Transition Drill

Guy Smith was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. Though gangs were all around him, a strong and influential family kept him out of gang life. Growing up he was into martial arts and wrestling, so after high school he ended up in San Diego coaching and fitness training. Many of the clients he was working with were special operations members and they convinced him to join the Navy. Guy enlisted in the Navy and served 6 years as member of Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) and deployed multiple times to the Middle East. Injuries and family responsibilities caused him to leave active duty in 2015 but he did 3 additional years in the reserves. After leaving the military he struggled with redefining his mission and what his identity is along with struggling with alcoholism. He considers himself fortunate to have found the Honor Foundation and graduated from their program. Today he continues to support The Honor Foundation along with The Navy Seal Foundation. Guy work in the fitness and personal performance industry but his new mission is professional body building. He’s recently obtained his pro card and his long-term goal is to compete – and win – the Mr. Olympia.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH GUY

https://www.instagram.com/guysmith_ifbbpro/

Danny Gonzales spent 18 years in law enforcement, starting as a reserve in 1988 and then 16 years as a full-time cop until 2006. Actions by a fellow officer caused Danny to report this activity to command. Danny fought an uphill battle, administration sided with the other officer, and Danny was then the subject of his own IA investigation. Danny was terminated, but he believed his agency when he was told they would include no discipline in his personnel file (he admits he was naïve). When he tried getting hired at other organizations, it became clear that his agency did not amend his file. He subsequently took the city court and won a settlement and his personnel file was amended to reflect no discipline.. Having to take care of his family he took any and all jobs that came his way, which led him to private security and protection work. Today he is the owner of D.A.D. Protection Services, which he started in 2013. He and his team offer security services for ultra-high net worth individuals and families, estate security, and security consulting. Also, in 2021 Danny launched a security service online training program to give back to others who want to learn and get into the security / protection industry.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH DANNY

https://www.dadprotectionservices.com

https://www.thesecuritycoachapp.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-gonzales-44401147/

https://www.instagram.com/dadsecuritysvcs/

Nick Lavery, Army Green Beret and Amputee, in Episode 087 of the Transition Drill Podcast. Nick Lavery didn’t grow up with some polished, pre-written plan. He was a Boston kid who poured his energy into sports, earned a football recruiting path, and treated college like the place he had to be so he could keep playing. Then 9/11 hit during his sophomore year, and the direction snapped into place. He describes it plainly: anger, rage, and a desire for vengeance. The Army offered a direct pipeline into Special Forces, and he took it, learning quickly that performance matters more than a number on a scale.

The center of this conversation is March 11, 2013. Near the end of a deployment, a Ford Ranger pickup rolled inside their compound in violation of their SOP. He noticed it, chose to deal with it later, and calls out the role complacency can play when “crazy” becomes routine. Moments later, an Afghan National Police member climbed into the truck bed and opened fire with a PKM from 30 yards away. Nick moved toward a frozen young infantryman instead of directly executing his trained response, took rounds, and watched his right leg get destroyed. He applied tourniquets, a teammate added more, and he tried to pack gauze into the wound while the fight continued around them. He describes a mass-casualty scene: 12 Americans on the ground, three killed, nine wounded, plus additional Afghan casualties.

What follows is survival by minutes and decisions. He was kept alive long enough for surgery, then nearly died from an incompatible blood transfusion mistake discovered mid-flight. He explains coding, being rushed into surgery anyway, dialysis and transfusions, and waking days later. He arrived at Walter Reed after an amputation to the knee, while also learning he’d been shot in the left leg and was fighting drop foot and nerve damage. A surgeon he calls “JC” chose a harder path than a hip disarticulation, taking dead tissue piece by piece in a long series of surgeries, because keeping more leg kept the door open for returning to the job.

He walks through the grind of rehab, prosthetic testing built for austere deployments, and the path back to operational status, including the Operator Readiness Test that even able-bodied Green Berets called brutal. Two years after the injury, he earned his way back onto the team and was deployed again weeks later. Today, he's closing in on retirement but is already doing public speaking on leadership and motivation.

