Dan Helmer – From West Point Grad to Congressional Candidate

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Our guest today is Army veteran Dan Helmer.  Dan began his Army career at West Point and after receiving his commission was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division, 1st Battalion 68th Armor Regiment, right after they had just invaded Iraq.  A lot of his service story will come up early in the interview so I don’t want to spoil anything, but I do want to highlight that he was instrumental in creating the Counter Insurgency Academy that would then change our strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Dan is now living in Virginia, where he continued his service in the Army reserves, and on top of it all is now running as the democratic candidate for Virginia’s 10th congressional district.

Two topics Dan made sure we hit during his interview were why it’s important for veterans to run for office, and why we need a new set o veteran democrats in congress.

We get to spend a good time listening to his ideas on leadership, problem solving in the military and how it translates elsewhere, and what he’s planning on bringing to congress.

Dan’s Book Recommendation:  Cicero

If you’d like to learn more about Dan’s campaign and or would like to help him our with a campaign contribution, you can do so at HelmerforCongress.com.

Medal of Honor Monday #2 – Colonel William E. Barber

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Colonel William E. Barber

This week’s Medal of Honor citation reading was suggested by Veteranology listener and recent guest Jeff Fowler.

All our citations will be read from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website, CMOHS.org.

Today’s Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of Company F in action against enemy aggressor forces. Assigned to defend a 3-mile mountain pass along the division’s main supply line and commanding the only route of approach in the march from Yudam-ni to Hagaru-ri, Capt. Barber took position with his battle-weary troops and, before nightfall, had dug in and set up a defense along the frozen, snow-covered hillside. When a force of estimated regimental strength savagely attacked during the night, inflicting heavy casualties and finally surrounding his position following a bitterly fought 7-hour conflict, Capt. Barber, after repulsing the enemy gave assurance that he could hold if supplied by airdrops and requested permission to stand fast when orders were received by radio to fight his way back to a relieving force after 2 reinforcing units had been driven back under fierce resistance in their attempts to reach the isolated troops. Aware that leaving the position would sever contact with the 8,000 marines trapped at Yudam-ni and jeopardize their chances of joining the 3,000 more awaiting their arrival in Hagaru-ri for the continued drive to the sea, he chose to risk loss of his command rather than sacrifice more men if the enemy seized control and forced a renewed battle to regain the position, or abandon his many wounded who were unable to walk. Although severely wounded in the leg in the early morning of the 29th, Capt. Barber continued to maintain personal control, often moving up and down the lines on a stretcher to direct the defense and consistently encouraging and inspiring his men to supreme efforts despite the staggering opposition. Waging desperate battle throughout 5 days and 6 nights of repeated onslaughts launched by the fanatical aggressors, he and his heroic command accounted for approximately 1,000 enemy dead in this epic stand in bitter subzero weather, and when the company was relieved only 82 of his original 220 men were able to walk away from the position so valiantly defended against insuperable odds. His profound faith and courage, great personal valor, and unwavering fortitude were decisive factors in the successful withdrawal of the division from the deathtrap in the Chosin Reservoir sector and reflect the highest credit upon Capt. Barber, his intrepid officers and men, and the U.S. Naval Service.

Veteranology Interview #27 – Jeff Fowler

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Today’s guest is Jeff Fowler, a Marine veteran, machine gunner, and former squad leader from 2/7 Weapons Company. Jeff wanted to share some valuable insights on our VA education benefits with the Veteranology audience, as well as speak about his own challenges and triumphs after leaving the Marine Corps for a new path. Jeff currently works for the Social Security Administration and has found it to be an incredibly rewarding career.

We cover using your Voc. Rehab and GI Bill benefits to their full potentional, what it’s like to hike the Appalachian Trail, and the mindset shift a veteran must make from making a difference on the battlefield to making a difference in your local community.

Medal of Honor Monday #1 – Capt. Ed Freeman

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We are proud to announce our newest weekly segment here at Veteranology, Medal of Honor Monday.  We will work to read one citation each week to not just inspire you to charge your own hills but to make sure these stories or heroism and duty continue to be heard.

