The Lost Art Project: Veterans’ Voices

In this episode of The Lost Art Project: Veterans’ Voices, host Andrew “AJ” Cox sits down with James Walsh, a United States Air Force veteran whose lifetime of service, education, and leadership took him from the enlisted ranks to the officer corps and ultimately to decades of continued service supporting Airmen and their families.

James entered the Air Force in 1966 at just 19 years old, choosing to enlist while facing the possibility of being drafted. His journey would take him far from his home in Hartford, Connecticut, beginning with an assignment to Taiwan and continuing through assignments and experiences in places including Korea and Greece.

Throughout the conversation, James reflects on his transition from enlisted Airman to commissioned officer and the responsibilities that came with leadership. As a young lieutenant, he found himself responsible for approximately 500 people, experiences that helped shape a leadership philosophy centered on listening, understanding people, earning their trust, and having the courage to make decisions.

That philosophy eventually earned James a description that followed him throughout his career:

“Tough, but fair.”

Education also became a defining part of James’ life. What began with taking college courses while serving overseas grew into a lifelong commitment to learning and teaching. His experiences in uniform eventually allowed him to pass those lessons on to others through leadership and management education.

James’ service to the Air Force continued long after his active-duty career ended. He returned as a Department of Defense civilian, eventually spending more than two decades working at the Pentagon. His work included personnel policy, benefits and entitlements, Airmen and Family Readiness, and programs directly affecting service members and their families. He ultimately retired from federal civilian service in February 2025.

AJ and James also discuss the lessons behind James’ book, You’re a Leader, Now What? Build Trust, Inspire Teams, Drive Results, including communication, collaboration, conflict management, situational leadership, and the importance of understanding the people you lead.

The conversation even turns to artificial intelligence and its place in modern leadership. James explains why leaders should embrace useful tools while never allowing technology to replace their own responsibility to think, evaluate information, and make decisions.

And, of course, James takes on the rapid-fire questions, including a memorable zombie-apocalypse combination involving a bazooka and the National Anthem, and why a German Shepherd best represents his military career.

When asked whether he would do it all again, James doesn’t hesitate:

Absolutely. No regrets.

After a lifetime dedicated to service, leadership, education, and helping others, James leaves listeners with a simple but powerful message:

“Be kind. Gain trust.”

🎙️ Host: Andrew “AJ” Cox — U.S. Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sergeant (Ret.)

The Lost Art Project: Veterans’ Voices

In this episode of The Lost Art Project: Veterans’ Voices, host Andrew “AJ” Cox and the FireSide Chat crew welcome Barry Morris, Marine Corps veteran and Communications Director for Mission Roll Call, for a conversation about something that should matter to every veteran: making sure our voices are actually heard.

Barry begins by sharing his own journey—from growing up in a military family and enlisting in the Marine Corps, to becoming a Staff Sergeant, earning a commission through MECEP, serving as a Public Affairs Officer, and deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan. That background eventually led him into communications and veteran advocacy and, today, his work with Mission Roll Call.

The heart of this episode focuses on what Mission Roll Call actually does and why it matters.

Barry explains how the organization regularly goes directly to veterans through polling and surveys to find out what issues are affecting them—not what someone assumes veterans need, but what veterans themselves say is important. Mission Roll Call then takes that information, along with veterans’ testimonials and experiences, and puts it in front of decision-makers.

As Barry explains during the conversation, the goal is to collect that information and present it so leaders can make better decisions “for the greater good of our veteran community.”

The discussion covers issues facing veterans across the country, including care for service-connected conditions, disability compensation, military retirement, VA healthcare, mental health and suicide prevention, education benefits, civilian employment, housing and home-loan assistance, caregiver support, survivor benefits, long-term care, and veteran homelessness.

The crew also digs into the importance of identifying the gaps between what veterans need and the services available to them, and how many issues that appear to be local problems are directly connected to larger national challenges.

