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Custom Jacks was founded by Veterans Andy Lynam and Scottie Stephens. Andy served in the US Coast Guard for four years and Scottie served five years with the US Marine Corps. Custom Jacks produces stu…

Custom Jacks was fou…

Custom Jacks was founded by Veterans Andy Lynam and Scottie Stephens. Andy served in the US Coast Guard for four years and Scottie served five years with the US Marine Corps. Custom Jacks produces stunning works of art that feature the American Flag and can be customized with a logo or other image. What makes their works unique is they are cut to present a three dimensional product that makes the flag appear to be fluttering in the breeze. The company name was derived from the Union Jacks that fly on the bow of our ships.Scottie was doing wood working part time and the idea for the Custom Ja…

The “Mighty Moo” was the nickname given by the crew to the light aircraft carrier USS Cowpens. At the time carriers were named after battles. While the Battle of Cowpens is a rather obscure revolu…

The “Mighty Moo”…

The “Mighty Moo” was the nickname given by the crew to the light aircraft carrier USS Cowpens. At the time carriers were named after battles. While the Battle of Cowpens is a rather obscure revolutionary war battle, a postcard from a local pharmacist convinced President Roosevelt to do so. The story of this scrappy little aircraft carrier is told in the book “The Mighty Moo; The USS Cowpens and Her Epic Journey from Jinx Ship to the Navy’s First Carrier into Tokyo Bay.” The book was written by professional intelligence analyst Nathan Canestaro as a tribute to his grandfather, who ser…

Never Home – Rich Sherman More than 521,000 Americans died fighting against tyranny and oppression during World War I and World War II.  About 207,000 of them never made it home – even in death.�…

Never Home – Rich …

Never Home – Rich Sherman More than 521,000 Americans died fighting against tyranny and oppression during World War I and World War II.  About 207,000 of them never made it home – even in death.  Their remains rest in 23 cemeteries spread across 8 countries on 3 continents. Cover of “Never Home: Remembering the Military Heroes Who Never Returned” Retired Navy Intelligence Officer now professional photographer Rich Sherman traveled to all 23 of these cemeteries over the course of six years. He has documented their final resting place in his book “Never Home; Remembering the Military…

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) just returned from a momentous nine month deployment in the Middle East during which they were engaged in one of the longest sustained sea combat periods for a US…

The USS Dwight D. Ei…

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) just returned from a momentous nine month deployment in the Middle East during which they were engaged in one of the longest sustained sea combat periods for a US aircraft carrier since World War II. Their commanding officer, Captain Christopher “Chowdah” Hill joins us to share how he maintained motivation and morale in the face of two extended deployment periods. Chowdah became a social media celebrity for his posts during the deployment. His original intent was just for family members back home to see their sailors. Things really “flexed” when Ho…

“Thank you for your service.” Those five words were a point of redemption in Beth Macy’s life. Beth was teaching math but was looking for something more. Her father was an airline pilot so Beth …

“Thank you for you…

“Thank you for your service.” Those five words were a point of redemption in Beth Macy’s life. Beth was teaching math but was looking for something more. Her father was an airline pilot so Beth explored the Air Force. Their quota was full, so she joined the Navy. She enlisted in 1976 while the Vietnam War was still fresh in everyone’s mind and military members were still unduly scorned. At the time, women in the Military still faced great challenges. A British officer took her aside and warned her that she would have to perform three times better than her male counterparts in order to …

Havok Journal owner Charles Faint joins us for an update. Havok Journal is my “go-to” website for all discussion military and first responder. We do a deep dive into three poignant (and somewhat r…

Havok Journal owner …

Havok Journal owner Charles Faint joins us for an update. Havok Journal is my “go-to” website for all discussion military and first responder. We do a deep dive into three poignant (and somewhat related) articles by former Army Ranger now law enforcement officer Jake Smith and Mike Warnock, Editor in Chief of the Havok Journal. In “Half Staff Flags”, Smith discusses his changed perspective on seeing flags flying at half staff. Where he once saw them as symbols of those fallen in war or civil servants lost, as a law enforcement officer he gained a new perspective. What he sees not is a …

