The Veterans Project Podcast

Host Tim K. sits down in Colorado Springs, Colorado with Tu Lam who enjoyed a 23 year career in the Army, with 18 of those years in a Special Operations capacity. He went on to start an extremely successful tactical company known as “Ronin Tactics.” On the podcast Tu discusses his journey to positive mental health after decades of serving in some of the hottest spots in the world. Lam also speaks about the mastery of spirituality and his journey to live up to his distinct code of faith.

To learn more about Tu Lam, read his legacy project, follow him on Instagram: @ronintactics and check out www.ronintactics.com. Also, check him out on Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare as the first ever character to be modeled directly after a veteran of the Global War On Terror.

Founder and host, Tim K., sits down with Bison Union’s Bert Kuntz in Sheridan, Wyoming at their bustling Main Street coffee shop. In the 2016 timeframe, Tim met up with Bert, a former Special Forces Medic (18 Delta) who had just left the military and was working for $10 an hour as a ranch hand. At the time, Bert was not only working the ranch but had with the help of a few friends and family, started a merchandise company called “Peacemaker Trading.” They produced roughly 200 shirts which all sold in a period of roughly thirty minutes. Since then, the title of the brand has been changed to Bison Union, the company moved north from Fort Worth to Wyoming (soon opening another shop in Ft. Worth); but the success has followed in droves.

Bison Union is now the foundation of a flourishing lifestyle brand, coffee shop, and a bison herd; which will begin selling meat products around the country in the near future. A lot has changed since Tim followed Bert around the ranch in Parker County, Texas but one thing has become far more evident to Kuntz on this entrepreneurial journey. There is no room for ego, which just so happens to be part of the namesake of his new podcast appropriately titled, “Kill Your Ego.” For those of you who don’t remember a lot about Bert’s past in the A teams as a Green Beret, we’d suggest you go back and read his project which is at . This was not an interview what that dwelled too much in the past, but serves more as a look into the future of Bison Union and how true happiness and growth resides on a foundation of humility.

If you’d like to follow Bert check him out on Instagram: @bertkuntz. To learn more about Bison Union check out their website: www.bethebison.com, Instagram: @bisonunion, @bisonunioncoffee, @landandbison, and Facebook: Bison Union. Check out the Kill Your Ego Podcast on Instagram: @killyouregopodcast, Spotify, Apple Podcasts.

This is the first podcast in our special collaborative series with our mental health partner, HeartSupport. Host Tim K. sits down in Spring Hill, Tennessee to speak with Matty Mullins, the frontman of the highly-acclaimed metal band, Memphis May Fire. Metal is widely known as one of the most listened to genres in the veteran world, and Memphis May Fire is one of the most prolific bands of that genre. Throughout the podcast, Mullins speaks about his profound respect for those who’ve served and some of those experiences in meeting our armed forces across the globe. We also wanted to discuss one of the key reasons we got into this relationship with Heart Support, mental health.

Matty was tremendously honest about his own bouts with trauma when he spoke about depression, anxiety, and his journey in healing from those invisible wounds. And, of course, Tim didn’t forget to ask him about the life of a rockstar but even within that life, Mullins believes in solid foundations, recognizing his own peace comes from his faith and a fervent depth of love in his 14-year marriage to his wife Brittany. Tim and Matty also speak about the power of music which for anyone on a day to day basis assuages fears, realizes frustrations, and for many, is a form of therapy.

If you want to learn more about Matty Mullins, follow him on Instagram: @mattymullins and be sure to follow his company through their website www.onpointpomade.com and Instagram: @onpointpomade. Check out his band through their website www.memphismayfire.com, Facebook: @MemphisMayFire, Instagram: @memphismayfire, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and Google Play.

