How playing cowboys and indians prepared this commander for war
Release Date: 11/27/2017
The story of the slave who survived the Alamo
Mandatory Fun
Our guest, attorney-turned-author Lewis Cook discovered that the Alamo was more than a bunch of white male landowners fighting for Texas. The fort was full of women, minorities, and followers of many religions. So he set out to tell the story of the Alamo, a story that he believes belongs to all of us through the diversity of its defenders.
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Why Navy SEALs will storm the beaches of Normandy in 2018
Mandatory Fun
Jumping into freezing water is just part of the legacy of being a Navy SEAL. During World War II, the U.S. Navy Combat Demolition Units were just a handful of guys equipped only with a pair of shorts, a knife, and maybe some explosives. But the roots of being amphibious is still close to the Navy special warfare community – that's why they still call themselves "Frogmen."
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How going to war brings out the best and worst in people
Mandatory Fun
Our guest Sebastian Junger is not a military veteran. He makes that clear, but he sure sounds like one. Maybe it's because he's seen more conflict than many in the United States military. If there's an expert on modern warfare and the long-term effects of those who live it, that person is Sebastian Junger.
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It will make you angry to learn how a veteran lost $100k in benefits
Mandatory Fun
For almost a decade Moses Maddox has built a career helping veterans with personal, academic, and financial counseling. But he didn't become the veterans champion he is today without first overcoming his own transition struggles. Here's how he used his transition experience and knowledge in navigating the VA system to lobby for veterans in DC and take his message to the national level.
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PTSD is temporary, here are the first steps to defeating it
Mandatory Fun
Our guest, the Director of Innovation and Collaboration for the VA’s Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Dr. Wendy Tenhula joins us for a discussion on identifying and treating mental health issues.
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How to 'Conquer Anything,' according to a Green Beret
Mandatory Fun
War has a way of shooting holes in your best-laid plans. Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Stube (Ret.) suffered life-changing wounds during the battle of Operation Medusa in Afghanistan in 2006, but using the Green Beret methods he learned in the Special Forces, Stube knew he could conquer anything.
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Combat poetry reveals what life is like on the Afghan front lines
Mandatory Fun
Marine Corps veteran turned poet, and author Justin Eggen brings modern warfare, poetry, and short stories into a beautiful storm that reveals the inner workings of life on the front lines of Southern Afghanistan.
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4 survival skills that will help you thrive in a disaster or zombie apocalypse
Mandatory Fun
The Mandatory Fun crew got their hands on "100 Deadly Skills: Survival Edition" by national bestselling author and Navy SEAL Clint Emerson. Emerson's book is the SEAL operative's guide to surviving in the wild and being prepared for any disaster, but the crew decides that it's the perfect guide against a zombie apocalypse.
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That time Senator Mitch McConnell was fooled by 'Duffel Blog'
Mandatory Fun
Our guest founder and editor-in-chief of our favorite military satire publication Duffel Blog Paul Szoldra joins us for a hilarious discussion about his adventures in military satire. We discuss Szoldra's first book, the funny times Duffel Blog was mistaken for real news, and his new party game "WTF, Over."
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5 insane stories from the life of Britain's most successful double agent
Mandatory Fun
The real James Bond is finally revealed: A few years ago our guest Larry Loftis decided to stop publishing legal articles and work full-time on researching and writing the story of Dusko Popov, the daring World War II double agent who worked tirelessly to keep the Nazis off guard about the upcoming D-Day invasions.
info_outlineIn this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake speaks once again with Jimmy Blackmon, the author of Pale Horse, a book about his time commanding an Army aviation task force with the 101st Airborne Division at the height of combat in the Afghan War.
Set in the very valleys where the 9/11 attacks were conceived, and where 10 Medals of Honor were earned.
These are the stories of the pilots behind the lethal Apache helicopters who strike fear into the heart of their enemies as they work with medevac crews who risk their lives to save their fellow troops.
Jimmy was also in the area when Pvt. Bowe Bergdahl decided to go for a stroll in Afghanistan.
In this episode, we talk on a wide-range of topics including:
- [1:45] Jimmy humorously explains why he decided to join the military.
- [5:50] How growing up in Georgia prepared Jimmy for a career in the Army.
- [7:55] This is how playing Cowboys and Indians as a child helps develop skills for combat operations.
- [11:45] Jimmy compares his life as an enlisted soldier to growing up in Georgia.
- [13:45] The difference between situational awareness to situational curiosity.
- [15:05] The combat rules of flying vs. the combat rules on the ground.
- [17:15] The most challenging aspect of war according to a pilot.
- [24:30] How pilots develop skills to read the enemies' intention from high above.
- [27:50] How the enemy uses their terrain and weather to combat allied forces.
- [30:10] Jimmy's coolest memory from the battle at Observation Post Bari Alai
- [35:00] What Jimmy's been doing since exiting the military.