Hazard Ground

This week...Marine and bestselling author of "Echo in Ramadi," Scott Huesing returns! Scott was first on the show before "Echo in Ramadi" was released (Ep. 50), and now he returns to pick up where he left off. This episode focuses on the human condition and the idea of human connection through war and the bonds of the military. It's really what the book "Echo in Ramadi" is all about - the immeasurable strength of the human spirit! Check it out! www.echoinramadi.com | www.savethebrave.org...

What lengths would you go to, to change the world...to inspire others to change the world? Alex Evans, along with three other military veterans, is rowing a boat across the Atlantic Ocean to do just that. He's part of the 1st all-American Military veteran team - aptly titled "Fight Oar Die" - that will race across the Atlantic Ocean in December 2018, in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge - a race that has challenged individuals and teams from around the world for years. Their goal is...

It's hard to put into words the magnitude of Joe Getherall's service to country from the time he enlisted in the Marine Corps to his retirement as a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. One thing is certain though, he embodies the qualities that every great leader should and needs to possess: selfless service, humility, mental-toughness, and courage under fire. He displayed those attributes during his three tours in Vietnam. Known as the "Iceman," he was wounded three times...

Don't ever say that a little anger can't be turned around for good. Matthew Betley is living proof that a whole lotta disdain for something, if re-directed in the right way, can lead to something pretty amazing. He took his anger, specifically for a highly-recommended international spy thriller he decided to start reading on vacation, but just couldn't finish because it was so poorly written, and turned it into an action-thriller book series of his own. Before that though, he spent ten...

Thinking he would go to college & follow a much different path, Alex Juedes ended up "dropping out" to follow in his father's footsteps & become a Marine. He loved being a Marine in fact. But, on January 25, 2014, Alex Juedes was manning an MRAP gun turret in Afghanistan when an RPG slammed into the feed tray of his machine gun. Immediately, his right hand was gone and he was bleeding from shrapnel piercing his femoral artery. Alex made it out of Afghanistan alive though, but would never...

If you’ve ever wondered what the power of the mind looks like, and you’re also looking for some inspiration, then this is the episode for you! John Timar is a former Navy SEAL, who is now the Chief Sales Officer for Kill Cliff, a leading clean hydration and sports nutrition brand for elite athletes. John is also a successful, long-time entrepreneur. As a young man he set his sights on becoming a Navy SEAL despite the many naysayers along the way. In this episode John takes us through the...

This week we step off the beaten path and cover an oft-forgotten operation, and the stellar career in special operations of Steve Dawson. Steve spent 25 years in the Army - most of those with Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and Special Forces. He spent the better part of his career as an operator with Delta Force. He also took part in the rescue operation of Kurt Muse, an American civilian living in Panama and held captive during Noriega's rule in Panama in the late '80s, also known as...

On April 11, 2011 former Marine, Brian Aft stepped on an IED in Kajaki, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, while on a routine foot patrol. The blast ended up taking both of his legs, and ultimately leading him down a very dark path. He turned to hardcore drugs to numb the pain, and simply get through every day life as a double amputee. Then one day he was approached by former NFL linebacker, David Vobora in a parking lot. Vobora approached Brian with such enthusiasm that Aft thought the giant...

Ryan Hepworth worked on some of the most intense trauma cases as an Army nurse. He knew he was going to experience those situations when he volunteered to work in combat trauma. A decision he says was based on a willingness to "know" the patients he was working on. Working in the combat hospital in Afghanistan brought him face-to-face with the worst that humans can do to one another in war. So much so that every time Ryan talks about his experiences in Afghanistan, his words take him back...

Richard Prince fought in one of the most horrific battles of Vietnam, and one that often gets overlooked. The battle for Hue City during the Tet Offensive of 1968 was an all-out grudge match & street fight that lasted for several weeks. Prince found himself fighting in one of the most hellish engagements of the battle, below the Dong Ba Tower at the city's imperial Citadel, where many Marines perished. During the fight, Prince was shot through the neck by a sniper, permanently damaging his...

