Gene Yu, Former Green Beret, Author of The Second Shot and CEO of Blackpanda Group

If you've been following Newsrep, or any news covering the special operations community for that matter, you're well aware of the arrest in Haiti of former U.S. Navy SEALs Chris Osman, Chris McKinley (who previously went by Chris Heben,) as well as former U.S. Marine Ken Kroeker. These three and several other men were hired as contractors in Haiti working security for the central bank. Due to the massive instability within the government there, matters were handled very poorly and you'll hear how this led to the arrest and eventual release of these men who are now back in the United States. We shoot down some of the wacky conspiracy theories going around since the news hit, and break down what we know so far. Following the discussion we get to our featured guest for Episode 433, Chief Master Sergeant Mike Lampe, a man who was there during the primitive years of Air Force special operations. Previously on Episode 391, Mike joined us to discuss his origin story and Vietnam service. This appearance we get into the next stages of his career, specifically his service in Desert One during the Iranian hostage crisis. As you'll hear though, we still have a lot more to cover in this man's career spanning three decades, so be on the lookout for a part 3. We hope you enjoy, and if you do, be sure to leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

22 Helmi 20191h 36min

In 1975 a military man by the name of Ba Van Nguyen took the huge risk of boarding a Chinook CH-47 with his family to escape the communist soldiers of North Vietnam. He had no solid plan but knew he had to get his family out, and things somehow came to fruition once he encountered a Navy ship helping other refugees looking for a new life. The story of Ba Van Nguyen is an incredible one, and we are honored to be joined this episode by his son, Miki Nguyen who relays this story from the eyes of a six year old boy at that time, up until the last years of Ba's life where he got the chance to reunite with those men of the USS Kirk and salute them for their service. Miki got to tell this story in the 2015 Oscar nominated film "Last Days in Vietnam," as well as in the book he authored, "My Father the Badass: An inspiring real-life story of a true HERO." Be sure to check those out after you listen to this in-depth discussion. Also, you've heard us talk about Hurricane Media's first ever short film "Big Mountain Heroes" pushing the positive agenda of "thrills before pills" where special operations military veterans you know from the podcast ski and snowboard the French, Swiss, and Italian Alps. We even had the guys in studio to reflect on the adventure back on Episode 290, and if you're a Spec Ops Channel member (which we highly recommend) you've already enjoyed the film. For the rest of you, we have some great news, and that's the film now becoming available to stream in it's entirety on Youtube. So be sure to check out this incredible footage captured in HD, and spread the word! https://kcts9.org/programs/vietnam-war-40th-anniversary/finding-new-life-northwest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3wNTrvdqgk&t= Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

20 Helmi 20191h 44min

Actor Max Martini has been seen in some amazing hit films, including many in the military/war category such as “13 Hours,” “Captain Phillips,” and “Saving Private Ryan.” It’s no shocker that we’ve gotten plenty of requests to get him as a guest to the podcast, and we’re excited to bring him on for the first time. His latest film “Sgt. Will Gardner” not only follows the story of a veteran struggling to transition to civilian life played by Max, but 30% of the proceeds are going to some amazing charities he’s involved in. These charities are focused on the mission of helping veteran homelessness, PTSD, and TBI. Max not only stars in the film, but he wrote and directed this, and it was truly a passion project which he hopes to make an impact with for a cause he feels so strongly about. Although Martini credits the VA with helping many veterans, he often hears about where they may be failing, and he discusses this with us. “Sgt. Will Gardner” will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on February 19th, so pre-order it now, and you’ll be able to check it out before you know it as we’re only a few days away from it’s release. You can follow Max on Twitter and Instagram @MaxMartiniLA. Let him know what you thought of the interview. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16 Helmi 201945min

We cover quite a lot of material on this episode of SOFREP Radio. To start off the show, our friend Fred Galvin is back on with us, this time with some more unfortunate news due to the recent death of Congressman Walter Jones. For those who don’t know, Jones was instrumental in helping Fred and his men that were a part of MARSOC 7 become vindicated. As you’ll hear Marine Corps Major Galvin say, Jones personally vowed to him in what was expected to be his final term in office, that he would fight to clear their names. He kept his promise. From there, friend of the show and former Air Force PJ, BK joins us. Many of you know BK from his writings, his podcast, and of course, his hammering of social justice warriors and #WokeVets via Twitter. Well, after several suspensions, BK has now been tossed off the platform and is forced to Tweet under a new account (which you can follow @BKActualPodcast.) We have a funny yet thought provoking discussion about the de-platforming of figures on social media and whether or not it tends to be politically driven. As usual, BK’s appearances are not for the easily offended. Last we end on an urgent note. Another friend of the show, Rob Trivino, is in need of your help. The former Special Missions Unit operator recently suffered a life altering condition that is sure to cost his family a great sum of expenses. A GoFundMe has been set up by those verified to be close with Rob, and he needs your help in reaching their goal. In great news, as of now, over $60K has been raised for the former operator, so let’s get this audience engaged and put them over the finish line. Rob fought for us, let’s fight for him. https://www.gofundme.com/robert-quotratquot-trivino? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