The best podcast for military veterans, police officers, firefighters, and first responders preparing for veteran transition and life after service. Helping you plan and implement strategies to prepare for your transition into civilian life. Follow the show and share it with another veteran or first responder who would enjoy this.

CONNECT WITH THE PODCAST:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulpantani/

WEBSITE: https://www.transitiondrillpodcast.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulpantani/

SIGN-UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER:

https://transitiondrillpodcast.com/home#about

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS:

[email protected]

EPISODE BLOG PAGE AND CONNECT WITH NICK

https://www.transitiondrillpodcast.com/post/transition-drill-podcast-army-green-beret-nick-lavery-survives-ambush-and-being-shot-with-a-pkm

Jessica “Jess” Quezada has a love for the arts, more specifically photojournalism which led her to join the Marine Corps as a Combat Correspondent in 2013. Quezada’s first assignment was to Marine Corps Recruiting Command stationed at Quantico, and covering all recruiting events across the U.S. She was then assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, where she served as the current and future operations chief for the Public Affairs Office. Her final unit was the Recruiting Station in Orange County, CA where she served as the marketing and communications director. In 2020 Quezada was forced into an Administrative Separation from the Marine Corps with a General Under Honorable discharge after a narcotic positive urinalysis. What is great about Quezada is that she makes no excuses, and she did not let being forced out of the military derail her or her spirit. An adventurer at heart, Quezada travels as often as she can. She had a vision for a veterans travel community, and in 2019 started LiboRisk, which transitioned into an operating business in April 2022. Through her company Quezada hosts low-cost events, retreats and travel excursions for veterans. Her goal is to inspire troops to travel by connecting and educating them in all things travel. Additionally, Quezada is a yoga teacher.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH JESS

https://libo-risk.com/

https://www.instagram.com/liborisk/

Ricky Savage served 25 years in the Marine Corps. He was assigned to aviation crews supporting F/A 18s and Ospreys. He achieved the rank of Chief Warrant Officer and retired as an Aviation Officer in 2015. Ricky had four (4) combat deployments, which, in his words, were scarier with each deployment. In his initial transition he went to college and then worked as a contractor in the aerospace industry from 2016-2020. At this same time, he was also the Director of Operations for the Wingman Foundation, a non-profit providing assistance to the families of Marine, Navy, and Coast Guard pilots who have died in combat. Through this same period he realized he was suffering from PTS symptoms and eventually went through a PTS program through the VA. In 2019 Ricky discovered Jiu Jitsu. In 2020, he officially retired from working, and through good investments became a self-funded “professional” Jiu Jitsu competitor. Today he is a purple belt and has competed in 22 tournaments. He has also gone back to college to study philosophy in what he has coined, his warrior monk journey.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH RICKY

https://www.instagram.com/rickyjsavage/

Dr. Kathryn Hamel retired in 2019 as a lieutenant after serving 25 years as a police officer. During her time as a detective, she investigated cases of domestic violence, child sexual abuse, and rape. About 9 years into her career, she survived a horrific crash during a pursuit and fought her way back to full duty. During her recovery she decided to go back to school and eventually kept going through a doctorate degree. Her initial transition was to take a position as a Dean but then transitioned to the Vice president of human resources for a local college. In March 2021 she was offered the position of CEO for the Hecht Trauma Institute. Kathryn is also the author of body mind and badge, a book to help law enforcement members mitigate the negative impacts of trauma and bolster resiliency. She is also currently a Board Member of KinderVision; a nonprofit co-founded by her late mother, Ashby Sebastian.  