One of the biggest takeaways from the conversation is the importance of participation. If organizations like Mission Roll Call are going to carry the veteran community's priorities forward, veterans have to be willing to speak up, complete the surveys, share their experiences, and make their voices part of the data being presented to those making decisions.

This episode is also a reminder of how much stronger the veteran community can be when organizations work together instead of operating in isolation. Whether the mission is advocating for veterans today or preserving their stories for tomorrow, it begins with listening to the people who served.

And, as always with a FireSide Chat, AJ, Barry, and the crew mix an important conversation with plenty of camaraderie, Marine Corps stories, humor, and the unscripted back-and-forth that makes these episodes what they are.

🎙️ Host: Andrew “AJ” Cox — U.S. Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sergeant (Ret.)

The Lost Art Project: Veterans’ Voices

🎙️ Episode #743 — FireSide Chat w/ the Crew | Saddleback Leather Raffle Drawing

This episode of FireSide Chat w/ the Crew brought plenty of laughs, current events, veteran conversation, and one moment everyone had been waiting for — the LIVE drawing for our Saddleback Leather Co. Flight Bag raffle!

The crew covered a wide range of topics, from unusual stories making headlines and military news to COVID, flu shots, movies, history, and the kind of good-natured back-and-forth that has become a regular part of the FireSide Chat. The conversation even wandered into George Washington, the Sons of the American Revolution, information-age warfare, and the importance of understanding history.

But the big event of the evening was the raffle.

With AJ's sister Sheila doing the honors, the winning ticket was pulled LIVE — and Mike Francis was announced as the winner of the Saddleback Leather Co. Flight Bag! Mike even called back during the show and got the news live from AJ and the crew.

The episode also introduced the next quarterly raffle, featuring a Vortex Triumph HD 10x42 binocular and Vortex Triumph HD 850 laser rangefinder, along with additional Vortex gear.

The crew wrapped things up with their usual Words of Wisdom, some final laughs, and an important reminder to veterans: if you're struggling, reach out. And if you're doing well, check on the men and women you served beside.

Andrew “AJ” Cox — Host, Founder & Executive Director, The Lost Art Project Mark O’Loughlin — FireSide Chat Crew Mike — FireSide Chat Crew Jess — FireSide Chat Crew Craig — FireSide Chat Crew Sheila — Joined AJ for the live raffle drawing Mike Francis — Saddleback Leather Co. Flight Bag raffle winner, who called into the show after the drawing

🎙️ ON THIS EPISODE

In this Veteran Story, The Lost Art Project Historical Archivist Christopher Campbell sits down with fellow Marine and Marine Corps League member Keith Wiesman to preserve the story of his service in the United States Marine Corps.

A Tulsa, Oklahoma native and 1975 graduate of Nathan Hale High School, Keith recalls how a summer job at a local foundry—and a buddy unexpectedly announcing that he had joined the Marine Corps—helped set him on a completely different path.

Keith entered the Marine Corps in 1975 and trained at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. In a remarkable coincidence, his platoon graduated on November 10, 1975—the 200th birthday of the United States Marine Corps.

After communications training at Twenty-Nine Palms, Keith served as a communications center Marine, MOS 2542, with assignments that took him to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Korea during Exercise Team Spirit, and eventually Camp Pendleton, California, where he served with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines.

Keith shares memories of serving in the Pacific during the Cold War, visiting Hiroshima, participating in cold-weather training in Japan, and being placed on alert during the tensions surrounding Operation Paul Bunyan in Korea. He also remembers the friendships, motorcycles, liberty, field exercises, amphibious training, and everyday experiences that became some of the most enduring memories of his time as a Marine.

After leaving active duty in 1978, Keith attended Oklahoma State University using the GI Bill before beginning a career in financial services and eventually returning to the Tulsa area.

Throughout the conversation, Keith reflects on much more than duty stations and dates. He talks about the lessons the Marine Corps taught him about communication, leadership, perseverance, dealing with different personalities, and discovering that people are often capable of enduring far more than they think.

