The National Defense

The National Defense welcomes the director of the fantastic film "Kilo Two Bravo." Paul Katis, to the program to discuss his new film and the process of accurately telling this gripping story.  "Kilo Two Bravo" is the story of a company of British soldiers who found themselves pinned down in a minefield in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan in 2006.  The film is available in many theaters across the country, as well as online.  For more information, check out the webiste for "Kilo Two Bravo."

The National Defense is on the road this week as they return to the World Headquarters of USAA in San Antonio, TX.  To kick off this week's show, Randy and Jerry speak with Eric Engquist, Vice President of USAA's Military Transitions Team, about his background, his work with USAA, and what USAA does to ease transitions for veterans and their families.

The National Defense opens up the show by speaking with the Koby Langley, Senior Vice President of the American Red Cross, about the support that his organization has given to American soldiers and veterans through their long history.  Jerry and Randy talk with Koby about the partnership that has always existed with the Armed Forces, as well as rolling out an online vehicle to help better serve veterans and their families.

The National Defense looks back this Labor Day weekend on the story and events surrounding the the film "American Sniper" and the life and death of Chris Kyle.  Randy and Jerry talk about the unique position that American soldiers find themselves in both on the front lines and the homefront.

The National Defense welcomes the new National Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars to discuss the first few weeks of his time in leadership for the VFW.  John has been traveling all over the world as part of his duties, and in this segment he shares a few stories of his experiences thus far.

Randy and Jerry are back together after Jerry's lengthy "assignment" as Jerry discusses Randy speaking with John Amos, Jerry's CRUISE, and the most recent word on the Veterans Administration and what the VFW is doing to help out veterans.  Randy and Jerry also speak about the funeral of a Vietnam veteran who passed away and had thousands of strangers attend to his services.

The National Defense opens up this week's show by speaking with Dr. Steven Stahl about PTSD, it's role in modern combat, and how his knowledge as a psychiatrist helped him write his new book, "Shell Shock."

The National Defense opens up this week's show by checking in with the VFW Legislative Director, Ray Kelley, to hear the latest on the work that the Veterans of Foreign Wars is doing on Capitol Hill.  With the recent conclusion of the VFW National Convention, Ray and his staff have their marching orders from VFW delegates and addresses just a few of those issues including the VA and stopping sequestration.

The National Defense welcomes retired MIT Pyshics professor, Hale Bradt, to talk about his father, Wilber, and his decorated service in WWII.  Hale came across some lost letters from and to his father and learned a lot of the nuance from his father who sadly took his own life just weeks after returning from the War.  The resultant research has produced a trio of books entitled "Wilber's War: An American Family's Journey through World War II."

The 116th VFW National Convention has wrapped up in the Steel City, and The National Defense was on locataion in Pittsburgh to speak to various people attending and being honored at the convention.  In this segment, Randy catches up with members of the Minnesota Warriors ice hockey team, and discusses the finer points of custom lapel pins on the floor of the exhibitor's hall.

The National Defense relishes the opportunity to speak with any veteran from WWII, especially when they're as full of stories as this show's special guest, Col. Charles Booth Jr., who has released, at age 95, a book compiling some of his favorite internet jokes.  You can find his book on Amazon, or wherever awesome books are sold.

The National Defense welcomes back a friend of the program and any active duty service member that has a hankering for pizza, Mark Evans.  Randy talks about the origins of the Pizza 4 Patriots program, the pizzas themselves, and where the program is going from here.

The National Defense opens up this week with Dr. Constance Scharff from Cliffside Malibu to discuss the recent partnership between the VFW and Cliffside Malibu to treat various conditions that veterans can be afflicted with.  Make sure to check out their website and their booth at the VFW National Convention in Pittsburgh.  Cliffside Malibu is working on reinforcing existing treatments, and developing new ways to combat addictions of all kinds.

The National Defense opens up this week by speaking with Marty Brounstein to talk about his book "Two Among the Righteous Few: A Story of Courage in the Holocaust."  Marty talks to Jerry and Randy about the nature of the Holocaust, and the people he highlights in his new book.  For the millions affected by the Holocaust, there are stories of regular people drawn to heroic acts, and Marty's book highlights just a few of those.  Check it out wherever books are sold.

The National Defense kicks off this week by speaking with Karen Woods of the United Military Women of the Southwest to discuss her group's activities in Las Cruces, NM, especially their efforts to establish a women's veterans memorial.  You can check out more information on the UMWSW on their Facebook page.