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, the gang comments on some of the biggest coming the U.S. military will face in the coming days.
Because external challenges are easy for a fighting force like ours, the internal struggles are the ones we really want to talk about. These affect not only the troops themselves, but potentially their families, friends, and morale as well.
New physical standards for all
The recent years have been huge for the military community in terms of change. The most important changes include who can join, who can serve openly, and how they can all serve. Even the service chiefs are trying to understand how this will affect everyone.
Chief Petty Officer Selectees from Yokosuka area commands stand in ranks after a physical training (PT) session (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Ben Farone)[/caption]
Related: Mattis just finished his review of transgender troops
But at a junior enlisted and NCO level, we know we're just going to deal with it, no matter what. Women are going to be in combat, along with transgender troops serving openly. What will the new fitness standards look like? Should there be a universal standard?
Mattis is cleaning house
The Secretary of Defense, universally beloved by all servicemembers of all branches, wants the military to become a more lethal, more deployable force. To this end, he wants to rid the branches of anyone who is not deployable for longer than 12 months.
Defense Secretary James N. Mattis hosts with the Montenegro's Minister of Defence, Predrag Bošković for a meeting at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Feb. 27, 2018. (DoD photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith)[/caption]
Those numbers are significant, too. Experts estimate up to 14 percent of the entire military is non-deployable in this way, which translates to roughly 286,000 service members. It's sure to make any military family sweat.
Okinawa's "labor camp"
The Marine Corps' correctional custody units want to open a sort of non-judicial punishment camp on the Japanese island of Okinawa. The purpose is to give commanders a place to send redeemable Marine who mess up for the first time in their career.
Brig Marines simulate hard labor during a Correctional Custody Unit demonstration Jan. 12 in the Brig aboard Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jessica Collins)[/caption]
In the military, we joke (sometimes not so jokingly) about the idea of "turning big rocks into little rocks" when we talk about getting caught committing a crime while in the service. No one actually commits the crime they're joking about. But what isn't a joke is hard labor imposed by a military prison sentence. Now even troops with Article 15 can be forced to turn big rocks into little rocks.
A new military pay raise
Yes, the military gets a raise pretty much every year. Is it ever enough? No. Do they make what they're worth? Absolutely not. Is Congress even trying ? Sometimes it doesn't feel that way. Well, this year they're getting the biggest bump after nine years of waiting. Are they worth more? Of course they are.
President Donald Trump lands at Berry Field Air National Guard Base, Nashville, Tennessee on Jan. 8, 2018. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Jeremy Cornelius)[/caption]
Marine Corps blues face a real challenge
For years (actually, decades), the Marines' dress uniform has been the unchallenged, drop-dead sexiest uniform in the American armed forces. Now they face a usurper that really does have a shot at changing their spot on the top of the ranking.
Now read: 5 reasons the USMC Blue Dress A is the greatest uniform of all time
Sergeant Major of the Army Dan Dailey salutes the Anthem pre-kickoff during the Army-Navy game at Lincoln Financial Field. SMA Dailey displayed the Army's proposed 'Pink and Green' daily service uniform, modeled after the Army's standard World War II-era dress uniform. (U.S. Army photo by Ronald Lee)[/caption]
The Army is reverting to one of its classic uniforms from the bygone World War II-era: the pinks and greens. The decision was met with near universal jubilation from the Army (it was a golden age for the U.S. Army in nearly every way).
Now former airman Blake Stilwell demands the Air Force develop its own throwback jersey.
Mandatory Fun is hosted By:
Blake Stilwell: Air Force veteran and Managing Editor
Tim Kirkpatrick: Navy veteran and Editorial Coordinator
Eric Mizarski: Army veteran and Senior Contributor
Orvelin Valle (aka O.V.): Navy veteran and Podcast Producer
Catch the show on Twitter at: @MandoFun and on our Facebook group.