More than fifty years after stepping onto the yellow footprints, the influence of those experiences—and the Marines who shared them with him—remains.

Veteran: Keith Wiesman

Every Veteran Has a Story. Every Story Is a Piece of History.

The Lost Art Project: Veterans’ Voices

Collect · Preserve · Educate · Inspire

September 27, 2026 | Live from the Oklahoma-Arkansas State Fair in Fort Smith, Arkansas

AJ joins the crew from The Lost Art Project’s booth at the fair for a conversation about why veteran stories matter—even the experiences veterans may think are too ordinary to tell.

The crew talks about the voices missing from military history, how oral histories preserve details that letters and official records leave out, and what families can learn when a veteran shares their experiences in their own words. They also reflect on how memories change with time, the importance of recording stories while people can still tell them, and the challenges some veterans face after returning home.

Between the deeper conversations, you’ll hear the crew’s usual humor, fairground moments, and stories about Marine Corps birthday traditions. AJ also looks ahead to Thursday’s FireSide Chat with Dave Munson and the Saddleback Leather raffle drawing.

On this episode:

🎙️ Andrew “AJ” Cox — Founder / Executive Director / Host

Every veteran has a story. Every story is a piece of history.

Learn more or share your story at thelostartprojectveteransvoices.org.

The Lost Art Project — Preserving Voices. Protecting Legacies.

Sometimes the best FireSide Chats are the ones where there is no agenda and no telling where the conversation is going to go.

In this episode of The Lost Art Project FireSide Chat, AJ Cox is joined by fellow Marine veteran Mike McNany for an open conversation about veterans, the growth of The Lost Art Project, old Marine Corps memories, family, getting older, podcasting, and plenty of humor along the way.

Later in the show, Nelson Zapata, a Marine musician veteran who served alongside Mike in the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Band, jumps into the conversation as well.

AJ gives an update on just how far The Lost Art Project has come. The podcast has now reached 38,800+ all-time downloads, 737 episodes, 1,032 veteran appearances, 255 unique veterans, and more than 678 hours of recorded content. AJ and Mike talk about what those numbers really represent—not simply podcast statistics, but hundreds of veterans and thousands of hours of history being preserved for future generations.

The conversation also gets into the continued expansion of the Historical Archivist Program and AJ's goal of having more archivists around the country recording veterans in their own communities. As that program grows, The Lost Art Project could eventually be releasing veteran stories every day while continuing the regular FireSide Chats.

AJ and Mike also discuss something that separates The Lost Art Project from a traditional podcast. The podcast isn't the mission—the stories are. Downloads and views help people discover the veterans and their experiences, but the ultimate goal is to collect and preserve the firsthand accounts of ordinary service members. These are often the voices that don't make it into history books: the young Marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen, guardians and Coast Guardsmen who can tell history from where they actually stood.

With The Lost Art Project preparing for the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair, the conversation also turns to getting out into the community, meeting veterans and their families, inviting veterans to record their stories, and raising support for the mission. From there, as FireSide Chats tend to do, the conversation goes in every direction imaginable—with stories about fairs, amusement rides, childhood, Marine Corps nicknames, military humor, marriage, cruises, getting older, and some good old-fashioned trash talking.

There may not have been an agenda for this one, but that's exactly what makes a FireSide Chat a FireSide Chat: veterans sitting around, telling stories, laughing at each other, talking about the things that matter, and seeing where the conversation takes them.

Featuring:

🇺🇸 Every Veteran Has a Story. Every Story Is a Piece of History.

The Lost Art Project

Collect · Preserve · Educate · Inspire

Guest: TJ Morgan — 66th National Commandant, Marine Corps League

After two years serving as the 66th National Commandant of the Marine Corps League, TJ Morgan joins AJ for a special look back at the journey—the good, the difficult, the memorable, and the people who made it worthwhile.

