Ep. 438 - Army Ranger Mike Schlitz

We often hear that there aren't nearly enough special operations vets or combat veterans running for political office, and if you're one of the many who feels that way, Dan Crenshaw is a guy you may want to get behind.  A Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander who lost his eye during an IED blast in Afghanistan, and still continued to serve, Dan truly is battle hardened.  Beyond that, he earned his Masters in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and went on to do some work in DC to prepare him to hopefully represent the people of the 2nd district of Texas.  We get into some of his policy positions, and what he thinks makes a leader in Washington. Jack Murphy also gets into his highly controversial latest investigative piece, "Dic Pic Six: The 7th Special Forces Group sex and blackmail network."  We read an e-mail sent to sofrep.radio@sofrep.com (we'd love to hear from you if you have any comments or questions you want read on air, keep it concise,) Throat Punch some of the people seeking political office in the upcoming midterm elections, and also wonder if Oprah is who we really need as the next person in The White House.  We're also gearing up for SHOT Show in Las Vegas and hope to see some of you Team Room members and premium Crate Club members at our annual event. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10 Jan 20181h 23min

It's been a long Fall season without him, but Jack Murphy is back in his regular seat, fresh off of the release of episode 1 of "Tesla's Death Ray: A Murder Declassified."  The show stars Jack, and it premiered on Discovery this past Tuesday.  We recap some major special operations stories, talk the reality of pushing the nuclear button (a piece Alex Hollings did a great job with for the site,) and Jack working on his memoir, officially being titled "Murphy's Law." Our special guest is Ed Darack, and he has a lot of thought provoking things to say on this episode.  Ed's a photographer and the author of "Victory Point: Operation Red Wings and Whalers - The Marine Corps' Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan," as well as his latest, "The Final Mission of Extortion 17: Special Ops, Helicopter Support, SEAL Team Six, and the Deadliest Day of the U.S. War in Afghanistan."  We discuss both of these books, and some of what's out there regarding these two major events that Ed dismisses as conspiracy.  For example, Ed gets into sources that led him to very strongly believe the ambush in Sawtalo Sar, Afghanistan described by Marcus Luttrell was at the hands of 7 guys, and not the 400 stated by the Navy SEAL.  We will let you be the judge of what went down after hearing Ed's rebuttal.  Ed also has written some recent great pieces for SOFREP including "The Objective Ginosa strike" which we highly recommend you check out. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5 Jan 20181h 39min

*Note: This episode was previously released in May to our members.* We pack a lot of great content into the third installment of our exclusive members podcast as Jack Murphy hosts in studio, and we are joined by Marine Corps network operator Nick Coffman, as well as Green Beret Derek Gannon. We start off with your email sent to sofrep.radio@sofrep.com, and talk about the protests against President Erdogan of Turkey visiting the White House and erupting in violence by members of Turkey’s secret service against peaceful protesters. This gets into an interesting discussion about diplomatic immunity. Derek Gannon jumps on with us for a live hit from SOFIC (Special Operations Forces Industry Conference) telling us all the latest innovations in special operations combat technology. The most prominent of which seems to be the Tactical Assault Light Operator suit (TALOS) which Derek describes as the real life “Iron Man suit” you’ve seen in the Marvel comics film starring Robert Downey Jr. With the TALOS suit weighing 400 lbs though, along with other major restrictions Derek gets into, it begs the question, will this really be effective in combat? Also on for his first appearance is Marine Nick Coffman who tells his story of faith and enlisting beside his childhood friend Sean Pinckney who served as an EOD Marine. Although this is Nick’s first appearance on the show, you may be familiar with his work that we get into. Those contributions include getting us the interviews we did with Marine Corps Major and first commanding officer of MARSOC Fred Galvin who was accused of war crimes. He gives us an update on that story along with future stories in the works. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Jan 20181h 40min

If you're a gear guy, you'll dig this one.  Jared Ross served as a Green Beret Weapons Sergeant, and currently runs Rockwell Tactical Group as the founder and head instructor, passing on his knowledge to those in the Central Pennsylvania region.  He started the company after his wife found herself in an emergency situation, and managed to not panic, utilizing the skills Jared taught her.  It made Jared realize that there was a high demand for this style of training from someone with his background.  Ross's most recent deployment was to Jordan which he gets into, and he also gives us an action-packed war story from his time serving in Iraq. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