In this episode of the podcast, host Tim K. sits down in Parker County, Texas with one of the co-founders of Bison Union, Buster Frierson. Buster competes in ranch rodeos frequently each year all over the country.  He's been to the WRCA World Finals eight times where he’s been awarded Top Hand, Top Horse, and his team was named Reserve World Champions in 2009. Buster was one of the original master-minds behind Bison Union and has been an integral part of the company since its genesis. On the podcast Frierson discusses cowboy culture, the advent of Bison Union, and the ties that bind both the military and agricultural farm business so closely.

If you’d like to follow Buster’s journey check him out on Instagram: @busterfrierson. To learn more about Bison Union check out their website: bisonunion.com, Instagram: @bisonunion, @bisonunioncoffee, @landandbison, and Facebook: Bison Union.

In this episode, host Tim K. sits down with Trinidad Garcia, the founder of Trinidad 3 Jeans. Marine, Devil Dog, the first to fight, hard charging, dragon slaying, elite killer to…. Fashion designer? It may not be the typical transition for a veteran but then again there is absolutely nothing typical about the veteran community. The beauty of the individual American serviceman’s (or woman) diverse backgrounds is something we’ve spoken of quite often on this podcast and in the projects. Trinidad Garcia’s path from a successful career in the Marine Corps to a connoisseur of all things denim was anything but conventional but that’s probably part of the allure of his brand. Non-conventional, extreme attention down to every single stitch, and sourced as truly All-American denim. Tim and Trinidad speak on Garcia's initial foray into fashion and the struggles experienced in starting a business. They also discuss the success he's now found, and how he's giving back to the community that's given him a new lease on life.

Tim K. sits down with Retired Command Sergeant Major Donald McAlister in Western Massachusetts, while on set of an upcoming psychological thriller called “The Curse of Sinchanee.” Don first served in the invasion of Iraq in 2003, already a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army, then subsequently thereafter deployed to Afghanistan three times. He served in the Army for 24 years, and his most difficult deployment was his second to last to the hellish landscape of the Arghandab River Valley. That particular area was an integral portion of Taliban-held territory, surrounding the holy city of Kandahar. The lessons learned in that valley over the course of his unit’s time there would be ones that have followed him even to the present day. Tim and Don discuss spending decades in the Army, how to balance family life, and what it’s like to reintegrate back into society after dedicating most of your adult life to the military. Throughout the podcast, you will hear Mac speak about the value of taking a “tactical pause,” something he learned while in basic training. This followed him throughout his lengthy career, culminating at a point when his paratroopers needed his knowledge the most.

This podcast is sponsored by Team House Studios. They are a production studio committed to empowering military veterans both in front and behind the camera. Co-founded by Filmmaker Steven Grayhm and Former NFL player and Green Beret Veteran Nate Boyer. Through real hands on training, Team House Studios aims to create an equal opportunity environment for all genders, races and backgrounds.

Also, be sure to check out Mac’s Man Cave, which features our guest. Since retiring “Mac” continues to stay involved in the Veteran community, devoting most of his time to serving others through various non-profit efforts. His presence as a highly-respected leader makes him a highly-coveted asset in the veteran community. Mac’s Man Cave is a deep dive into transitioning out of the military, with guests from both the civilian and veteran communities. These episodes can be viewed presently on Instagram Live either at instagram.com/donald_mac_mcalister/ or instagram.com/macsmancave/.

Host Tim K. Sits down in Starkville, Mississippi with Jacob Phillips, who served as a Captain in the United States Army and deployed to Iraq. His service to this country is a usual marker for the servant minded attitude of the entire Phillips household, but so was his path in the arts. Although he didn’t follow the most conventional route to get there, his vocal talents have now taken him to television sets around the world with appearances on Sunday Night Football, the NFL Hall of Fame, commercials for Infiniti, Snap On, Jim Beam, the Special Olympics and Mossy Oak. Still, if you spoke to Jacob in person he’d probably fail to mention any of this, instead speaking about the resilient love of his father who tragically passed after a battle with cancer some years ago, and a faith in Christ that defines his journey on this earth. You’ve heard him in our intros and outtros on every single podcast. He also has a highly entertaining and informative podcast called, “The Cultured Bumpkin.” Jacob discusses his life growing up in rural Mississippi, his time as an officer in the United States Army in a line unit, what it takes to be a successful VoiceOver artist, and the tenants of living in unshakeable faith.

