GRP 178-Those that know do, Those that understand teach: My conversation with Army Special Ops Vet Rick Hogg

You can access the full episode on Apple Podcast (Apple users), or Spotify(Android users). Be sure to like, share, subscribe, and download the episodes. Thank you. 

I sat down with Rick Hogg, a Special Operations combat veteran who served 29 years in the US Army and operates a training company called "War Hogg Tactical." Rick spent time in the infantry before assessing and being selected for Army Special Forces. Rick would deploy into combat 13 times working in various roles, including handling K-9s. His final deployments were to counter ISIS terrorists in Iraq.

Spending that much time in combat arms takes a mental and physical toll on a human being, and Rick advises current operators on dealing with some of these challenges. We discussed Master Sergeant Joe Andres, Rick's teammate, who was killed in action on December 24th, 2005, in Iraq, and once again, Rick gives incredible advice on how to deal with the loss of a loved one. We dived into running dogs in combat and how he and his teammates are alive today because of the skill of special operations K9s, particularly his dog Duco, who he retired from the Army. Rest in peace, Duco. 

Main Takeaways

• 82nd Airborne

• Special Forces

• Dealing with loss

• 13 combat deployments

• Falling out of a helicopter in combat

• K9s saving lives on the battlefield

• Advice to active military

All of Rick's links for social media and his podcast can be found on his website:

https://www.warhogg.com

This episode is sponsored by 4 Patriots, a survival food company. You can visit ⁠⁠www.4patriots.com⁠⁠ and use the code RECON for 10% off

Connect With John Hendricks

⁠⁠www.globalrecon.net⁠⁠

⁠⁠www.instagram.com/igrecon ⁠⁠

Music provided by Caspian:

⁠⁠www.caspian.band

GRP 87-Combat Concussions: The cause and effects of blast wave injuries on veterans of combat arms

 

Click the buttons below to access the full episode on ITunes (Apple users), or Sound Cloud (Android users). Be sure to like, share, subscribe, and download the episodes. Thank you.

GRP 87-We have a very special and powerful episode for you guys. Back on the podcast is retired SARC Dan Brown, and retired Army Special Operations veteran Kevin Tretter. Dan served with Force Recon and the Marine Raider Battalions as a highly trained Corpsman. Kevin started out as a Combat Engineer 12 Bravo then went into Special Forces as an 18 Charlie Engineer Sergeant. He got picked up by a special unit to serve as a heavy breacher. He then went back into Special Forces in the Commanders in Extremis Force (CIF) which is the counter terrorist arm of the Green Berets.

During his time in the CIF he survived a helicopter crash in Iraq eventually retiring after 20 years of service. This episode is important because we discussed Traumatic Brain Injury in a deep and honest way as both Dan and Kevin have brain injuries due to the culmination of training in tight spaces with live rifle fire, explosives, airplane jumps and combative training. They have both received blast injuries in combat. We talked the negative effects of having physical brain damage, and how the government protocols for diagnosing PTSD and TBI are flawed. Discussed the positive effects of Cannabis on healing brain injuries. We talked about some problems and solutions with veterans who don’t need care for TBI or PTSD taking advantage of the government and sucking up resources from service members who need the treatment.

0:00-Intro

4:48-Kevin Tretter’s background. Combat Engineer 12 Bravo. 18 Charlie (Engineer Sergeant) with 3rd Special Forces Group. Worked as a Heavy Breacher with a special unit within the Army Special Operations Command.

8:08- Tretter joined the Commanders in Extremis Forces. Survived a helicopter crash in Iraq.

9:25-Understanding the compounding struggles of all of the concussions. Prolonged exposure, retirement, and realization

14:20- Medical Marijuana and creative output.  

20:20-Issues with memory and placing memories in proper chronological order.  

25:08-Difference between sports concussions and concussions received by blast waves.

27:00-New York Times article on PTSD being misdiagnosed most likely being TBI. Area’s of the brain damaged by TBI.

32:29-Doctors misdiagnosing TBI, and not factoring the cumulative effects of the blast waves on the brain.

44:05-Servicemembers who claim PTSD falsely, sucking up resources for induvial who need it.  Solutions to fixing this issue.

1:02:28-Changing our approach to care for TBI. Potentially changing the name to Post Blast Wave Concussion Syndrome.

