Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The amount of American badasses we have in this studio
right now is outstanding. And I'm not even talking about us.
I'm Jason Hammer, big Niges here. Producer Allison falls in
that category. She's driving the boat here. But we've got
a friend of the show, Brian Alvi joining us.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
I'm how are you doing, guys.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Man, We're great, and I'm gonna let you introduce the
guest that you brought in.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Well, when we talked about the topic of, you know,
the Army recruiting numbers and the military and generals soaring up,
I thought my buddy James Copp would be so value
added to this show. He and I have been working
together on a little project. I'll let him speak to that.
But James had this unbelievable career in the United States
Army that just and I'll let you speak to that.
(00:44):
But we were talking about Green Beret Special Forces, decorated
combat veteran, diet Special Forces die School commandant in Midwest.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
But what's your background for people that may just be
tuning in for the first time.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
I was a.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Professional LAWNDOAR for the United States Army. You know, I
fell out of brains and landed and did you know
stupid stuff? Almost said the sport. I didn't do it.
I'm getting good at this, uh you know, uh my career.
I'm proud of my career, I really am. But it
just pales to compare to what this man put in.
It's it's amazing. I mean, you know, commandant of the
(01:21):
Special Forces Dive School, Key West and one of the
things he did because he did he just loves his
state and he loves this area. His last I was,
like man, the toughest thing he did in his military career.
He came back for a couple of years and was
the battalion commander for army recruiting for this whole area.
So I thought, who better to talk to this topic
than James. But and then, like I said, him and
(01:43):
I do a lot. We'd like our bourbon. We brought
you some treats to class. James.
Speaker 5 (01:46):
Well, look at that. We have to raise up a glass.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Here in just a moment, bottle of well or twelve,
so you know, wow, show me up, James.
Speaker 5 (01:55):
Let's dive into it here.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
We had a report a couple of weeks back, may
have even been at a month or so ago that
recruiting was up. It is since Donald Trump became the
president and Pete Hegseitth has been installed as the Secretary
of Defense.
Speaker 5 (02:09):
Why is that.
Speaker 6 (02:10):
I think there's a couple of reasons. I mean, obviously
the main one. People want to serve their country. They
want to be proud of it. It's it's a lot
easier to be proud of your country when you've got
a guy like Donald Trump, you know, as our president.
You don't have the woke agenda that we had for
the years you know that I was unfortunately dealing with it.
Speaker 5 (02:29):
Is that a big part of you?
Speaker 3 (02:30):
I mean, did you have to read the book on
white rage?
Speaker 4 (02:34):
So, so I'll say this.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
You know you were in the Pentagon.
Speaker 6 (02:38):
Yeah, yeah, so I'd spent two years there was it
was my penance for doing time down in Key West.
But you know, I'll say this that you don't join
the army because of a woke agenda. You join the
army to serve your country. You join the army because
you want to go out and make a difference, you know,
not only to your community but to the country rit large.
So you know, when when you're looking at the advertisements
(03:01):
that the Biden administration put out. Those are not things
that bring young people in to join the army. The
advertisements that we've got now, you know, the the you know,
for me, it was I want to do more before
nine am than most people do all day. Like that
was my that was my thing. Wow, you know, be
all you can be. You still remember that, you still
to this day. You know, those are the kind of
(03:23):
things that you go, Okay, that's why I want to
I want to be part of something better than myself.
And you do that in the United States Army. You know,
when you when you look at the sad state that
the army was, you know, four years under Obiden, under Biden,
you're right.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Exactly right. I mean, let's be honest.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
The last one was definitely Obiden.
Speaker 6 (03:42):
Yeah, absolutely, and and you know under Obama the same thing.
You know, we as the military, our job is to
close with and destroy the nation's enemies. It's not it's
not climate change, it's not woke agenda. It is to train, equip,
move out, close with and destroy nation's enemies, bottom line.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
That's it.
Speaker 6 (04:01):
When you get away from that, then you're surprised that
people don't want to join.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
I'm sorry for me.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
As a parent, like, neither one of my children are
in the service, but had they been somebody that wanted
to do that, I would have such concern about who
their commander in chief would have been. Joe Biden, especially
after that botched Afghan withdrawal.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Remember, my boys were in the military under him as
their commander in chief, and you know that didn't give
me the warmest of fuzzies in my gut, right, you know,
And when they both decided that their time was up
and they got out.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Because it seemed like he was incompetiti it right, Like
we could all disagree on days, that's fine, yes, but
when you saw what happened with that botched Afghan withdrawal,
to me, that was you're not a serious person.
Speaker 6 (04:45):
So so to the point on that, you know, I
had a very good friend that I deployed with, you know,
and we we stayed the closest to friends.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
His job.
Speaker 6 (04:53):
After he and I were deployed together, he went into plans.