“The Unvanquished” is the latest offering from military historian and multiple bestselling author Patrick K. O’Donnell.  He is recognized as a leading expert on America’s elite and special op…

“The Unvanquished�…

“The Unvanquished” is the latest offering from military historian and multiple bestselling author Patrick K. O’Donnell.  He is recognized as a leading expert on America’s elite and special operations units. All of his 13 books are based on this subject matter and his book “We Were One; Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah” is required reading for all Marines. Patrick says his topics “find him” and his latest is no different. While traveling he found a rusted old sign noting the location of the “Grapewood Farm Engagement”, a battle fought by Mosby’s Ran…

The Distinguished Flying Cross is our nation’s the fourth highest award for heroism and the highest award for extraordinary aerial achievement. The fact that Robert Lifsey was awarded four DFC medal…

The Distinguished Fl…

The Distinguished Flying Cross is our nation’s the fourth highest award for heroism and the highest award for extraordinary aerial achievement. The fact that Robert Lifsey was awarded four DFC medals is impressive.  Even more amazing is that the awards were presented over the course of only twelve months in Vietnam, along with a Bronze Star, a Republic of Vietnam Silver Star and four Airmen’s Medals with Valor. After receiving a draft notice, Bob enlisted in the Army. He chose to go to an airborne unit and completed training with the 7th Special Forces (Green Berets). However, orders for …

MARSOC is an abbreviation for Marine Forces Special Operations Command. While the Marines have fielded special operations forces before, (the “Raiders” conducted amphibious light infantry missions…

MARSOC is an abbrevi…

MARSOC is an abbreviation for Marine Forces Special Operations Command. While the Marines have fielded special operations forces before, (the “Raiders” conducted amphibious light infantry missions in World War II) there has always been some resistance within the Corps against establishing an elite unit within what many already consider an elite force. The “Raiders” were disbanded in 1944. However, after the 9/11 attacks, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld directed the Marine Corps to establish a “proof of concept” unit that would report to US Special Operations Command. John A. D…

Militaryfares.com President Scott Lara was working at the Kmart camera department when his supervisor asked him what he wanted to do with his life. Scott replied that he had no idea. His supervisor sa…

Militaryfares.com Pr…

Militaryfares.com President Scott Lara was working at the Kmart camera department when his supervisor asked him what he wanted to do with his life. Scott replied that he had no idea. His supervisor said “Well, join the Navy and see the world!” Scott DID enlist, serving from 1979 to 1988 as a radar man. Scott never traveled much as a young man but the Navy took him to Spain, Italy and France and would infect him with the Travel bug. He says he loved every minute of this time in the Navy but decided to leave because it was really tough on his wife and young children. When he left the Navy, h…

The 299th Combat Engineer Battalion was the only combat engineer unit to land on both Omaha and Utah beaches during the D-Day invasion. Some of the engineers landed before any other allied soldiers se…

The 299th Combat Eng…

The 299th Combat Engineer Battalion was the only combat engineer unit to land on both Omaha and Utah beaches during the D-Day invasion. Some of the engineers landed before any other allied soldiers set foot on the beaches earning them the nickname “First on Omaha”. Chief Warrant Officer James W. Tucker was among them. His daughter Jean joins us to share more about the “Famous 299th”. James commanded a group of eight armored tractors whose mission was to clear obstacles and open paths off the Normandy beaches. One third of the Combat Engineer Battalion that landed on Omaha beach was kil…

“In Strange Company” author Ronald Tiso, Jr. highlights the role played by allied partners in Iraq. Iraq is often thought of as “America’s longest war”, but troops from dozens of other count…

“In Strange Compan…

“In Strange Company” author Ronald Tiso, Jr. highlights the role played by allied partners in Iraq. Iraq is often thought of as “America’s longest war”, but troops from dozens of other countries made up the coalition forces. Colonel Tiso served as a war planner at US Central Command, and as Senior Military Advisor of the Arab Peninsula Shield Force and the Polish-led multinational division. He was also Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations of the Coalition military assistance Training Team tasked with developing the new Iraqi Army. Col. Tiso documents the challenges…