1:25:51-Finding a sense of purpose. Getting back to the basics. Utilizing creativity.

1:34:02-The positive effects of Cannabis on the brain, and the politics behind keeping Marijuana illegal when it heals.

Below are links for some of the articles referenced by Dan Brown during the podcast:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/magazine/what-if-ptsd-is-more-physical-than-psychological.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us/military-misconduct-ptsd.html

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/07/25/sports/football/nfl-cte.html

Hemingway's Brain

http://whqr.org/post/coastline-hemingways-suicide-incorrectly-attributed-alcoholism-and-bipolar-disorder#stream/0

Brain/Vestibular Therapy in Dallas

http://cerebrum.com/

CBD/Canabis for Seizures sited research studies within article

https://www.projectcbd.org/article/medical-marijuana-seizures-sulak-saneto-goldstein

Penn State Neuroscientist and Engineers find link between Seizures and Migraines

http://news.psu.edu/story/332549/2014/10/30/research/link-seen-between-seizures-and-migraines-brain

Hormone therapy for TBI

http://waftbi.org/

Introduction audio is from the NRA series “Patriot Profiles” with Army Special Operations veteran Scot Spooner speaking: https://www.nratv.com/series/patriot-profiles/episode/patriot-profiles-season-3-episode-11-forward-march

Kevin Tretter:

https://warriorwoven.com

https://www.instagram.com/warrior_woven

Dan Brown:

The Dangerzone Podcast on Sound Cloud, ITunes, and YouTube.

https://www.instagram.com/danielthebarbarian

Global Recon:

www.Globalrecon.net

https://www.instagram.com/igrecon

https://www.instagram.com/blackopsmatter

www.twitter.com/igrecon

https://www.facebook.com/GlobalReconPodcast/

Chantel Taylor:

https://www.instagram.com/mission_critical

https://www.instagram.com/altern8rv

GRP 59-Cultural Support Teams, Adversity, Cancer Survivor

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GRP 59- Co-hosting for this week's podcast is Tim Kolczak the creator of the Veterans Project. Tim was recording from the house of an American warrior who survived the Bataan Death March during World War 2. Tim's featuring this gentleman on his next project which will come out soon. It's very good. Our guest for this week is retired Army veteran, Mylee Cardenas. Mylee worked in several capacities throughout her Army career. She made her way into the Cultural Support Teams, a program that put women alongside Special Operations units in Afghanistan to assist in intelligence gathering and other aspects of the mission because of the culture sensitivity of Afghanistan. We talk about dealing with adversity and how to overcome it. Mylee discovered a lump in her breast while on deployment in a combat zone in which it was discovered to be stage 3 breast cancer. Below is an excerpt:

John: You've been in the Special Operations community for a few years now. There was a need in Afghanistan because of the cultural differences to have women alongside Special Operators to deal with the women and children and to handle other facets, working in several capacities as the strategy was changing. Eventually, you signed up for the special job?

Mylee Cardenas: 2009 I was voluntold to go to the school house at FT. Brag. The good idea fairy visited some people in SOCOM. For a while, in Afghanistan, there was a top-down approach to promoting governance and security. The Special Ops community decided that we needed to go back to the basics with a bottom-up approach. The Green Berets started setting up these Village Stability Operations camps all over of Afghanistan to train the local police, gather intelligence, and promote governance at the village level. As amazing as these men are they were only able to reach 50 percent of the population because of the cultural differences. A message came out about the program and I said nope I'm not doing it. I felt like it was a knee-jerk reaction, and there wasn't enough time put into setting this program up. The second time around it was more like you're going. The reactions to the program from the guys also made me not want to do it. I didn't want them talking about me the way they talked about these other chicks. I knew the men weren’t happy with this program.

Music provided by Caspian:

www.caspianmusic.net

Tim Kolczak:

www.thevetsproject.com

Social Media: The Veterans Project

The Choke Point Podcast, Cro Medical Gear, Army Rangers, SARC’s

GRP 34-On this episode I conducted two interviews. The first is with T a Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman (SARC) in the Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC). T spent a number of years in the US Navy attached to MARSOC, and we were able to discuss some aspects of trauma medicine. T is apart of a company called Cro Medical Gear which is owned and operated by SARC’s. They are working on developing a product line of medical gear for the advanced care provider initially, and then will release products for civilians as well.

