Unbreakable Will: Paralympian & Marine Rob Jones on Resilience After War

On this week's podcast SOFREP senior editor and SOFREP Radio host Steve Balestrieri interviews Mike Durant.Mike was famously in Operation Gothic Serpent in Mogadishu. During the operation, his Black Hawk helicopter was shot down by Somali militias. The event was featured in the Black Hawk Down book and movie.Mike spent 22 years in the military, the majority of them as a Night Stalker of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. He is now running for the U.S. Senate in Alabama.Mike Durant talks about what led him to join the military, and his first experience flying in a helicopter. After going to flight school, Mike managed to get the only Black Hawk slot. At first, flying the new and iconic bird with all its gadgets and gizmos was as if flying a space shuttle.Mike also talks about Somalia and recounts the events of that fateful day and the heroic actions of Delta Force members Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart. Yet, he highlights that Operation Gothic Serpent was a tactical success but a political failure.Steve and Mike then switch to politics. Mike tells us why he decided to run for office: and from Afghanistan to vaccine mandates and career politicians who have no real-life experience there are plenty of reasons to do so.As Mike says, the only way to know if you can make a difference is by getting in the fight.You can find out more about Mike Duran's candidacy at https://mikedurant.com/.Join us for another episode of SOFREP Radio with Steve Balestrieri! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Marras 202146min

In this week's podcast SOFREP Editor-in-Chief Sean Spoonts talks with Taylor Grieten a former Navy Search and Rescue (SAR) swimmer and creator of Hell or High Seas. Hell or High Seas is a documentary that depicts the journey of Taylor Grieten and writer Stephen O'Shea as they sail around Cape Horn, which, as Sean points out, is the most perilous sea route in the world. But at the same time, Hell or High Seas is also a journey of recovery and healing from PTSD.Sean was also a Navy SAR swimmer, so he and Taylor recount stories from SAR selection and the hardships candidates have to endure to graduate.The SAR community is a very small one. Whenever a SAR swimmer is lost his loss affects the whole community. This isn't easy as Sean and Taylor highlight.PTSD is a plague. Taylor, through Hell or High Seas, shows that PTSD can be beaten.But the journey, literally and figuratively, was a hard one. Taylor and Stephen endured a multitude of dangers from pirates to storms. Yet, their perseverance and courage allowed them to overcome. Now, Taylor wants to inspire other veterans and military members to do so.Taylor also serves the veteran community through his American Odysseus Sailing Foundation. The foundation is a non-profit organization that provides relief to veterans through sailing training and expeditions.You can find out more about the documentary as well as rent or buy it at https://www.hellorhighseas.com/.Tune in for another memorable and touching SOFREP Radio episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 Loka 202155min

In this week's episode SOFREP senior editor and SOFREP Radio host Steve Balestrieri talks with John Pomfret and Fred Hart about how Polish spies saved Operation Desert Storm.John is an award-winning journalist and author. Among other publications, he has worked for the Associated Press and Washington Post eventually becoming the editor of the Post's weekend opinion section. He has written and worked extensively on China. His latest book is the upcoming From Warsaw with Love: Polish Spies, the CIA, and the Forging of an Unlikely Alliance. The book tells the unlikely story of how Poland saved Operation Desert Storm and the first Gulf War. As the U.S. was planning Operation Desert Storm, six American officers became trapped in Iraq. If the intelligence they carried were captured by the Iraqis the upcoming operation could be doomed. To rescue the officers the CIA turned to Poland, famous for its excellent spies.Fred Hart was one of the six trapped U.S. officers and he recounts to Steve the exciting events that led to their escape. Join us for a gripping episode of SOFREP Radio with John Pomfret and Fred Hart and discover the unknown story that determined Operation Desert Storm. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16 Loka 20211h 1min

On this week's podcast episode SOFREP senior editor and SOFREP Radio host Steve Balestrieri along with SOFREP Editor-in-Chief Sean Spoonts talk with Jay Collins. Jay is a Special Forces combat medic veteran and Republican candidate for Congress with Florida's 14th Congressional District.Jay Collins spent two decades as a Green Beret and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. In the fight, he lost his leg. Nevertheless, he recovered, returned to active duty, and tremendously served in the Green Berets for nearly six more years.Jay's Special Forces Selection was unique. He was part of the infamous Ice Storm Class of November 2002, one of the very rare occasions when SERE school had to be shut down.The experience of Selection imparted Jay with the valuable lesson of leaving things better than how you found them.In sharing tales of Special Forces classes with Jay, Steve recounts a hilarious story of Green Berets pretending to be NASA candidates. After all, everything can happen in Selection.Jay also shares the awesome story of how he performed surgery on his own arm during deployment.Since Jay is running for Congress, the conversation also turns to politics. Jay usefully reminds the audience that what unites us is less than what separates us. America will only be strong and healthy through unity. That is, after all, the American way.As Jay says, it's not about the red nor the blue; it's about the red, white, and blue.You can find more about Jay Collins's campaign at https://www.jaycollinsforcongress.com/. Join us for another exciting episode of SOFREP Radio with Steve Balestrieri and Sean Spoonts! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Loka 20211h 15min

