Episode 509: “Headshot” Don Bradley, former Special Forces operator, CIA contractor

For many, Donnie Edwards is known as a gridiron grinder. A fourth round draft pick out of UCLA who played for thirteen seasons on the NFL — eight with the Kansas City Chiefs and six with the San Diego Chargers — Donnie earned a reputation for doling out hit and having hands. During his time in the NFL he logged 23.5 sacks and 28 interceptions, just nine short of the NFL record for most interceptions by a linebacker.But for all his football fame, Edwards has come to be known in veteran and military circles for his veterans organization, The Best Defense Foundation.The Best Defense Foundation's main focus is brining closure to WWII veterans by returning them to the battlefields where they once fought. Edwards and his foundation have helped hundreds of veterans return to battlefields from Normandy to Iwo Jima, some of whom had not set foot in those places since the war.The Best Defense Foundation has also added to its mantle a mission for Special Forces soldiers. Dubbed simply the Transition Program, Edwards and BDF reintegrate SOF soldiers by "combining concepts from the battlefield with ideas forged on the gridiron" through "unique retreats that preserve bonds of brotherhood while providing tools and services that equip and empower our veterans to move forward."Tune in to this week's episode to learn more about the Best Defense Foundation and hear tales from the ground from gridiron great Donnie Edwards. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

23 Loka 202055min

This week we welcome historian and author Paul Bruno to the show.Paul is an early Jeep historian who has just released a new book with MFM Publishing called The Original Jeeps, the true story of how the US Army created the Jeep some 80 years ago.He has spent more than 20 years researching, writing and studying early Jeep history. He visited key sites in this story, including the United States National Archives, and combined his knowledge of project management and history in his first book, Project Management in History: The First Jeep, published in 2014. The Original Jeeps further tells the story of early Jeep history and continues his journey into the depths of this important inspirational work of human ingenuity.Any historian, automotive buff, Jeep fan, or World War II enthusiast will love what he has to say. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16 Loka 202050min

In this week's episode we rolled up our sleeves with Jay Dobyns, a tough-as-nails undercover federal agent who served for twenty-seven years before retiring in 2014.He achieved worldwide notoriety as one of history's most daring undercover operators during high-octane missions targeting America's violent crime. Often playing the role of a shrewdly-calculating hitman or mob debt collector infiltrating scores of deadly criminal enterprises while living among street and prison gangs, anti-government extremists, gunrunning groups, drug traffickers and organized crime members, bomb builders, home invasion robbery crews and "murder-for-hire" suspects.A defense attorney once described Jay as: "...a government-trained ‘Predator’ repeatedly sent on seek and destroy missions in search of drugs, guns and violence, with instructions to succeed at any cost and without regard for the agent himself or those he crosses paths with.”Jay is perhaps best known for his landmark effort against the notorious Hells Angels. He was the first-ever lawman to defeat the gang’s multilayered security measures getting inside to become a member of their legendary Skull Valley charter.Jay's book about that investigation - No Angel, My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of the Hells Angels - is a New York Times and international bestseller.His follow-up book - Catching Hell, A True Story of Abandonment and Betrayal - is a bestselling memoir that details the events of his life and career. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

9 Loka 202053min

During his heyday, Pablo Escobar and the Medellin cartel were pushing an estimated 70-80 tons of cocaine into the U.S. every month. DEA agents Javier Peña and Steve Murphy were stationed in Colombia and were assigned to take down Escobar and the Medellin cartel.Many Americans had no idea who Murphy and Pena were until the Netflix series “Narcos” was released. And although the series, like all Hollywood films, took some liberties with the true story, it finally brought Murphy and Pena to the forefront.The DEA agents worked in Medellin out of the police force base and were part of the Search Bloc (Bloque de Búsqueda), the CNP’s Special Operations unit in charge of the search for Escobar. The task force also included members of Delta Force, Navy SEALs, NSA, and CIA. It was the CIA that both Murphy and Peña remember as being as much at odds with the DEA as it was with the cartel. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Loka 20201h 7min

Kristofer Goldsmith is the chief investigator and associate director for policy and government affairs at Vietnam Veterans of America, a congressionally-chartered veterans service organization. There he has been leading efforts to study the targeting of troops and veterans online for the purposes of fraud and disinformation campaigns by foreign entities. Kris's policy portfolio at VVA centers around "New Veterans," covering a broad range of issues from healthcare to education, and military personnel policy to post-service employment opportunities for veterans.He is the founder of High Ground Veterans Advocacy, a small nonprofit organization which trains veterans to engage successfully with government on policy changes meant to improve the lives of servicemembers, veterans and their families. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

25 Syys 202052min

Moe Davis is a retired Air Force Colonel, Director of the Air Force Judiciary and former Chief Prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay. Col. Davis has been a law professor, judge, speaker, writer, and national security expert for Congress.He graduated from Appalachian State and North Carolina Central School of Law. Shortly after he passed the bar exam, his father died of a heart attack. In part to honor his father, Davis decided to join the Air Force, the start of a 25-year career of service in the military.In 2007, while serving as Chief Prosecutor for Terrorism Trials at Guantanamo Bay, Col. Davis dared to publicly take on the Bush Administration. He refused an order to use evidence obtained through torture, believing it was both immoral and illegal and the evidence unreliable. That decision came at a price; to uphold his principles and maintain his oath, Col. Davis had no choice but to resign his prestigious position as Chief Prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay.For his stand against torture and the political pressure placed on prosecutors at Guantanamo, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) honored Col. Davis by including him in, “Those Who Dared: 30 Officials Who Stood Up For Our Country.”That was not the last time Col. Davis stood up for what he believed was right. In 2009, after retiring from the Air Force, he was working as an assistant director and senior specialist in national security for the Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress. But when he wrote an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal that was critical of the Obama Administration’s handling of prosecutions at Guantanamo Bay, Col. Davis was fired.Col. Davis is currently running for election to the U.S. House to represent North Carolina's 11th Congressional District.If you haven’t already, be sure to join our community at SOFREP and find the best tactical equipment and apparel in our store, The Loadout Room. Support our veteran team and be sure to subscribe to this podcast and leave us a review!Editor's note: This episode was recorded on September 4th, 2020. Due to technological issues, the quality of some portions of this podcast is low. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 Syys 20201h 12min

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11 Syys 202042min

General Don Bolduc served as Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force commander and from 2012-2013 as Commander of the Combined Joint Special Operations Component in Afghanistan where he logged ten deployments. Today, General Bolduc is running for New Hampshire State Senate. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

28 Elo 20201h 12min