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Hazard Ground

History Podcasts

Servicemembers from across the military, sharing their accounts of combat and survival. Hosted by sports talk radio host and Army veteran, Mark Zinno, this podcast brings you firsthand accounts of war, with a perspective you only get from someone who has lived through it. From WWII to Vietnam, Somalia, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, hear inspirational stories of service and resiliency from those who have fought on and off the battlefield!

Servicemembers from across the military, sharing their accounts of combat and survival. Hosted by sports talk radio host and Army veteran, Mark Zinno, this podcast brings you firsthand accounts of war, with a perspective you only get from someone who has lived through it. From WWII to Vietnam, Somalia, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, hear inspirational stories of service and resiliency from those who have fought on and off the battlefield!

Location:

United States

Description:

Servicemembers from across the military, sharing their accounts of combat and survival. Hosted by sports talk radio host and Army veteran, Mark Zinno, this podcast brings you firsthand accounts of war, with a perspective you only get from someone who has lived through it. From WWII to Vietnam, Somalia, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, hear inspirational stories of service and resiliency from those who have fought on and off the battlefield!

Language:

English

Episodes

Ep. 238 - Tommy Sowers (Green Beret)

9/14/2021
This episode is all about leadership - leadership in combat, in government, and in business. Tommy Sowers is a former Green Beret who is also a multi-sector leader in the political, military, government, academia, and entrepreneurial worlds. He and Mark also worked together during Mark's first deployment to Iraq. Following multiple Iraq combat deployments as a Green Beret, Tommy went on to become the youngest Senate-confirmed Asst. Secretary at the VA as well as serve as the senior advisor...

Duration:01:22:48

Ep. 237 - Luke Coffey (Infantryman/Afghanistan/Iraq)

9/7/2021
Growing up on a farm in Kentucky, Luke Coffey had an urge from a young age to join the Infantry, turning the agrarian landscape into a makeshift battlefield whenever he could. After high school and a short attempt at college, he made joining the Infantry a reality. He would see two combat deployments in one relatively short enlistment - one to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. His Afghanistan deployment, the most dangerous of the two, would take him to the Panjwai District of Afghanistan, a...

Duration:01:07:21

Ep. 236 - Tyler Mendelson (Marine/Filmmaker)

9/1/2021
From an early age, it was Tyler Mendelson's dream to become a United States Marine. His father was a Marine, and he wanted to serve his country after 9/11. He also grew up about an hour and a half from NYC, and his father had helped with the World Trade Center recovery effort, so the attacks hit extra close to home. His second dream was to become a filmmaker, partly so he could tell other veterans' stories, and just make great films in the process. His first major short film, "The Hun" - a...

Duration:01:14:24

Ep. 235 - Hazard Ground on Afghanistan

8/31/2021
Our thoughts on the current situation in Afghanistan...

Duration:00:12:33

Ep. 234 - Rick Dickson (Cav Scout)

8/24/2021
Rick Dickson's initial combat deployment was to Diyala Province, Iraq in 2006. He spent 15 months there with his unit, when violence in the country was reaching an all-time high. It was combat and survival in the truest sense. Following that deployment he would go on to become an Armor Officer through the Army's Green to Gold program, and eventually transition to Public Affairs, where he still serves today on Active Duty. Rick shares his experiences from that long deployment in 2006, as well...

Duration:01:24:00

Ep. 233 - Curtis Grace (Infantryman/Apache Pilot)

8/17/2021
If ever there was a warning shot for the detrimental effects of long-term, sustained combat operations on soldiers in modern warfare, Curtis Grace's deployment to Afghanistan in 2012 fits the bill pretty well. In this episode, Grace talks about that greuling deployment to the Panjwai District of Afghanistan, a Taliban stronghold. A deployment that dovetails with the Panjwai Massacre, orchestrated by U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales in March of 2012. Grace also discusses his transition...

Duration:01:20:17

Ep. 232 - Kim "Rooster" Rossiter (Marine/Ainsley's Angels)

8/10/2021
Kim "Rooster" Rossiter is a retired Marine Corps Major and combat veteran of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. His story is tightly interwoven with his daughter Ainsley's, who was born with a terminal illness in 2003. Instead of shirking from the difficult task of facing Ainsley's inevitable fate, Rooster and his wife embraced it to ensure Ainsley lived every moment of her time on earth. The Rossiter's eventually started Ainsley’s Angels in honor of Ainsley. Ainsley's Angels builds awareness about...

Duration:01:22:46

Ep. 231 - Brett Allen (Afghanistan Vet/"Kilroy Was Here")

8/3/2021
This week we explore the lighter side of combat in the War on Terror, with former Cavalry officer and aspiring writer, Brett Allen. Inspired by the events of September 11, 2001, Brett went into the Army as an officer a fews years later. His quest to serve in combat took him to Afghanistan in 2009, and while not immune to the effects of a well placed IED, his experience in combat fell short of what he had expected, catalyzing his desire to portray it in his recently published novel, “Kilroy...

Duration:01:21:42

Ep. 230 - Dr. Paul Roach (Combat Surgeon)

7/27/2021
Dr. Paul Roach is a recently retired Navy Combat Surgeon. At a young age, he intended to follow in his father’s footsteps into psychiatry. But trauma surgery was his calling, and he followed it all the way to the brutal and bloody environs of the war in Afghanistan. It was there he recalls his worst combat losses, and one quad-amputee Marine in particular, that he helped save against the odds.* That same Marine was a former guest on HAZARD GROUND, and is thriving today! Hear Dr. Paul Roach’s...