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH KATHRYN

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynhamelphd/

https://www.traumainst.org/

https://www.hti.org

[email protected]

LINK FOR BODY MIND AND BADGE

https://www.amazon.com/Body-Mind-Badge-Strategies-Enforcement/dp/1956837051/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=body+mind+and+badge+hamel&sr=8-1

Graham Little transitioned from the military after serving 10 years with the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force. Graham, graduated from the University of Edinburgh and was selected as a pilot. After a couple years it was determined his skills were better served elsewhere and Graham was re-selected as an Intelligence Officer. Graham had deployments to Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, and Iraq. His last assignment was as an Intel Officer with a MQ-9 Reaper Drone unit. Graham transitioned from the military as a Captain in 2016 and was part of the founding group of UK tech startup Cyacomb, which specializes in digital forensics software to aide law enforcement in the fight against online child sexual abuse and terrorism. Today, Graham is the director of sales for North America and has relocated to living in the U.S.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH GRAHAM

https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-little-10396033/

https://www.cyacomb.com/

Dr. Shante Destiny transitioned from the military in March 2022, retiring after 20 years in the Navy. She retired at the rank of LN1, First Class. Shante has a strong connection to the military with many generational members of her family serving. After graduating high school, she started attending college but the desire to serve was always there. After the attacks of 9/11, Shante left before graduating and enlisted in the Navy. While in the Navy, she completed her bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees. Approximately mid-career, after she decided to be a lifer, Shante transferred from an OS to LN rating and finished her career working Regional Legal Service Office (RLSO). After retirement, she is working on her second chapter. Today Shante is a keynote speaker, an educator, and a life coach.  

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH SHANTE

https://drsdestiny.com/

[email protected]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/drshantedestiny/

Manny Vega has experienced transitions from the military and law enforcement. Unfortunately he has experienced significant trauma in his life from the time he was a child and being abused by a Catholic priest. To get out of the environment he grew up in he enlisted in the Marine Corps when he was 17 years old while he was still in high school. In the Marine Corps he became a scout sniper and had a traumatic experiences with death of fellow marines where he earned the Navy and Marine Corps Medal as well as almost losing his life during a beach landing. He joined LAPD in 1992 because he had given a fellow Marine a ride up to L.A. to take the test and because he needed to stay in the area, Manny took the test also. He lateraled to the Oxnard PD to be closer to home but was forced to medically retire in 2008 after injuring his knee in a foot pursuit, compounded by his lawsuit against the Catholic Church at the same time. In 2018 his son Patrick enlisted in the Marine Corps, but subsequently lost his life during boot camp after getting sick. After the loss of his son, in 2020 Manny co-founded the non-profit Save our Servicemembers with other Gold Star families who lost service members, or were severely injured, early in their military service. Today he owns Anacapa Inudstries and he explains all the services his company offers through seeing opportunities and figuring a way to be able to do that needed service.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH MANNY

https://www.anacapaindustries.com/

https://saveourservicemembers.org/

Kyle Wilder has not transitioned yet from his law enforcment career, but through his love of car racing he is giving back to ALS research to honor his best friend and former police officer. As a kid Kyle wanted to go in the Air Force and be a pilot after high school, but a medical condition changed those plans. While still considering joining the Marine Corps, he began working as a Police Cadet in 2008. His desire was always to become a police officer and in 2010 he got the opportunity and has not looked back. Kyle lost his best friend, academy mate, and patrol partner Cory Oakes in 2014 after a short battle with ALS; Cory was only 27 years old. Kyle has always loved cars and has been racing since 2017. In 2020 he discovered Racing for ALS, a non-profit organization raising money for ALS research through auto races on the east coast. Kyle reached out and eventually was approved to organize a west coast race. Cory’s Race, in honor of his best friend was hosted in 2022. For 2023, the race is honoring Eric Murray through Eric’s Race at Willow Springs Raceway in April 2023.

PODCAST - LISTEN, WATCH, AND SUBSCRIBE

https://linktr.ee/TransitionDrillPodcast

CONNECT WITH KYLE

https://www.instagram.com/wilder.racing/

[email protected]

https://www.racingforals.com/