All our citation will be read from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website, CMOHS.org.

Today’s Citation:

Captain Ed W. Freeman, United States Army, distinguished himself by numerous acts of conspicuous gallantry and extraordinary intrepidity on 14 November 1965 while serving with Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). As a flight leader and second in command of a 16-helicopter lift unit, he supported a heavily engaged American infantry battalion at Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam. The unit was almost out of ammunition after taking some of the heaviest casualties of the war, fighting off a relentless attack from a highly motivated, heavily armed enemy force. When the infantry commander closed the helicopter landing zone due to intense direct enemy fire, Captain Freeman risked his own life by flying his unarmed helicopter through a gauntlet of enemy fire time after time, delivering critically needed ammunition, water and medical supplies to the besieged battalion. His flights had a direct impact on the battle’s outcome by providing the engaged units with timely supplies of ammunition critical to their survival, without which they would almost surely have gone down, with much greater loss of life. After medical evacuation helicopters refused to fly into the area due to intense enemy fire, Captain Freeman flew 14 separate rescue missions, providing life-saving evacuation of an estimated 30 seriously wounded soldiers — some of whom would not have survived had he not acted. All flights were made into a small emergency landing zone within 100 to 200 meters of the defensive perimeter where heavily committed units were perilously holding off the attacking elements. Captain Freeman’s selfless acts of great valor, extraordinary perseverance and intrepidity were far above and beyond the call of duty or mission and set a superb example of leadership and courage for all of his peers. Captain Freeman’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.

Veteranology’s Friday Formation – Father’s Day

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Deavon and Jay form up in the studio and discuss Father’s Day and what it means to them.  Deavon shares his memories of becoming a father, 10 days after his EAS date.  Going even further Deavon gives us his take on being both a father and a step-father, along with what it’s like sharing a house with the 5 women he cares about most.

Deavon and Jay end the episode with sharing stories about the dads who raised them and the positive effects those men still have on their lives.

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We’d love to hear your own thoughts about Father’s Day!  Please leave us a comment, story, or funny meme on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/veteranology

Veteranology’s Friday Formation – Memorial Day ’17

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Today’s episode marks Veteranology’s first Friday Formation, where Marine Veteran Deavon Black and I break down topics that affect veterans, and share our own stories in dealing with those topics and specific situations.  This is our Memorial Day ’17 episode and we went into it with a few topics we were hoping to hit, mainly our person relationships with Memorial Day itself.

We end up discussing how Memorial Day has affected us throughout the years since leaving the service, our own healing journeys, and a “healthier” alternative to approaching Memorial Day when discussing it with civilians.

I also have a pretty emotional reaction to trying to discuss a past Memorial Day that meant a lot to me.  I get choked up quite a bit but I left most of this episode unedited to keep the message open and real.

Semper Fi, Godspeed, and enjoy this Memorial Day weekend with your family, friends, and fur-babies.

Veteranology 26 – Alex Pedersen, COO at Polco

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Today’s guest is Alex Pedersen, an Air Force Academy graduate and veteran who is now the Chief Operating Officer at Polco, a civic engagement and analytics company. Its primary product is a web-based platform for local governments to get input from their communities and then use that data to drive decisions.

Alex and I met at VETCON 2017 in March, where he competed against several other veteran entrepreneurs for $10,000 in funding.  It was his first “official” pitch but he’s be informally promoting Polco for a few years now.

Alex graduated high school in 2004 and driven by the events of 9/11 decided he wanted to serve his country.  After hearing about the Air Force academy from a friend he decided it would be the best place to challenge himself, not just physically but academically as well.  Once he graduated and was pinned a 2nd lieutenant in the Air Force he was accepted to grad school.  He attended Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government where he earned his Masters in Public Policy, focusing on International and Global Affairs.