Duration:01:31:46

Ep. 229 - Jason Kander (Army Combat Vet)

7/20/2021
Three months into his run for mayor of Kansas City - which seemed destined for victory - Jason Kander suddenly dropped out of the race. He did so to confront years of post-traumatic stress that nearly drove him to suicide. His PTS was a direct result of his deployment to Afghanistan where for months he often worked outside the wire as an Army officer, mostly without any fire support - just him and an interpreter, meeting with some of the most dangerous people on the planet. The pause from...

Duration:01:30:04

Ep. 228 - Mike McGuinness (Army Combat Vet)

7/13/2021
Mike McGuinness is a three-time Afghanistan combat veteran. His story is a study in why leadership - meaning the presence of qualified people in leadership positions - is so important, from the lowest echelons of the military, all the way to the top. McGuinness served honorably for 16 years. He was also a squad leader in convicted war criminal Clint Lorance's platoon, which would ultimately lead to Mike leaving the military. This is a powerful story of combat, survival - and the hard...

Duration:02:40:56

Ep. 227 - Special Guest: Will Thomas (Founder - Op Hawkeye)

7/6/2021
Will Thomas is the founder of Operation Hawkeye, an organization that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the families of fallen special operations servicemembers for a decade now. The really interesting part is that Will started Op Hawkeye when he was in middle school! Moved to action by the downing of Extortion 17 in Afghanistan in 2011, Will decided to do something tangible to help the families of the special operators lost on that mission. It started with simply shooting...

Duration:00:48:35

Ep. 226 - Thomas Schueman (Marine)

6/29/2021
Thomas Schueman takes us through a young Marine officer's first taste of combat - a very real baptism by fire that ultimately prepared him for the day he'd see it again. Schueman talks about the survival of combat, not just on the battlefield, but also at home. Focusing on that survival at home is not just something he talks about; he's taken action by starting his own non-profit, called Patrol Base Abbate - named after legendary Marine, Matthew Abbate - to give servicemembers a "space to...

Duration:01:43:24

Ep. 225 - Mark Treanor (Marine/Vietnam)

6/22/2021
After graduating from the United States Naval Academy, Mark Treanor served as a Marine Corps rifle platoon leader in Vietnam, when some of the heaviest fighting took place. Years later, Mark would write a book about his experience in Vietnam. But, it's not your typical book about one's Vietnam combat experience. It's a novel, written through the lens of someone who lived through the worst in humankind, and carried the memory of that experience for years after the war was over. Hear Mark's...

Duration:01:29:59

Ep. 224 - Brian Fleming (Suicide Bombing Survivor)

6/15/2021
Brian Fleming joined the Infantry during a time of war to serve his country and test his mettle. He ended up getting a little more than he probably bargained for, but still understood the risks, serving in combat with honor. Brian was blown up twice while deployed to Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division. The second blast was from a suicide bomber, just three feet away from Brian. Hear how Brian survived that horrific attack and the pain of reconstructive surgery, and went on to become...

Duration:01:22:41

Ep. 223 - Ian Cantelo (Canadian Combat Vet)

6/8/2021
We have our second Canadian Armed Forces guest on the podcast this week! Ian Cantelo is a Sacrifice Medal recipient - Canada's version of the Purple Heart - due to injuries sustained after he was blown up multiple times while serving in Afghanistan. His injuries would nearly end his tour early, but undeterred by injury, Ian returned to the Panjwai district of Kandahar province to finish out his combat tour of duty. After leaving the military, Cantelo started working as a strength and...

Duration:01:27:23

Ep. 222 - David Yuzuk ("The Giant Killer")

6/1/2021
This week’s episode is about Richard Flaherty, the smallest known man to serve in the U.S. military in recent history. Richard served as a Green Beret in Vietnam, among other incredible ventures, earning two Bronze Stars and a Silver Star for actions in combat. Later in life Richard was killed in a hit and run on the streets of Miami where he lived a good portion of his life after leaving the military. David Yuzuk, a Miami cop, befriended Richard and spent several years getting to know the...

Duration:01:30:43

Ep. 221 - Henry Hughes (Army Combat Vet/Filmmaker)

5/25/2021
Henry Hughes' family tradition of military service dates all the way back to the American Revolution. For him, he chose the Army and the 173rd Airborne Brigade. He served multiple combat tours with the 173rd, including one at COP Keating - the infamous outpost we've covered in several previous episodes - in 2008. When Hughes left the Army, it was to pursue a new passion - filmmaking. He has since been mentored by George Lucas, nominated for an Academy Award, and co-produced and acted in "The...

Duration:01:43:16

Ep. 220 - Eddie Wright (Marine)

5/18/2021
Eddie Wright's story is pretty insane! In 2004, he and his small element of Marines were ambushed in Iraq. Eddie immediately lost just about 100% of his physical ability to fight back. Calm and alert through the entire firefight that followed, Eddie remained a leader on the battlefield, directing other Marines returning fire and guiding those rendering aid. Despite the loss of two limbs, Eddie would return to active duty not long after the ambush. Hear his amazing and powerful story on this...

Duration:01:50:19

Ep. 219 - Nick Rucker (Iraq & Afghanistan Vet/Musician)

5/11/2021
Nick Rucker is a veteran of two combat deployments - one to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. Those deployments didn't come without a price. After returning home, Nick struggled with Post Traumatic Stress and alcoholism - two powerful adversaries that required the will to fight, even after the wars for him were over. Nick is now a touring country songwriter and singer, an author, and most important of all: sober. Hear about his struggle returning from one battlefield to a war on the homefront...

Duration:01:36:52

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