 2006. Blake deployed with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines to Iraq in 2007 and Afghanistan 2008. He continued with his service back at Fort Leonard Wood as a Motor Transport instructor. After spending two years at the school house, Blake went back to 29 Palms to end out his contract. While in the Marine Corps, Blake achieved the rank of Sergeant. Once out of the service Blake worked at Pechanga Resort and Casino and then onto the U.S. House of Representatives where he is today. He is Married with two children Silas, and Everett, and married to his wife, Christina. Blake's passion is helping Veterans and families transitioning out of service and spending time with his family.
For Blake's service he was awarded (2) Purple Hearts, (2) Navy And Marine Corps Achievement Medals, (2) Good Conduct Medals, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, National Defense Service Medal, the Overseas Ribbon, Combat Action Ribbon and a Navy Unit Citation.  Blake also earned the Sharpshooter Rifle Badge and Expert Pistol Badge.SHOW LESS

All
Recently uploaded
Watched