TJ traces his path through national leadership, from Assistant National Vice Commandant and Northwest Division National Vice Commandant through National Judge Advocate, Junior Vice, Senior Vice, and ultimately National Commandant. He talks candidly about the responsibility behind the title, the extensive travel required—especially as a West Coast Commandant—and why the real “paycheck” for this volunteer position is the satisfaction that comes from serving Marines and veterans.

The conversation looks back on memorable moments from his term, including supporting Young Marines in Hawaii, presenting Marine Corps League awards directly to recipients and their families, representing the League in Washington, D.C., strengthening relationships with the Marine Corps and other veteran organizations, and using personal connections and networking to create new opportunities for the League.

TJ also reflects on the importance of getting back to the grassroots level, connecting with local detachments, reaching younger Marines, expanding the League’s visibility, and leaving the organization better than he found it. He discusses the transition to the new National Commandant and why an additional year of continuity for future commandants could help long-term initiatives succeed.

Most of all, this episode is a thank-you and a reflection on service. TJ shares what the experience meant to him, the people he met along the way, and his advice to Marines considering higher leadership in the Marine Corps League: if you have the opportunity and the time to serve—go for it.

🎙️ The Lost Art Project

Visit The Lost Art Project to learn more, listen to veteran stories, explore the archive, support the mission, or schedule a recording.

21 September 2026

Episode 14 of Jarhead Jabber — The Official Podcast of the Marine Corps League brought veterans directly into the conversation with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

AJ Cox and co-host Carlos were joined by Philip Du, National Director of Veteran Service for the Marine Corps League, and special guest Margarita Devlin, Acting Under Secretary for Benefits at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, for an extended discussion about VA benefits, claims, appeals, examinations, technology, and the challenges veterans encounter while navigating the system.

Rather than simply talking about veterans, this episode gave veterans and Veteran Service Officers the opportunity to ask their questions directly.

Devlin discussed the work of the Veterans Benefits Administration and addressed questions surrounding the claims process, VA decision-making, C&P examinations, appeals and the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, and the growing use of automation and artificial intelligence within VBA. She explained the safeguards and human oversight being used as new technology is introduced and discussed ways automation is already being used to help eligible veterans and survivors receive benefits more efficiently.

The conversation also addressed some of the more difficult claims VSOs encounter, including Military Sexual Trauma (MST). Devlin discussed the challenges veterans may face when an incident was never formally reported and the different forms of evidence and behavioral “markers” that can help establish what occurred.

Throughout the episode, one message remained consistent: veterans should not give up on the benefits and services they may have earned. Veterans who are unsure about their claim or believe something did not go right were encouraged to reach out, ask questions, and work with an accredited Veteran Service Officer.

Marine Corps League National Commandant Russ Miller also joined the conversation, adding another voice to a discussion centered on serving veterans and strengthening the relationship between the Marine Corps League, its service officers, and the VA.

Host:

Co-Host:

Marine Corps League:

Special Guest:

VA disability claims • Veterans Benefits Administration • C&P examinations • VA appeals • Board of Veterans’ Appeals • Artificial intelligence and automation • Human oversight of claims • Survivor benefits • Veteran Service Officers • Military Sexual Trauma claims • Alternative evidence and markers • VA healthcare • Veterans Crisis Line • Building trust between veterans and the VA

We want to give a huge THANK YOU to everyone who tuned in live, stayed with us throughout the conversation, submitted questions in the comments, and joined us directly to ask questions.

Your participation made this episode what it was.

Some excellent questions came from the veteran community, and those questions created an opportunity to get information directly from senior VA leadership that may help not only the person asking, but veterans and families who watch or listen to this episode later.

Thank you to Margarita Devlin for staying with us, answering questions candidly, and making herself available to the veteran community. Thank you to Philip Du for helping make this conversation possible and for the work he and Marine Corps League Veteran Service Officers continue to do on behalf of veterans. And thank you to National Commandant Russ Miller for joining the discussion.