He spent his operational time in the Air Force deployed to Germany where he acted in an advisory role to the Joint Terminal Attack Controllers stationed there within the US Army.  He later returned to the Air Force Academy as an instructor in Political Science.  It’s here that he meets Nick Mastronardi, a fellow Air Force officer and instructor.  From their discussions while teaching at the academy the groundwork would be laid for developing the idea that turns into Polco.

I’ll let you listen to the rest of his story in the interview.  Some of the main topics we cover are:

  • What it was like to attend and pitch his company at VETCON, a conference specifically for veteran entrepreneurs.
  • The biggest strength he took from the military and applied to his civilian career and entrepreneurship.
  • His decision to leave an amazing career at Google to join in on building a company from the ground up.
  • How Polco educates city officials and helps bridge the divide between constituents and those making policy decisions.
  • Examples of policies the Polco platform has helped cities develop and vote on.
  • Much more…

Links from the show:

The Polco website – find out more, reach out, and try out a demo!

Alex’s book recommendation: Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise

Purchase a Veteranology Challenge Coin!

Veteranology on iTunes

Veteranology 025 Pt.2, Duane France

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We continue and conclude our interview with retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Duane France, discussing his transition out of the army and into mental health counseling.  In the second half of the interview we dive into:

  • How veterans sometimes hold themselves back by not allowing themselves to make an impact on others’ lives.
  • The cohort of 9/11 veterans, their strengths, and their impact.
  • The irrepressible sense of self tied to being a veteran, and where it fits in among our other ideas of who we are.
  • General Mattis’s mention of “Post-traumatic growth”
  • And much more…

By far though, my favorite portion of part 2 is discussing the importance of finding both meaning and purpose.  These two ideas come together and without one or the other we hamper our feeling of hope.  Duane breaks down the distinction between the two and gives examples of what life is like when you have one, but not the other.

Important Links:

Headspace and Timing Blog

The Family Care Center in Colorado Springs

Veteranology 025, Pt.1 – Duane France

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In episode 25 I’m joined in the studio by Duane France, a retired Sgt. 1st Class who has built a career as a mental health professional after leaving the Army.  Duane has continued to serve the veteran community in a myriad of ways.  He’s currently a mental health professional working at a private practice in Colorado Springs.  Second, he’s the Director of Veteran Services at The Family Care Center where he specializes in caring for veterans and their families.  Third, he manages a program that provides counseling to his local veteran court.  Finally, he writes the Headspace and Timing blog featured on VeteranMentalHealth.com.

In part 1, Duane and I discuss is time in service and how that experience pushed him towards a career in mental health counseling, while touching on the following topics:

  • The challenges that a serviceman can face when joining the military during wartime and how that can affect the course of their career and their perspective of what it means to serve, especially as their branch transitions to “peace-time” service.
  • How the constant high-speed training and deployment schedule can affect a transitioning veteran leaving the military.
  • How much I sucked at garrison life.
  • How we love going 0 to 60, but we’re horrible at going from 60 to 0.
  • The importance of being flexible and open to several possibilities when planning for your future career and lifestyle
  • How your sense of self shifts during the transition into civilian life.

There’s a lot of great storytelling in Part 1 and Part 2.  I hope you enjoy!

Important Links:

Headspace and Timing Blog

The Family Care Center in Colorado Springs

After Action #1 – Redmond Ramos

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Redmond Ramos revisits Veteranology to give an update on what he’s accomplished since our last chat during Veteranology #18.  Besides working on a Macy’s athletic wear campaign and booking more motivational speaking gigs, Red landed an opportunity that has me quite jealous.  He is one of the contestants on this season of The Amazing Race.

In this quick 20 minute episode Red shares a bit of what’s going on behind the scenes of the race, his partnership with fellow racer Matt Ladley, and how they used smiling to hide their true thoughts while competing against the other teams.

The 29th season of The Amazing Race launched on CBS March 30th, and new episodes premiere every Thursday at 10/9 central.

The Amazing Race‘s website.

Redmond and Matt’s bio videos for the show.