You can check out Jake’s work at www.jacobphillips.net, on his podcast The Cultured Bumpkin, Instagram: @jakephillips116, and Facebook: @jcjacobsonaudio.

Host Tim K. sits down in Austin, Texas with fellow San Antonio native Jeff Gonzales. Jeff enjoyed a prestigious career as a U.S. Navy SEAL where he served around the world as both an operator and instructor. The two talk about Jeff’s time on the teams, his experiences in South America combating the cartels (some of those stories are harrowing and some humorous) and his present position as a world-renowned weapons/tactics instructor for Trident Concepts, which he founded. Gonzales proudly served his nation as one of our most elite war-fighters and has since taken that top-tier knowledge to the private sector. His techniques are known for being highly-innovative and his teaching methodologies, ground-breaking.

To learn more about Jeff’s company, Trident Concepts, visit the website at tridentconcepts.com. You can find Jeff on Instagram: @jl_gonzales and his company’s Instagram: @tridentconcepts.

With me on this episode of the podcast is a legend of the Vietnam War who served in the United States Army’s famed 1st Cavalry Division in a position he couldn’t have even imagined for himself, an OJT Door Gunner on a Huey Gunship. Some, including Johnny, will tell you that the lifespan of a Door Gunner in Vietnam was right around six seconds. Regardless of whether or not this is the factual decided lifespan, one thing is for certain. My feelings are that Vietnam was the cauldron and the door gunner position was to be thrown into the fire under that cauldron. On top of not receiving the allotted technical flight training pre-deployment, the dangers that Johnny faced from the air varied anywhere from technical malfunctions to pilot error to enemy artillery and small arms fire. Couple that with the fact that Johnny’s missions fluctuated from mop-up duty to mail carrier for the front line troops to carrying the precious cargo of America’s infantry on night and day missions and you have an almost certain recipe for terror. The elements were constantly changing and the enemy maintained a ferocious approach but Hubbs’ dedication to his duty and fierce focus from the air served him well, and he completed his time in Vietnam only to come home to a country that was torn from within. The mere presence of Johnny served as a reminder of a tumultuous time Americans wanted to leave in the past, and they would make him feel this the instant he stepped on U.S. soil. Although we certainly did spend some time talking about combat, most of this podcast remains true to our mission and the discussion of reintegration; something that challenged Johnny mightily for decades after the war.

This is the first in a series of hopefully MANY episodes with those who served in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia and I just want to say to those men, I’m proud of you. I’m thankful for your service Johnny and I’m thankful for your brothers who fought in a conflict that many ran from, and many rioted against. You answered the call of your nation even when that nation turned its back on you. We are forever in your debt and frankly, I believe that our almost “celebrity like” treatment nowadays is due to the fact that you came before us. This podcast is dedicated to all those hard chargers who endured the hellish conditions of those Vietnam jungles only to return to an ungrateful country. To those men I say, may you find peace in your hearts and souls and realize your younger brothers of the Global War on Terror love you mightily. Thank you for your service, and welcome home.

Founder Tim K. sits down to talk about the evolution of the work and some of his most unique projects. He goes into the history of the work and why Carter Chick (USMC, Army, OIF Veteran), Paul Merriman (USMC, WWII Veteran), and Alfred Haws' (Army, WWII Veteran) projects have a special place in his heart. Tim discusses the meaning of Memorial Day and his memories of each project. Although all of these men have since been laid to rest, their legacies live on as a testament to the power of storytelling. Join us as we address each man's legacy and the special nature of their stories.