Choices Not Chances Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Choices Not Chances Episode 43-Dr. Thomas Williams(GySgt. USMC Ret.)Afghanistan Feb 21, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Thomas Williams Joins the show to talk about life, service, and current events. I met Thomas years ago in the Marine Corps and we quickly became friends. Thomas is originally from Canada, where he spent ten years in the Canadian Army in a Highlands Infantry unit. Later, he would come to America with his wife and ultimately serve in the United States Marine Corps. Thomas deployed multiple times in support of Infantry units as an explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) technician. He retired from the Corps and is now an online professor and he coaches Lacrosse. I hope you enjoy the conversation!

Choices Not Chances Episode 42-Anderson Hernandez "Doc. H"(HM3 USN) Marjah, Afghanistan Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

In The Marine Corps, we don’t have medics. We have warfighters and we have Navy Corpsmen. The warfighters generally wage the war, and the Navy Corpsmen keep them healthy, and should they fall; he patches them back up. The Navy Corpsmen are in many ways the lifeblood of the infantry line. They live, train, fight and die right beside their men. In the Navy, they are referred to as “Green Side Corpsmen”, in the “Infantry line” they go by Brother or DOC. Anderson (Doc H.)Hernandez, joins us on this episode. Doc. H. was Second Platoon’s lead DOC on the Marjah push in 2010. Doc Hernandez was awarded the Bronze Star for his actions in 2010, and his accounts are necessary for future Corpsmen to hear. Look out for the full episode on 02-07-23. Thanks for watching.

Choices Not Chances Episode 41-William Callen(CWO2 USMC Ret.)An Nasiriya to Afghan pullout Jan 24, 2023

Show notes

CWO2 Gunner William Callen Joins the show to talk about life, combat, and the pull out from HKIA. There is a wealth of information to take away from this episode. Ranging from the Battle at An Nasiriya to the pullout from Kabul. You don't want to miss this episode!!

Choices Not Chances Episode 40-Dave Grossman(LtCol. US Army Ret.) On Killing and On Combat Jan 10, 2023

Show notes

Following his retirement from the Army, Grossman founded the Killology Research Group to give seminars about the physiological and the psychological effects of having to use lethal force for law enforcement officers and soldiers.
Grossman also speaks at civilian events on ways to reduce violence in society and deal with the aftermath of violent events such as school shootings. As a civilian Grossman has been an expert witness in numerous state and federal court cases and was part of the prosecution team of United States vs. Timothy McVeigh.
In 2022, Killology Research Group was renamed and rebranded to Grossman On Truth.
In this episode we chat about his books "On Combat" and "On Killing". We also get a peek into what is coming next, which include a new work in progress about the importance of sleep.
Don't miss this episode!

Choices Not Chances Episode 39 - Michael McCormack - CEO of Eolian Dec 27, 2022

Show notes

Michael McCormack joins the show to help us understand his company Eolian and there bleeding-edge technology. He discusses childhood games and his love tech. There is much to be learned from this interview. From military procurement and contract vehicles, to some of the latest battlefield technology.

Choices Not Chances Episode 38-Jhon Drago (Sgt. USMC)Marine Vet. & S.W.A.T Officer Dec 13, 2022

Show notes

In this episode we speak with Jhon Drago. Jhon is a Marine veteran. After getting out of the Marine Corps Jhon has continued his service as a Law Enforcement officer in North Carolina. We discuss the ups an downs of his Marine Corps enlistment and his Law Enforcement service. This is a don't miss episode.

Choices Not Chances Episode 37-Gordon Emmanuel (Maj. USMC) Marjah, Afghanistan Nov 29, 2022

Show notes

We were honored to sit down with Marine Major Gordon Emmanuel in this episode. Gordon was our Platoon Commander in 2010 for the invasion of Marjah. We dive into Gordon's career in the Marine Corps, highlighting his time in Marjah (2010) and follow-on deployments and duties as well. Gordon is a Marine's Marine. He is the one who always challenges his Marines to do better, never letting them be comfortable with mediocrity. It's our pleasure to share this episode with you.

Choices Not Chances Episode 36-Stephen LaRose(CWO5 Gunner USMC) Iraq & Afghanistan Nov 15, 2022

Show notes

In the past 12-18 months, the Marine Corps has had some divisive remarks penned concerning the adaptation of the force. Retired Generals and warfighters have been expressing concern over the New Force Design. There are several articles bashing the new design and others that show passive-aggressive concern. I was interested in understanding the “why” behind some of the changes, so I began to investigate the topic. I found a few articles from one of the most senior Marine Gunners currently serving. Gunner LaRose served as one of the representatives from the Marine Corps, on the Pentagon’s Close Combat Lethality Task Force. While reading his works, I was impressed by the way he painted new technologies. I was going to do an episode on the information I found, but Gunner LaRose can do a much better job of that than I can. This episode is my aim at bridging the two sides of the coin. After 30 years of protecting this nation, making his way to the top of the enlisted ladder, and becoming a Gunner, LaRose has continued to serve.

Choices Not Chances Episode 35-Bradley Williams (GySgt. USMC Ret.) Iraq & Africa Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

This episode is with Bradley Williams. He is a retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant who was called into the ministry. As he moved out of the Corps and into his walk with Christ, Bradley had yet another call to service. After consulting his family at home and in the church, he decided to run for the Onslow county school board. Many of the Camp Lejeune Warfighters in North Carolina have children in the public school system in Onslow county. This episode is my aim at disseminating information to the local electorate.

No matter who you vote for, you should be looking into more than just a 30-second response clip! Dialog is welcome in the comments section!

Semper Fi-

Choices Not Chances Episode 34- Shawn Waterman Oct 18, 2022

Show notes

Shawn Waterman is a Marine, a fitness coach, and a positive influence on all who come in contact with him. We had a great conversation about life and the future. Don't miss this episode.

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