Most importantly, thank you to every veteran, family member, Marine Corps League member, VSO, and listener who showed up and became part of the conversation.

That's exactly what Jarhead Jabber is supposed to be.

Jarhead Jabber

20 September 2026

What happens when you spend years—or decades—in the military and then try to convince everyone else that you're completely normal?

In this episode of The Lost Art Project FireSide Chat, AJ is joined by the crew along with Ira and Chaz from Bravo Mission Radio for a conversation about the habits, humor, traditions, and behaviors military service leaves with you long after the uniform comes off.

The conversation starts with the things veterans do that civilians sometimes just don't understand: dark humor, relentless trash talking between friends, giving everyone a nickname, tying your shoes a certain way, an inability to leave certain things alone when they're “wrong,” functioning on very little sleep, and the military's unique ability to turn almost anything into an inappropriate joke.

But like most FireSide Chats, the conversation doesn't stay in one lane for long.

The crew gets into the positive things military service leaves behind as well—including self-confidence, accepting constructive criticism, adapting to difficult situations, finding humor when things aren't going well, and the ability to accomplish the mission with whatever resources are available. There's even a discussion of the military version of R&D: “Rip Off and Duplicate”—taking something that already works and figuring out how to make it work for you.

The conversation also turns to military traditions that never quite leave you. From reactions to the National Anthem and walking across the grass to old leaders whose voices can apparently still be heard decades later, the stories show how deeply military culture becomes ingrained.

Along the way there are plenty of sea stories, completely unnecessary rabbit holes, questionable jokes, old memories, friendly shots between the services, and the kind of camaraderie that doesn't require an explanation if you've lived it.

The episode closes with the crew's traditional Words of Wisdom, a look at Bravo Mission Radio and its mission of helping veterans navigate the transition into civilian life, and an important reminder that veterans struggling with life after service don't have to face it alone.

Host:

FireSide Chat Crew:

Special Guests:

Military habits that never disappear • Veteran dark humor • Military friendships and trash talking • Nicknames and call signs • Uniform habits that follow you home • Functioning on little sleep • Constructive criticism • Self-confidence after service • “Rip Off and Duplicate” • Military resourcefulness • The National Anthem • Military traditions • Walking on the grass • Leadership memories • Transitioning into civilian life • Finding purpose after service • Veteran camaraderie • Words of Wisdom

The Lost Art Project: Veterans’ Voices

FireSide Chat with the Crew — Raffles, Football, Military Memories & Whatever Comes Up

Sometimes the best conversations are the ones without a script.

In Episode #737, AJ Cox sits down with Mike McNany and Jess Kindelspire for another FireSide Chat with the Crew. What starts as a simple check-in quickly turns into the kind of conversation you’d expect when a few veterans get together — plenty of laughs, stories, opinions, rabbit holes, and good-natured trash talking.

The crew talks football, fantasy sports and prop bets, fall weather and the pumpkin-spice takeover, TV shows, technology, and some old-school military memories — including the days of bounced checks, public shaming, and life before everyone had a phone in their pocket.

AJ also gives an update on The Lost Art Project, including the upcoming drawing for the Saddleback Leather Company bag. The drawing takes place October 1, with raffle tickets available for $10 each or three for $25.

The conversation also looks ahead to the upcoming special VA discussion with Margarita Devlin of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where veterans and their families will have an opportunity to submit questions and participate in the conversation.

There’s no heavy agenda in this one — just veterans sitting around the virtual fire, catching up, laughing at each other, sharing a few stories, and talking about whatever comes up.

On this episode:

AJ Cox — Founder / Executive Director / Host

Mike McNany — FireSide Chat Crew

Jess Kindelspire — FireSide Chat Crew

Whether you served or simply enjoy being part of the community, pull up a chair and join the conversation.

The Lost Art Project: Veterans’ Voices Preserving Voices. Protecting Legacies.

Collect · Preserve · Educate · Inspire