This week we return with another episode with the living legend, Mike Vining. Mike has taken part in so many unique missions as an Operator and EOD Technician. And we cover a handful of those in this week's episode. From Vietnam to Presidential elections, to prison riots, to the bombing of Khobar Towers, Mike Vining brings you firsthand accounts of rare special missions, and some pretty intense moments on the ground and in the air. Check it out, on this Part II episode with Mike...

This week's episode is a little less about combat engagements, and more about another deadly threat amongst veterans: suicide. Master Sgt. Orlando Reyes served in three combat deployments to Iraq, but never faced a greater enemy than the one within. The stress from those deployments, the PTSD, and the failed relationships that resulted, drove Reyes to attempt to take his own life. Luckily for him, and others, he wasn't successful, and because of that, he's vowed to help save others from...

Wanting to do more for his country and serve in a time of war, Ben Kesling joined the Marine Corps to become an officer at the start of the Global War on Terror. As most conflicts do, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan changed him. But not in a way where he wanted to bury their memory, but more along the lines of understanding them and what effects they have on not just veterans coming home from war, but also those whose soil has been occupied. So, following his time in the Marine Corps, he...

We're back from a short hiatus, with an incredible guest! Retired Air Force Colonel Tommy Goode has led an unconventional career as an Air Force helo pilot. From the story behind how he made it into the flight program, to flying the rescue/recovery mission after the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, to now flying fire attack helicopters...Tommy Goode is no ordinary pilot. He's about as humble as they come, but when you hear him talk about his time in the air, you know he's the real deal!...

He completed five combat deployments between Iraq and Afghanistan as both an infantry Marine and Marine Special Operator. He has been awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star for Valor for actions on the battlefield during those deployments. He has seen the hellish, unlucky, and simply chaotic side of war, and lived to tell about it. After eight years of service, he left the Marine Corps to become a writer. Now Elliot Ackerman is an accomplished author, who has plenty of life experience to...

Facing a draft notice and challenged by his Marine father to prove his mettle, Jim Hackett signed up for the Marine Corps in 1967. The war in Vietnam was heating up considerably in the late '60s, and Jim Hackett the Marine - and a crack shot at that - was heading right for the meat grinder. Except a funny thing happened at boot camp graduation: Hackett wasn't immediately sent to the infantry. Instead, as a top graduate of his class, he was sent off to "Secret School" to learn how to track...

This week, in honor of Mother's Day, we have a very special guest. Dianne Layfield is the proud mother of Marine Lance Cpl. Travis J. Layfield, who was killed in action on April 6, 2004 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Dianne was gracious enough to sit down with us and share Travis' story, as well as talk about her journey coping with his passing, and experiencing some unexpected and amazing discoveries that followed. Parent or not, this is one episode everyone can take a little something...

What an absolutely amazing story! Driven by a keen interest in medicine & a desire to give back to his country, Karl Holt joined the Army to become a Green Beret medic. After several years of assessment, selection, & special forces training, Holt found himself in the heat of combat, putting his SF medic training to use. On one particular mission though, while trying to escape an overwhelming counterattack, the helicopter Holt was riding in crashed & literally fell out of the sky into a...

This episode with JC Glick could have gone on for hours...That's how good conversations with JC, especially those about leadership, can be. JC went from battle tested Army Ranger, serving over 11 combat tours between Iraq & Afghanistan, to leadership consultant, couch & author. He's been tested in just about every way imaginable, from making it through a difficult childhood to leading special operations soldiers at some of the highest levels in the US military in combat. And what came out of...

A combination of factors led Lewis Nelson to enlist in the Army after college - 9/11; a family history of military service; and a history degree with a job that was going nowhere. So Nelson enlisted to become a linguist, and after several years of specialized training found himself in Iraq on two separate deployments with the 101st Airborne Division. While deployed, Nelson ran the gamut of combat occupations, from intelligence collection, to running convoys, to helping combat arms soldiers...