They spent countless hours coming up with an Afghan withdrawal plan.
I mean, he was you know, at Fort Bragg, thank
god his name for Bragg again, but he was at
Fort Brag. They did they had the plan. It wasn't like, oh,
you know, we didn't know what we were going to do.
It just came on too quick. No, it was a
deliberate and we're not doing this. They scrapped the plan.
(05:14):
You know, let's let's move to an area where there's
people all around us instead of staying out in an
airfield but there's nothing around. You know what, Nobody, you know,
from a military perspective, thought that that was a great idea.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
Nobody.
Speaker 6 (05:26):
But well, yeah, what I was saying giving up the
airpis it's that the whole thing was a disaster. Absolutely, absolutely,
And when you look at things like that and then
you go, well, why are recruiting numbers down? I'm sorry,
(05:47):
but I can look right there and say, that's the reason.
You know, young people are not stupid. They look at
at current events, they see what's going on in the world,
and they go, I don't want to serve under a
commander in chief that's like that.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
I would say.
Speaker 6 (06:00):
You know, since since we have you know, Donald Trump
back in office and the army has made its mission
early for the first time and god knows how long.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
Uh so it's it's awesome to see that.
Speaker 6 (06:10):
Uh you know, there are there are other things that
are concerns obviously, you know, education and things like that,
that the Army is still having to overcome, uh to
get those numbers. And they have, they've they've made some
some changes to how we bring folks in. Uh. You know,
the United States is overweight. The United States kids are
coming out of school. They don't know, you know, they
can't pass basic tests.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Did they lower standards for a little while.
Speaker 6 (06:33):
So here's what they've done, you know, with regards to weight. Yes, okay,
so you so you say, okay, here's our standard for weight. Yes, okay.
Well what the Army has done is gone, we don't
have enough people that the pool is not large enough.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
To draw from. So what we're going to do is
we're gonna say.
Speaker 6 (06:48):
Okay, if you if you're over a bit, we're going
to send you down and uh and and have you,
you know, get you on good nutrition, have you work out,
you know, have you.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
You know what old drill Sartans used to call that, right, like.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
Yeah, I'll let you say that, Alison.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Make sure we treat this like call a roulette every.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
Time I'm here.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Curious now, yeah what you called it?
Speaker 2 (07:14):
We we we we called it fat boy camp.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
Yeah, that's something like that. It's still called that, but
so that's one.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
But you send it with fat boy camp and they are.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
Going to work out.
Speaker 6 (07:25):
They're going to be you know, most of these kids
have been eating potato chips for the last you know,
eighteen years.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
If they want to serve their country, they want to
be lifted. Was their xbox control.
Speaker 6 (07:34):
Exactly, you know, the coke can, right, So so they've
done that. Now Additionally, you know I talked about schools, right,
So schools.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
Schools are a big thing.
Speaker 6 (07:41):
The ASVAB you know, for those that don't know, uh,
it's basically an IQ test. It's the entrance exam to
get in the military. It is basically an IQ test.
But you have to understand, you know, basic math to
be able to be tested on it.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
If you don't know that, how can I test you?
Speaker 6 (07:56):
You don't know the basics, and some of these kids
are coming out of school with you know, they just
can't simply do the basic problem. So how can I
test your intelligence? Well that's the other thing that they've done.
They said, Okay, well you're close enough, let's take you in,
let's train you, let's give you some more time so
that you understand how this test works, and we're going
to teach you something.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
Now. The success rates for those seem to.
Speaker 6 (08:18):
Be pretty good, you know, that's one of the positives
is Yes, you know Americans are overweight. Yes, our schools
a lot of times are failing kids. But the kids
aren't stupid, they're just overweight and they're undertrained. So if
we can do that, you know, we can get them
in and also make our mission.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
We've got our pal Bryant Alvim studio, Lieutenant Colonel James
cop here as well. I got a few minutes left here. James,
you mentioned earlier you've worked in the Pentagon for a
couple of years. Question, I have anybody associated with Donald
Trump feels like they've got a target on their back,
right because he's so dynamic one way or the other.
(08:58):
Pete Hegxit is kind of tied at the hip with
Donald Trump. There are some still there still are some
Biden holdovers at the Pentagon right now. Should Pete Hesath
be concerned about that?
Speaker 6 (09:08):
I'll say that that in the army, you know, overall,
there is there is still a current of the the
the woke, you know, going on. So I have a
I have a close friend that just graduated from the
War College. And one of the things that he told
me that absolutely floored me is the number of people
and these are lieutenant colonels and and colonels. Uh, you
(09:29):
know that that will be brigade commanders. They will be
the pool that that you pulled general officers from. And
the large number of those folks that were you know,
went apoplectic when USA I D got shut down.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
That that are just.
Speaker 5 (09:42):
Like this is the end of the world, and that
speaks volumes in itself.