“Rough men” is a phrase used to describe the brave warriors who volunteer to stand the watch and do what is necessary to protect our nation, freedoms and families. It is drawn from the quote “Pe…

“Rough men” is a…

“Rough men” is a phrase used to describe the brave warriors who volunteer to stand the watch and do what is necessary to protect our nation, freedoms and families. It is drawn from the quote “People Sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”  Sergeant Major Charles Ritter certainly qualifies. Ritter is preparing to retire after a 26 year career in the military, a majority of it spent with the elite Green Berets. He has had 17 deployments, twelve of which were combat deployments. He has been awarded the Silver Star, Bronz…

Jeff Nelligan is an Army Veteran that is recognized as one of the foremost commentators in the world of American Parenting. His book “Four Lessons from My Three Sons; How You Can Raise Resilient Kid…

Jeff Nelligan is an …

Jeff Nelligan is an Army Veteran that is recognized as one of the foremost commentators in the world of American Parenting. His book “Four Lessons from My Three Sons; How You Can Raise Resilient Kids” spent four months on the Amazon Parenting Best Seller’s List. His works have also been cited in numerous parenting magazines. In addition to his Army Service, he formerly worked for three members of our US Congress and was twice a Presidential appointee. He currently works as a Senior Public Affairs executive in Washington, DC Jeff shares a shocking statistic. Seventy five percent of the ti…

Code Name Nemo was the name eventually given to one of the most daring and audacious missions of World War II – the effort to capture a German submarine intact. Charles Lachman joins us to share thi…

Code Name Nemo was t…

Code Name Nemo was the name eventually given to one of the most daring and audacious missions of World War II – the effort to capture a German submarine intact. Charles Lachman joins us to share this fascinating and still little known story. The capture of U-505 was the first time since the War of 1812 that an enemy vessel was boarded and captured. Lachman is the Executive Producer of the nationally syndicated news program “Inside Edition” and the author of four books. In Code Name Nemo, Lachman uses archival documents and taped interviews with actual crewmembers to give the reader a dee…

Alex Kershaw is one of the foremost authors writing on World War II subject matter, having written multiple best sellers.  He was born in York, England and taught history before becoming a journalist…

Alex Kershaw is one …

Alex Kershaw is one of the foremost authors writing on World War II subject matter, having written multiple best sellers.  He was born in York, England and taught history before becoming a journalist. He has written for various publications including the Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Sunday Times and the New York Times. His 2002 book “The Bedford Boys” became his first New York Times best seller. It tell the story of Bedford, Virginia, a small town that lost 21 of her sons during World War II, nineteen of them during the first minutes of D-Day.  His book “The Liberator” reco…

Belleau Wood is the site of one of the most storied battles in US Marine Corps lore. Marine Veteran Jason Angell gathered up his family and made a “pilgrimage” to this famous World War I battlefie…

Belleau Wood is the …

Belleau Wood is the site of one of the most storied battles in US Marine Corps lore. Marine Veteran Jason Angell gathered up his family and made a “pilgrimage” to this famous World War I battlefield. His experience is recounted in the Havok Journal article “A Pilgrimage to Belleau Wood”. Jason is a ten year Marine Corps Veteran with three deployments to Iraq. He and his wife felt strongly that their teen aged children should be exposed to the sacrifices made by two generations of Americans on their behalf. Following a visit to the American cemeteries in Normandy, they traveled to the B…

The Hazard Ground podcast was created by Mark Zinno to allow members of our military to share their stories of combat & survival and deliver inspirational stories about resilience. Mark was studyi…

The Hazard Ground po…

The Hazard Ground podcast was created by Mark Zinno to allow members of our military to share their stories of combat & survival and deliver inspirational stories about resilience. Mark was studying communications at Loyola University and joined the ROTC to help pay for his tuition. His original intent was to simply complete his four year commitment to Army and then 9/11 happened. He now has twenty five years of service in both the active duty and the National Guard, and currently holds the rank of Colonel in the Army Reserve. He had two deployments to Iraq. Mark also has over twenty years…