29 Dec 201747min

Brigadier General A.J. Tata came back in studio with us, and is releasing yet another novel for 2017 as this year comes to an end.  It's called "Direct Fire" and it's the fourth installment in Tony's Jake Mahegan series.  It's a stand alone novel, so feel free to start with this latest one.  He tells us all about the concept this time around, and he drew some inspiration for it from the hacking field.  That's a subject many of our readers are familiar with.  Tata talks about fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming a fiction author, and the challenge of getting in the head of his characters as he writes.  Be sure to pick "Direct Fire" up, and there's even a link you'll see when you go to AJTata.com to gift the book to the men and women stationed overseas fighting on behalf of the U.S. As a former General, Tata's expertise lies in much more than just fiction writing of course.  So we also get his view on the latest with Iran and North Korea.  We talk about China handing down it's harshest sentence to date as well, giving eight years to a prominent human rights activist.  You'll also hear some pretty intense stories from Tata's days in the Army.  So strap in, and enjoy.  We look forward to having Tony back in studio, hopefully with Nick Irving, in May as they release their joint project "Reaper: Ghost Target." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 Dec 20171h 28min

Last month, SOFREP writer Luke Ryan wrote a heart tugging piece titled, "The American Dream in a foster kid turned Ranger" about the story of Curtis Albers.  It was a well received article, though shorter, so it was great to be able to speak more in-depth with Curtis on his life's story, it's a must listen.  Curtis talks about the abuse, racism, and unnecessary drugs he was prescribed, while being circulated from one foster home to another as a youth with his sister.  He then talks about becoming a Ranger, and while deployed, having to hear about the rape of his sister that occurred.  Curtis's story however does reveal some light at the end of a very dark tunnel, and it looks like it may be a story that will be brought to the big screen at some point. Jason and myself also read some rather critical emails sent to sofrep.radio@sofrep.com, and address them head on.  We also talk about the current administration's national security strategy that was laid out, as well as the recent attack in Melbourne.  We went really long this one, and we hope you get something out of it!  With that, we wish a very Merry Christmas to all of our listeners, especially those stationed overseas.  We've got your six. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

23 Dec 20172h 12min

Liz Carmouche (also known as Girl-Rilla) is not only a women's UFC fighter, but also served as a Marine aviation electrician with three tours of duty to the Middle East.  You'll hear Liz get into her background, her early experiences as a young athlete, and how growing up in Japan led to her motivation to serve in the Corps.  We also discuss her ventures with 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu in California.  Liz tells us about her drive to succeed, why she chooses not to be a trash-talker, and why she wasn't surprised with Ronda Rousey stepping away from the sport.  For those who don't know, Carmouche fought Rousey nearly five years ago at UFC 157 in Anaheim, California for the first ever women's UFC fight.  Jim West who hosts this episode with me also recaps his first ever street fighting class and seminar that was exclusively for Crate Club members, and also gets into his son having now left home for the U.S. Air Force.  We also discuss the benefits of fitness in general, both of us being guys who work out frequently.  Any questions?  Send them over to sofrep.radio@sofrep.com You can follow Liz Carmouche on Twitter and Instagram @IAmGirlrilla.  We hope to have her back on soon! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

20 Dec 20171h 25min

I just have got to say it, this may be one of the most interesting guests to ever come on the podcast.  When it comes to taking part in CIA operations that have truly influenced the course of modern day American history, and world history at large, few have the experience of Mr. Jack Devine.  Starting his career with the Agency from the late 60's and into the 90's, Jack was there for major global events like Iran-Contra, the fall of Chile's President, and the fight to push the Soviets out of Afghanistan.  Jack was also a close personal friend of Charlie Wilson who he describes as a patriot, and labels the film "Charlie Wilson's War" to be much more a work of fiction than most would have you believe. We get Devine's take on current events and figures like Edward Snowden, the investigation of former FBI director Robert Mueller, as well as the Iran nuclear deal and the dangers of a nuclear capable North Korea.  Devine is currently the President of The Arkin Group, and his latest book is "Good Hunting: An American Spymaster's Story."  You'll hear the shift Jack has seen of former CIA veterans going public, as well as the scary trend of guys with phony credentials claiming CIA and being given major platforms in the media.  Strap in, because you're about to learn a whole lot from this man. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Dec 20171h 26min