Speaker 6 (09:45):
Absolutely absolutely, And I was floored by him telling me that, I,
you know, Brian and I you know, we we worked
with meat eaters. You know, that's that's pretty much where
we had had served. And you know, you don't see
an awful lot of that, but the army is huge
and there are people, you know, with with differing perspectives
all over. Now, some of those people do rise to
(10:06):
the top, and some of those people, unfortunately have that
core belief and really I think it's it's a long term,
you know issue. When I was in, you know, so
I'm retired. When I was in, I was a political
and we should be as as the military. You know,
you you don't take a side of a president. You
(10:27):
don't take us a You swear an oath to the
to support and defend the Constitution of the United States
against all enemies for an in domestic The bottom line
is there are a lot of people that are currently
serving that are unhappy with the current administration. I'm concerned
about that, just based off what my friend said.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
So, James, what's a meat eater? I work with a
beer drinking.
Speaker 6 (10:46):
It's not a grass that makes sense, that puts it
into content. Yeah, pretty much. It's the simplest answer is
always the best.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
So, yeah, you.
Speaker 5 (11:00):
Brought some beverages here along with the pal Brian.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
You got a pretty big announcement you want to make.
Speaker 4 (11:05):
Yeah, I can roll man, let's go, let's do it.
Let's do it.
Speaker 6 (11:07):
So uh So I am running for State Senate District
forty one. That's uh, you know, southeastern Johnson County uh
and Bartholomew County.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
Uh. So.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
You know, I appreciate the Johnson County man hammer and
Nigel Country. We went down to the fair at Johnson
County fair Man and it was awesome.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Your adopted sons to Johnson County.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
If you're from Beach Grove, like I feel like you
get invited to the cookouts there you go at Johnson County.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Well, we appreciate it. Lion, do I still get in.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
You're good, you put in the work.
Speaker 5 (11:38):
Do you remember just barding with a pub mustache?
Speaker 4 (11:40):
You can come out. I'm trying that way. Okay, Well, well,
I appreciate it.
Speaker 6 (11:45):
Vote for cop dot com if you want to check
us out, and we're on Facebook and everything else. So
definitely appreciate you guys. Appreciate the opportunity to talk about
the army. It's something that I'm passionate about and to that.
So let's enjoy some.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Weller here here, gentlemen, Thank you guys, Thank you guys
for your serve a scoplish, thank you for what you
guys do every day on this there.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
Man, that's good.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Oh so good. When it touches the lips, I.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
Feel like.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
It again.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
We're one more shot away from going streaking here in
downtown Indian Out, all right, I'll pour.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
It couldn't make question?
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Do you think this could trickle down to I M
p D and the recruiting problems that the local police
are having.
Speaker 6 (12:27):
So I heard the other day and I and I
somebody may fact check me on this. I heard the
other day that the the numbers I mean are pathetically
low for i MPD, something like six folks went through
the academy. And I don't know if that number is
it was higher than that. I think this this latest class.
Speaker 4 (12:44):
Whatever it was, it was, it was insanely low. You know.
Speaker 6 (12:49):
I think it gets back to the same thing that
I was talking about. When you as a community, as
a country, you know, as as a group of people,
don't support those who are going to support you. These
are the problems that you have when you have things
like you know, a police officer is putting an incredibly different,
difficult situation almost every day, right, and you expect them
(13:10):
to be perfect of the time, no matter what, you
expect them to be perfect, and most of the time
they are. If you're going after those folks, you know,
when they make an honest mistake, you're going to see
these these these kind of partons.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
It's about the leadership. It's not because people don't even
law enforcement. They don't believe in Joe Hawks or Ryan Mere.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Everything of all my all my law enforcement buddies, Why
would anybody want to be a cop right now? You guys,
you guys do the hardest job. You do the hardest job,
and you have people vilify you for it. It's beyond me.
It's just gross. Our community needs to pull its head
out of what we call a paratroopers call a fourth
port of contact. You can figure out where that's at
(13:50):
and and recognize that these people just carry the water
for our community. They really do, and and and and everybody,
like James was just saying, every he sees it, why
would you want to be a cop right now in Indianapolis?
Speaker 4 (14:03):
Why?
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Well, leadership can dramatically affect that it has in a
negative way, and if they find better leadership, it can
do it in a positive way.
Speaker 4 (14:13):
Army Recruiting the Army.
Speaker 5 (14:15):
A buddy of mine sent me a text.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
The studio right now looks like a WWE house show.
We're like the tag team champions are getting ready to
beat up a two jabbers that is coming out.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
What are you gonna do?
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Lieutenant Colonel James Cop, US Army Special Forces retired, You
guys are awesome.
Speaker 5 (14:36):
You guys are bad as you.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Thank you for your service and we appreciate you joining
it's the Hammer and Nigel Show.