Ep 067 – Special: Mark Forester – Hammerhead
Sep 29, 2019
Show notes
On this 9th anniversary of the death of Mark Forester, I talk with our dad and sister. Obviously this is more of a personal episode where we talk about Mark at various stages in life and Dad and Terri’s relationship with him.
You may not know it by pictures or only knowing Mark as an adult, but he went thru a lazy period as a teenager. He also spent entirely too much time playing a ridiculous computer game called “Return of the Shadow” (or something like that).
This is a rare time when Dad is recorded talking about Mark. So, join me today as we honor Senior Airman Mark Forester, who was killed-in-action on this day in 2010 in Afghanistan.
If you want to learn more about Mark, throughout his life and military, you can purchase his book from Amazon here:
Also, if you feel so included to support my podcast, it’s easy via Patreon. The $$ amount you can contribute is very little. Regardless, thank you for listening and sharing.
Copyright 2019 Thad Forester http://www.patriottothecore.com email questions to thad@patriottothecore.com
Ep 066 – Lauren Sisler | Firsthand Effects of Addiction and Overcoming Tragedy
Aug 05, 2019
Show notes
When Lauren Sisler’s phone rang at 3 am, she never expected her father to say that her mother had died. When her plane landed in Virginia that same day, all she wanted was a big hug from her dad, only he wasn’t there. In those few hours, he had died too.
Today, this ESPN and AL.com sports broadcaster tells how she was ashamed for far too long about how her parents died. When she finally was transparent–that they had overdosed on prescription painkillers, she felt freedom and healing.
This Navy daughter has an inspirational message about overcoming grief and despair and finding success. After all, she was only 18 when she lost both parents. Thank goodness for her older brother, Aunt and Uncle, and coaches at Rutgers who didn’t cut her any slack.
I look forward to seeing her on the sidelines more this year in the college football season.
Ep 065 – Memorial Day: Renee Nickell | Her Brother was Always Her Hero
May 26, 2019
Show notes
Renee Nickell’s brother, Major Samuel Griffith, was killed-in-action in Dec, 2011. Since then, she’s gone thru many dark valleys and has found healing by writing a book: “Always My Hero” about her older brother and best friend.
With her appearance last week on Home and Family, and her radio, podcast and TV tour this past year, she’s done an incredible job spreading the word about Marine Sam Griffith.
Her brother Sam left behind a wife, children, and grieving parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews. This former F-18 pilot – turned Forward Air Controller, did his part to not only raise a noble posterity, but also lead his men and eliminate terrorists.
Her book goes deep into the conflicts her family fought through after Sam’s death. Miraculously she got $400 so she, husband and children could drive non-stop from Florida to Dover AFB to witness the arrival of her brother’s remains as part of the Dignified Transfer.
As a Gold Star sibling, I have tremendous respect for Renee and how she’s expressing her devotion to her brother and country by personalizing the price of freedom. She’s in pain. Her family hurts – just as anyone who loses a loved-one. In this case, I can relate more than most.
May this interview help your Memorial Day be more meaningful. Thank you for listening.
You can purchase her book (re-releasing in June 2019) by visiting her web site or Amazon:
Ep 064 – Dan Schilling | Alone at Dawn
Jan 28, 2019
Show notes
In the predawn hours of March 4, 2002, just below the 10,000-foot peak of a mountain in Afghanistan, a fierce battle raged. Outnumbered by Al Qaeda fighters, Air Force Combat Controller John Chapman and a handful of SEALs struggled to take the summit in a desperate bid to find a lost teammate. Chapman, leading the charge, was gravely wounded in the initial assault. Believing he was dead, his SEAL leader ordered a retreat. Chapman regained consciousness, finding himself alone with the enemy who was closing in on three sides. Thus began the most difficult and exceptional fight of his life.
On August 22, 2018, Pres Trump posthumously awarded the medal of honor to John Chapman. My guest today, Dan Schilling, has written a book, Alone at Dawn, to capture the life and legacy of this American Hero.
Although the book doesn’t come out until June, I loved getting an inside scoop on Chapman’s life leading up to his final mission and how Dan became involved.
We also talk about his extreme sports and why he set a Guinness World Record for 201 BASE jumps in 24 hours.
Ep 063 – Justin Carroll | Online Security and Privacy
Jan 07, 2019
Show notes
If you search for Justin Carroll on the web, you will find very little about him–and good luck finding a picture of his face. This former Marine is now a security and privacy consultant. Carroll stresses that it’s not about hiding anything, but protecting our information.
In his early days he transitioned from Force Recon to becoming a member of the first Fox Company (first MARSOC unity to deploy) under Maj. Fred Galvin.
Today we spend most of our time learning how to protect ourselves and our children online. Justin has it figured out since he’s managed to keep himself from being blasted all over the web.
Justin is full of tips that anyone could and should do to be a little more careful regarding our online presence–whether it’s social media, banking or our credit.
