Mandatory Fun

Mandatory Fun is a weekly podcast about the military and pop culture. Join us in breaking cultural tropes and bridging the military-civilian divide through storytelling and entertainment. The show is hosted by Blake Stilwell and Tim Kirkpatrick and produced by Orvelin Valle (O.V.).

The story of the slave who survived the Alamo 06/19/2018

Why Navy SEALs will storm the beaches of Normandy in 2018 06/05/2018

How going to war brings out the best and worst in people 05/28/2018

It will make you angry to learn how a veteran lost $100k in benefits 05/21/2018

PTSD is temporary, here are the first steps to defeating it 05/15/2018

How to 'Conquer Anything,' according to a Green Beret 05/01/2018

Combat poetry reveals what life is like on the Afghan front lines 04/24/2018

4 survival skills that will help you thrive in a disaster or zombie apocalypse 04/17/2018

That time Senator Mitch McConnell was fooled by 'Duffel Blog' 04/10/2018

5 insane stories from the life of Britain's most successful double agent 04/03/2018

This corpsman wants to keep saving lives with 'Combat Medicine' 03/20/2018

Introducing This is War 03/14/2018

How a comedian can go from Hollywood to Kabul 03/13/2018

How to survive any dangerous situation with these deadly skills 03/02/2018

5 of the biggest changes coming to the US military 02/27/2018

6 military movies you need to watch in 2018 02/20/2018

This is why it’s so damn hard to play a veteran, according to an actor 02/13/2018

We showed a civilian how to be a vet, here's what we got 02/06/2018

This Green Beret will change what you know about action movies 01/30/2018

This is why your next business book should be a military field manual 01/23/2018

How unconventional tactics won the battle for Ramadi 01/16/2018

Navy SEAL: No, the military does not destroy your creativity 01/09/2018

Military brats are highly skilled at reading people and bad situations 12/26/2017

This Army veteran's book focuses on the stories of the 'Frontline Generation' 12/18/2017

How the US Air Force tricked CSAF McPeak into staying in the military 12/11/2017

How the Vietnam War shaped the modern day US Air Force 12/04/2017

How playing cowboys and indians prepared this commander for war 11/27/2017

The best qualities about veteran entrepreneurs that investors love 11/20/2017

These vets may have the answer to the future of cannabis pharmaceuticals 11/13/2017

How Bergdahl’s stroll in Afghanistan affected a unit's operations 11/07/2017