Borne the Battle show

Borne the Battle

Summary: Hosted by Marine Corps Veteran Tanner Iskra, Borne the Battle recognizes each battle, challenge, and sacrifice our Veterans endure during and after their service, as well as spotlighting important resources, offices, and benefits VA offers our Veterans.

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Podcasts:

 #174 Wreaths Across America w/ Wayne Hanson | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 39:34

Hanson discusses his time in the Army and the socio-political atmosphere of when he returned from Vietnam. He talks about transition and his gradual involvement to becoming the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Wreaths Across America. Lastly, he shares the four words from a stranger that kept him motivated to work even to this day.

 #173 On the Firing Line with Marine Veteran Dan Duitsman | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 40:46

Marine Veteran Dan Duitsman is Camp Valor Outdoors’ Shooting Sports Program Director. His role is to get disabled veterans into competitive shooting – no matter the disability. Currently, Camp Valor Outdoors’ shooting teams compete in professional matches all over the country.

 #172 Lakota Warrior and Vietnam Veteran Dr. Robert Primeaux | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 01:04:50

From reservation to the Army and later to Hollywood, Primeaux describes life as member of a Lakota tribe, his service during the Vietnam War, and shares the Four Cardinal Lakota Virtues in hopes of helping other Veterans. He credits the Lakota Four Virtues he had been taught as a young man for helping him recover from the war as well as from car accident.

 #171: Seven Summits w/ Benjamin Breckheimer | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 01:07:07

Army Veteran Benjamin Breckheimer discovered mountain climbing after his service and is now aiming to be the first Purple Heart recipient to climb the Seven Summits of the world. Breckheimer details on how he survived an IED blast, a divorce during his four-year recovery and the 2015 Nepal earthquake while on Mount Everest.

 #170: Dale Dye, Marine Corps Birthday Episode | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 01:44:40

When watching a movie, it’s easy to think that everything is real and true and lifelike. It's no surprise that that isn't always the case, especially with military movies. That's how Marine Veteran Dale Dye got involved. He wanted to tell Hollywood the right way to portray the military on screen. In this episode Dale Dye talks Vietnam, post-military careers, treating PTSD Dye recently finished the film The Last Full Measure and his directorial debut, No Better Place to Die, was recently announced.

 #169: Benefits Breakdown - Appeals Modernization | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 54:41

Executive Director of the Veterans Benefits Administration’s (VBA) Appeals Management Office (AMO) and Army Veteran David McLenachen talks about the appeals modernization process. Before becoming executive director of the VBA’s AMO, McLenachen acted as deputy under secretary for disability assistance. While in this position, he began helping the VBA improve their appeals system in order to better assist Veterans.

 #168: Coaching NCAA Lacrosse with Marine Veteran Chris Burke and Mitchell Shafer | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 01:32:36

Chris Burke discusses his service in the Marines, including his injury and recovery from an IED explosion. However, Burke's real story begins on what he did after his service. He went back to school and walked on to a NCAA lacrosse program. Chris found a camaraderie in the locker room that reminded him of the Marines. He is now the new defensive coordinator of Maryville University's Lacrosse Program. Burke and Schafer lead the lacrosse team in bridging the military-civilian divide.

 #167: Paging Dr. Albert Weed, Green Beret Medic, Army Medical Officer, VA Surgeon | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 01:04:10

Dr. Weed's career has taken him from enlisted Green Beret Army medic to an Army medical officer to VA surgeon. Weed discussed his name, his family’s military background and medical experiences led him to, among other things, from peacekeeping in Egypt, to swimming in Saddam Hussein's pool, and receiving four different DD-214s. Listen as Weed recounts his experiences in the military and medical fields and his current work serving Veterans as a surgeon with the Salem VA Medical Center.

 #166: Navy to NASCAR w/ Jesse Iwuji | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 01:12:48

After his football career ended, Jesse found racing. However, he was at a disadvantage compared to his peers who started racing at a very early age: Iwuji started in his mid 20’s. He lacked sponsorship and he wasn’t born into a racing family. Despite this, his determination has led him to a variety of open doors. He funded the first part of his NASCAR K&N racing career through a variety of ways to include starting his own business. Currently he is racing in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series. 

 #165: The Battle of Mogadishu w/ Army Ranger Veteran, Jeff Struecker | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 51:58

This week’s Borne the Battle episode features Army Ranger Veteran Jeff Struecker. He discusses the Battle of Mogadishu and his life as a chaplain, a pastor, and an author.

 #164: Benefits Breakdown - VA Vet Centers | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 53:42

2019 marks the 40th Anniversary of VA's Vet Centers. This week’s interview is Pennsylvania National Guard Veteran Michael Fisher who is the VA's Senior Readjustment Counselor. He leads and has direct oversight of over 300 Vet Centers, 80 Mobile Vet Centers and the Vet Center Call Center. We broke it all down - how they started, their differences between them and VA Medical Centers, their services and who is eligible for said services. 

 #163: Helping Reunite Veteran Families w/ Nathan Goncalves - Army Veteran, Equal Justice Works Fellow | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 01:30:56

Army Veteran Nathan Goncalves applied to UCLA’s Law school to study corporate law. He was accepted, but a bitter divorce, where his military mental health history was used against him, hampered those plans. Through his own experiences, Goncalves realized there was no advocacy for situations like his own. So he sacrificed a potentially lucrative corporate law career and switched to family law to offer services to homeless and low-income Veterans.

 Bonus Episode! - Mel Brooks, Adrian Cronauer, 2019 Military Influencer Conference Roundup | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 26:41

For months, I’ve been promising a special bonus podcast episode for when Born the Battle received its 100th rating and/or review on iTunes. We did it! But, before we get to Mel Brooks and the late Adrian Cronauer.  In five months, our listenership has increased 500%. You’ve allowed more Veterans, VA employees and civilians to hear these amazing stories and to take advantage of all the benefit breakdowns in our archives. Thank You.

 #162: September 11th with Dr. John Baxter - Air Force Veteran, 9/11 First Responder, SecDef's Flight Surgeon | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 59:40

Dr. Baxter has been the SecDef's flight surgeon for over 25 years – both in and out of uniform. 18 years ago, he was the commander of the flight clinic in the Pentagon when the plane hit the building. Before any helicopters landed, before the first responder ambulance showed up - Dr. Baxter helped lead the immediate recovery effort and evacuation of the Pentagon on 9/11. And right here, on this very episode, he‘s gonna give you his own personal account of that day.

 #161: Todd Boeding – Marine Veteran, Carry the Load | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 52:18

Marine Veteran Todd Boeding talks about Carry the Load's volunteer opportunity to honor heroes this September 11th at VA National Cemeteries.

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