The Digression Podcast

As a young boy, Alexander was tutored by the famous philosopher Aristotle, who taught him a range of subjects, including philosophy, politics, and science. Alexander showed great intelligence and a thirst for knowledge, which would serve him well in his later conquests.

When his father was assassinated in 336 BC, Alexander became king at the age of just 20. He immediately set about consolidating his power and expanding his kingdom....

The Belknap and Kennedy collision was a tragic incident that occurred on December 22, 1975, during a training exercise in the Mediterranean Sea. The USS John F. Kennedy, an aircraft carrier, collided with the USS Belknap, a guided missile cruiser, causing significant damage to both ships and resulting in the deaths of seven sailors and injuries to dozens more.

The incident began when the Kennedy, which was operating as the flagship...

Sun Tzu of Wu was a great military strategist who lived in ancient China more than 2,500 years ago. His name has become synonymous with military strategy and tactics, and his ideas are still studied and applied today by military leaders and business executives.

Sun Tzu was born into a noble family in the state of Chi somewhere around 544 BC. His grandfather was a provincial governor and his father was an accomplished military gener...

Leonidas of Sparta was a legendary figure in ancient Greek history, known for his bravery and leadership during one of the most famous battles in history, the Battle of Thermopylae. He was born into the Agiad dynasty, one of the two ruling dynasties of the Spartan city-state. He was the son of Anaxandridas II and the brother of Cleomenes.

Sparta was known for its strict military training and discipline, and Lionidas' upbringing wou...

We're back! Since this is our first episode of 2023, we pause for a moment to reflect on the last year and give a shout-out to all the folks who make this podcast what it is! Thanks, everyone!

We're also excited to have friend-of-the-show, Michael Shanks, co-host this episode! Michael holds the distinction of being The Digression Podcast's very first listener! He's also the Director of Business Development for Genasys Long Range Ac...

Christmas has always been an important holiday in the U.S., but it took on a special meaning during World War II (1941-45) because so many families had loved ones serving in the armed forces that they were not able to return home for Christmas. Although the Second World War did not have holidays, Americans both at home and overseas did everything they could to celebrate Christmas. Christmas 1941 was not much different for most Amer...

The spy satellite photos created real panic in the Pentagon! An enormous Soviet airplane–probably an interceptor–with engine intakes the size of small cars. The wings were huge, which suggested it had maneuverability far beyond anything America’s McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II could achieve. The Pentagon was looking at the prototypes of what would become the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 Foxbat. After the airplane appeared in public fo...

IN THE NEWS: YouTube censors TDP; Family sues Army over Fort Hood daughter's death; Bonnie Dick sailor acquitted; Maveric's Dark Star steals the show at Edwards; Ukraine meme war; Elon Musk wants DoD to pay for Starlink in Ukraine; Mad cow military can give blood; Selective service says biological men are men; Space Force has a Hanna-Barbera song; Space Force Metalhead Guardians; USAF Academy applications drop and leader's it's not...

Revisiting the fateful day that changed the course of Sergeant Major Charles Morris’ life. On June 29, 1966, while on a search-and-destroy mission in Xuan Loc, South Vietnam, Sergeant Morris came within 20 feet of a Viet Cong machine gunner and was shot in the chest. He returned fire and took out the machine gun nest as the platoon came under heavy fire from an enemy force that significantly outnumbered them. For the next eight hou...

In the Autumn of 1944, as the allies pushed through Germany, the Nazis hatched a plan to establish active forces behind enemy lines. It was called Operation Werewolf. Operation Werewolf was led by Heinrich Himmler and Hans-Adolf Prützmann. The original plan was to create elite groups of guerrilla fighters to harass enemy forces just as the Allies Commandos had done. In less than two months, Prützmann successfully recruited nearly 5...

IN THE NEWS with guest co-host Christof Ambrosch! VA makes PACT Act conditions presumptive and accepting claims; Ukraine's Zelensky talks war with Jimmy Fallon; While the parliament gives themselves a 70% raise; Pentagon OKs Novavax for COVID19, Civilian Protection Center of Excellence and limiting war casualties; Space is not new; Space Flag and on-orbit combat training; The Air Force knows sweat, piss, and hate; Army turns to soc...

Among the basic distinctions in warfare is the difference between tactics and strategy. Tactics deal with the form of individual engagement, while strategy deals with its use. So, tactics are the operational techniques military units employ to win battles. Strategy addresses the broader political objectives for which a war is fought and the ends, ways, and means employed to obtain them. For the strategy to succeed, there must be at...

In this special episode, we're discussing General Milley's resignation letter to the President that he never sent, deciding instead to work against the Commander-in-Chief from the inside.

Military members have a duty to be loyal to the service and the officers appointed over them. Military officers can be punished under the Uniformed Code of Military Justice for using contemptuous words against the President. And yet, if this new b...

IN THE NEWS: RIP CMSAF #6 James McCoy, Nichelle Nicols, and Vin Scully; Ukraine economy tanking; Pentagon phone wiping; No national guard for Bowser; Space Force ‘ambassadors’; Air Force ‘family friendly’ drag show; Martin-Baker hardcore mode; Woke West Point; Bonhomme Richard discipline and another fire; Marine justice; Relief for burn pit vets; Ghost Army honors, listener comments, and more.

Show notes at https://thedigressionpod...

The US Civil War was America’s bloodiest and most costly conflict. Although the battlefields were covered with death, the field hospitals were perhaps the most frightening places. From the echoing screams of men undergoing amputations to the inexperienced doctors and lack of medical knowledge, many believed it was better to die on the field than to face the surgeons. Infections were also a huge problem due to poor sanitation, disea...

IN THE NEWS: Navy targets pronouns while China launches new carrier; Turns out West Point is teaching woke; Rep Matt Gaetz fighting DEI in the military; Woke military struggles with recruiting; Congress tells Space Force to slow down; Air Force "leaders" discourage gender-specific pronouns in award citations; Competition to replace the Army's Bradley is underway; Four soldiers receive Medal of Honor for action in View Nam; Navy thr...

By now, just about everyone has seen Tom Cruise’s blockbuster movie, “Top Gun: Maverick”...so why are we talking about it? Well, for one thing, it’s “us,” and another is it’s a damn good movie! So if you’re one of the few who have not seen this movie and you’re worried about spoilers in this podcast, let me assure you, we’re going to spoil the hell out of this movie! We’re also going to go beyond the story (which we really don’t sp...

IN THE NEWS: Fast-mover, Slow-mover collision story; Ukraine a stalemate? So why are we fighting; GI Jab lawsuit; The real home-grown terrorists; Space Force is just misunderstood; Space Force is LIT; Air Force changes Would make General Olds smile; Navy approves beards for sailors…sort of; Army basing challenges; Marine Pride!; VA hospital dithers while vet dies!

Show notes at https://thedigressionpodcast.com/81

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We all know The Red Baron as Snoopy's unseen arch-enemy who shot his Sopwith Camel doghouse out of the sky untold times in the Peanuts cartoons. But the actual man was so much more than the caricature painted by Charles Schultz!

Although Baron Manfred von Richthofen was only involved in World War I's air war for 18 months, seated in his blazing red Fokker DR-1 triplane he shot down 80 allied planes in that time, an extraordinary fe...