Copyright 2019 Thad Forester http://www.patriottothecore.com email questions to thad@patriottothecore.com
Ep 062 – Sammy L. Davis | Medal of Honor Recipient – Vietnam
Dec 17, 2018
Show notes
Sammy Davis joined the Army because he loved his daddy. He wanted to make him and his grandads proud. He was just a kid out of high school. If he hadn’t joined the Army, he wanted to be a member of Hell’s Angels.
Regarding war protestors at SFO I asked, “Did you look them in the eye?” Davis’ response: “I looked every one of them in the eye.”
On November 18, 1967, his team was ambushed by the Vietcong and the Americans did what they were trained to do. Davis was knocked unconscious, then woken up by a beehive round strike to his body. Although he didn’t think he’d live to see the light of day, he saw his brothers across the river and he rescued them. One of those men was Jim Dyster, who had been shot thru the head and was for sure dead. Turns out, he wasn’t.
During our conversation we get to hear from his wife, Dixie too. She’s by his side at all his appearances. She wrote a book about their life, which is linked below.
This is another great, selfless American that kept a smile on my face the entire interview. And you may be interested to know he’s the real life Forrest Gump. Watch his Medal of Honor ceremony with Pres Johnson and you’ll see why.
Below are some resources to learn more about Sergeant First Class Sammy L. Davis:
Ep 061 – Lt. Col. Dave Grossman: Killology 101
Oct 29, 2018
Show notes
“Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference.” (spoken by the sheepdogs; the warriors).
What do you ask the expert in the study of the psychology of killing?
Among the many things we discuss today are the differences between sheep, wolves and sheepdogs. Which one are you? Well he’s going to describe each one and how they respond to threatening situations. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds.
We also talk violence on TV, sleep deprivation, teen suicide, everyday carry (EDC) and veterans health. I love his reasoning for turning off the cell phone/tablet at night–do not take to bed. This was very interesting.
Learn more about Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, his books and academy here:
Ep. 060 – SPECIAL: MAJ Wes Wilson – The Aftermath of Mark’s death in Shah Mashad
Sep 29, 2018
Show notes
Today is 8 years since Mark was killed in Afghanistan. Although we were notified in person by his teammates and leadership, there were still many unanswered questions–details no one who wasn’t there could personally share.
Major Wes Wilson was the ODA Detachment Commander when Mark was killed. Their team had split up and Wes was about 200 meters away with the mounted element, which included George, who’s been on the podcast two times before.
Hear Wes give us more details of that intense short period on Sept 29, 2010 in Uruzgan Province, where two Americans and others were killed.
Copyright 2018 Thad Forester http://www.patriottothecore.com email questions to thad@patriottothecore.com
Ep 059 – Inside the Thai Soccer Team Rescue w/ Maj Charles Hodges
Aug 20, 2018
Show notes
“If we don’t try to rescue the boys, we’ll be giving them a death sentence.”
On June 23, 2018, a team of 12 boys — who were all between the ages of 11 and 16 — had just finished a weekly soccer practice and went to explore a cave with their coach.
But after they’d entered the cave, heavy rain started falling and the rising water trapped them inside.
1 day later their belongings were found. Then, on July 2 a rescue diver discovered them when he ran out of line and popped up out of the water inside the cave.
While most of the world was captivated by this story, my guest today was in the thick of the action. Major Charles Hodges was the US Mission Commander. He and his team from the 353rd Special Operations Group along with a team from the 31st Rescue Squadron, were brought in to advise and assist the Royal Thai government.
He gives us great detail on their initial thought processes, how he and his team assisted the multinational effort and why they were willing to take risks and be bold b/c they had no choice but to get the Wild Boars out of there, accepting that 3-5 of the boys could die in the process.
Maj Hodges, an Air Force Special Tactics Officer, concluded with: “This is what we train for – going into a crisis and solving problems.”
Copyright 2018 Thad Forester http://www.patriottothecore.com email questions to thad@patriottothecore.com
Ep 058 – Mark Lauren | Bodyweight Master
Jul 09, 2018
Show notes
Back on the show is former Air Force combat controller (CCT) Mark Lauren. In episode 40, we discussed his early life, time in military and how he implemented his workouts in the CCT pipeline. Now, we’re talking a little more about how he observed that the fitness industry at large was backward, ineffective, and unsustainable in it’s approach. So, he created fitness programming that improves performance outside of the gym.
His mantra is “you only get good at what you do”, which guides the development of his programs. Lauren’s understanding of athletic fundamentals allows him to create exercise programs for all ability groups that improve performance and physical condition in record time, injury free, by mastering the fundamentals.
Bodyweight training is Mark’s calling in life. I’ve been following his programs since January 2018 and feel great. I’m a big believer in his philosophy and movements.
Today we talk about those programs and the success of his app at MarkLauren.com.
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“If we don’t try to rescue the boys, we’ll be giving them a death sentence.”