On this week's special podcast SOFREP Senior Editor and SOFREP Radio host Steve Balestrieri talks with George Hand IV, better known as "Geo" among his many readers and fans.Geo was a member of 1st and 7th Special Forces Groups before joining the tip of the American military's spear, the Delta Force. Geo stayed in the Unit until his retirement from the Army.His civilian career has taken him to many places from working for the Department of Energy in the Nevada Desert to tracking down human traffickers to writing for such sites as SOFREP, WE ARE THE MIGHTY, Sandboxx, and contributing expert commentary to Business Insider.From traversing Morocco on camelback to visiting Auschwitz to training SEALs on breaching techniques the interview is filled with exciting details of Geo's military and civilian life.Steve and Geo also talk about Geo's book Brothers of the Cloth. The book is a collection of short stories from Geo's days in the Unit. The stories focus on and memorialize Geo's brothers in Delta Force making Brothers of the Cloth perhaps the definitive account of life in Delta Force. The book is elevated by Geo's inimitable writing style, which accentuates both the lighthearted and the more poignant moments of the stories.You can visit Geo's website at https://georgehand.org/.Join us for a very special episode with a dear friend. Thank you, Geo! Editor's Note: We would like to apologize to our listeners as, due to a production issue, small sections of the interview have an echo. But don't worry! You'll be able to hear Geo loud and clear throughout! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

25 Syys 20211h 2min

On this week's podcast episode SOFREP Senior Editor and SOFREP Radio host Steve Balestrieri talks with Chris Wallace the host of Fox News Sunday and the author of the recently released book Countdown Bin Laden, the Untold Story of the 247-day Hunt to Bring the Mastermind of 9/11 to Justice.Chris Wallace's book details the 247-day hunt for the head of al-Qaeda after the CIA located the courier that he was using to communicate with his operatives around the world. Talking to Steve, Chris Wallace highlights the contrast between the bungled handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal and the events at Kabul Airport with the series of successes that led to tracking down, positively identifying, and eliminating Osama bin Laden. In recounting these, Chris's book is a celebration of American capabilities. As Steve says, the hunt for bin Laden is a case study of everything going right.Chris relates how Rob O'Neill, the veteran SEAL Team Six who took out bin Laden, told him that it was a "one-way mission;" the uncertainties were just that many.As Steve points out, the book can be considered a historical thriller. Although we know the ending, this doesn't detract from the tension that the participants in the events felt. And through Chris Wallace's expert writing the reader feels the same tension.Chris also emphasizes how tracking down bin Laden became a top priority for President Obama, despite common perception.Nevertheless, the book isn't only about the operational aspects of the mission. It also portrays the emotional impact it had on the families of 9/11 victims. This is done by telling the story of New York police officer Jessica Ferenczy, whose fiancee was a NY City police officer killed during 9/11. Join us for another episode of SOFREP Radio with Steve Balestrieri and Chris Wallace and find out the process that led to this highly recommended book. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17 Syys 202134min

On this week's podcast episode SOFREP Senior Editor and SOFREP Radio host Steve Balestrieri talks with author and helicopter pilot veteran Colin P. Cahoon.Before becoming an author, Colin was an Army officer and pilot of UH-1 and OH-58 helicopters in which he accumulated more than 1,000 flight hours.Steve talks with Colin Cahoon about his latest book Mended Wings: The Vietnam War Experience Through the Eyes of Ten American Purple Heart Helicopter Pilots. Colin talks about his inspiration behind Mended Wings and his wish to honor the Vietnam War era helicopter pilots and all that they gave to the next generation of helicopter pilots.This was Colin's first non-fiction book, nevertheless, the jump from fiction to non-fiction was made easier through the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots' Association (VHPA). Through VHPA, Colin was able to locate Vietnam-era Purple Heart pilots and tell their stories for posterity.Colin also talks about the strong cohesion of the aviation units and the particular experience of Vietnam veterans that set them apart from others.Mended Wings is an incredible page-turner about a group of heroic aviators and their accomplishments. You can order the book here.Join us for another episode of SOFREP Radio! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 Syys 202150min

On this week's podcast SOFREP Senior Editor and SOFREP Radio host Steve Balestrieri speaks with his former Green Beret commander in Panama and Special Forces Colonel (Ret.) Kevin Higgins.Colonel Higgins is a subject-matter expert on Latin America, so the two talk about Special Forces operations and involvement in Latin American from 1962 to the present day.Colonel Kevin Higgins recounts his professional history and deployments in Latin America while interconnecting his narrative with the development of American foreign policy in the region.Join us for another enthralling and informative SOFREP Radio episode.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

28 Elo 20211h 15min