The Second interview was with 3 former Army Rangers from the 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment who run a podcast called The Choke Point. Chance Davis SSG Former Ranger Medic, James Webb SGT Ranger Retired, and Paul Martinez SSG Ranger Retired. These guys are awesome indivus who’ve overcome many obstacles, and who stay busying farming, and working with other veterans. They’ve got books in the works, and are forming an organization to help veterans in need. Below is an excerpt from the podcast.

Paul Martinez: I remember that. We’re having like a Turkey dinner in the middle of Afghanistan in this giant castle compound. It was weird man. I felt like Genghis Khan. You’re looking at these giant Himalayan mountains covered in snow, but its hot where you are. Doc’s got a turkey on the stick. Your extremely well fed. Its one of those things where your sitting in this house, your eating turkey dinner with your best buddies, you’re in arguably one of the worst places on the planet. I couldn’t have been happier. As soon as the sun goes down were back out fighting through ambushes. It was some pretty gnarly fighting.

Send an email to podcast@gloablrecon.net with questions, or comments.

www.cromedicalgear.com

Instagram: SofMedicine

www.TheChokePoint.com

Instagram: thechokepoint

Chanceinaction

Ranger_Webb

Billy_BadAss375

www.globalrecon.net

Facebook: FB Recon

Instagram: IgRecon, Global Recon_INC

Twitter: IgRecon

LinkedIn: Global Recon

Music provided by Caspian: www.caspianmusic.net

Click the links below to access the episode:

Lions of Kandahar, Bowe Bergdahl, D-Day Anniversary

GRP 30- On the 30th episode of the Global Recon Podcast, I’ve had the honor of having on Retired Special Forces Major Rusty Bradley. MAJ Rusty Bradley served 21 years in the US Army and US Special Forces. He was recently medically retirement for wounds received in combat. He is the author of the bestselling book “Lions of Kandahar” and has been published in Time magazine, Soldier of Fortune, Veritas, War on the Rocks and numerous other publications and blogs. He has earned 4 Valor awards from 3 different countries. Major Bradley is one of only 40 US service members in the history of the US military to receive the Medal of Valor from the Canadian Prime Minister.

Myself, and John Lovell discuss the Invasion of Normandy, and of the Army Rangers who scaled the 100ft cliffs at Pointe Du Hoc, under withering enemy gunfire, and were able to complete their objective of clearing out enemy fighting positions along the top of the cliff. Below is an excerpt from the interview with Major Bradley.

Major Bradley:Operation Medusa proved to insurgencies around the world that no matter how they fought they would be defeated once they fought on our terms. It’s important to understand that any insurgency must have the will and support of the people. If you separate the guerilla from the will and support of the people which is the auxiliary, and the underground no insurgency can survive.

John Hendricks: Now they have to fight you on a level playing field vs a hit and run tactics type of deal.

Major Bradley: Absolutely. Historically the first, and most well known guerilla commander was Hannibal when he was fighting the Romans. If you take away that ability for an insurgent to fight you then you completely changed the dynamic of the battle. The enemy had to face us. They moved in there in large numbers. People who are familiar to the Vietnam war this was compared to the Tet Offensive, when the Viet Cong, and North Vietnamese Army attempted to conduct large scale offensive attacks across Vietnam. In an attempt to degrade political, and home support for the war.

The Southern commander’s name was Mullah Abdullah Lang he only answered to Mullah Omar. He had amassed what they guessed was around 2,000 insurgents in Panjwai. They were moving people and resources from west to east into Kandahar city, and smuggling weapons and leaders from Pakistan into Kandahar with the hopes of over running all of the police stations, voting locations, and Afghan National Army bases. In their mind that would force the US to pull out of Southern Afghanistan. That failed because of Operation Medusa.

Any questions, or comments can be sent to Podcast@globalrecon.net

To order the best selling book “Lions of Kandahar” you can find it on www.amazon.com, or any place where books are sold.

Check out John Lovell on Instagram: WarriorPoetSociety

John Hendricks’s website: www.globalrecon.net

John Hendricks’s Facebook: FB Recon

John Hendricks’s Instagram: IgRecon, GlobalRecon_Inc

John Hendricks’s Twitter: IgRecon

LinkedIn: Global Recon

Music provided by Caspian: www.caspianmusic.net

Click the buttons below to access the episode.