13 Helmi 20191h 15min

We begin this show with a dedication to a previous guest many of you may remember, a Navy SEAL Master Chief by the name of Ron Bellan. You may know him from his show Survive the Hunt, his company Reaper Outdoors, as well as his appearances on this podcast during episodes 126 and 139. Unfortunately, the massive warrior who sported an eye patch left us this week at 49 from a heart attack. Ron spent over half his life in the military, and we salute his life and service. Our featured guest is a good one. Marc Yablonka has written a great deal about the Vietnam war and is certainly a historian on the subject. His latest piece of work is the book “Vietnam Bao Chi: Warriors of Word and Film,” and as you’ll hear Marc discuss, the book is a first of it’s kind in it’s own right. Much has been written and filmed regarding the Vietnam war, including the stories from journalists who were there and covered it. This book differs however, because it details the accounts of those that actually served for the military as war correspondents both as writers and photographers. Each chapter is an account from a different individual that was there at the time. One of them being a previous guest, Jim Morris. You can see all of Marc’s great work online at his site, WarStoriesPress.com. Pick up the book! Also on this episode we dig into the latest happenings regarding a previous plea deal with convicted pedophile and billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. We discuss the large and tangled web of this perverse character and his ties to The Clinton’s as well as President Donald Trump. It’s a messy story to put it mildly. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 Helmi 20191h 25min

For the past several years, former Marine and editor here at Hurricane Media Nick Coffman has been writing in-depth about the true story behind the men known as MARSOC 7. Much of what he wrote was from information relayed to him from the commanding officer of these men, Marine Corps Major Fred Galvin. While Galvin was still in the fight to clear his name, we had him join us previously on Episodes 198 and 206. You can go back to these episodes as well as Nick Coffman’s many articles covering what went down through court documents and testimony to learn the full backstory. Galvin joins us on this episode to speak of the good news of MARSOC 7’s name being cleared with this recent vindication. He expands on the unfair perception of what went down that was painted by the media and many political leaders. Galvin hopes to continue his career with The Marine Corps from here, and we get into that as well. We also get his take on the more recent charges of war crimes against Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, as well as a discussion on China which we hope to expand upon for a future episode with Fred. We recorded this episode prior to learning of the death of Navy SEAL Ron Bellan. We learned about this through social media and do not have any further details at this time. Ron was a previous guest of this podcast on Episodes 126 & 139. He was a great man I had the pleasure of meeting at SHOT Show and we here at Hurricane Media are deeply saddened learning of this information. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

6 Helmi 20191h 40min

Doug Kechijian is the CEO of Resilient Performance Systems, a small business based out of New York that prides itself on helping others to achieve their physical goals through it’s focus on sports medicine, performance training, education, and consulting. Prior to receiving his education in physical therapy and co-founding the company, Doug served as a Air Force PJ providing troops with technical rescue capability and emergency medical care while deployed. It’s often said that we don’t have many Air Force Pararescue guys on the show, so much of the 2+ hours of this episode is devoted to hearing from Doug about what guys from his military background do exactly. Growing up in Manhasset, NY, Doug was also a personal friend of James Regan. As many of you know, Regan was a revered Army Ranger killed in action while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. You’ll get to hear about their adolescence together and exactly what type of a guy that Sgt. James Regan was. He is dearly missed over a decade later. We also get into the physical fitness end of things including Doug’s philosophy on PT and overall health. Also on this episode is Loadout Room writer Rex Nanorum. Rex gives us a recap of SHOT Show 2019, what was new, and some of the badass gear now on his wish list. He also recaps Crate Club‘s exclusive Oasis for Villains party that took place there. We get some laughs as well hearing the hilarious story behind why Rex doesn’t use his real name when writing. Crank it up and enjoy! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Helmi 20192h 2min

Michael Broderick is a United States Marine Corps veteran serving from 1986 to 1990 as a logistics/embarkation specialist with Marine Light/Attack Helicopter Squadron 167. Broderick's true passion however, has always been acting, and he's very excited to have landed his biggest role to date as Special Agent John Bowen on the third season of HBO hit series "True Detective." Not only do we get into Michael's history growing up in New Jersey, joining the Corps, and becoming an actor, but we also get into his passion giving back with veterans organizations like GallantFew, and being the father of a special needs child soon entering young adulthood. Although Michael's on the West Coast, we luckily were able to get him from a studio over there, so you'll hear a crystal clear connection like he's in the room with us. ...Pretty cool! As usual with SOFREP Radio, we also get into some interesting territory outside of our featured interview discussing various vivid dream stories, and also get into some great emails from you guys, the listeners, sent to sofrep.radio@sofrep.com. Be sure to check out True Detective on HBO which airs Sundays at 9 PM EST. People are raving about this season, and we hope to have Michael back on soon! As always, also be sure to check out PelicanCoolers.com and score a free 22 oz tumbler with your order when you add it to your cart from the drinkware section and use the promo code "SOFREP." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

31 Tammi 20191h 37min