(Not Just) War Stories, with JD Welsh

Newly "doctored", Eric Brandenburg, joins Steve, Conan, Joel, and I in a discussion about why the A-10 is still relevant, and how ordinary 304s (radio maintenance guys) did extraordinary things as ROMADS in Vietnam.Note: In between the recording of this ep and me posting it, The U.S. Air Force has officially extended the service life of the A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog" to at least 2030, reversing earlier plans to retire the fleet....

Matt Campbell talks about his family’s fight to challenge the Attorney General’s refusal to allow an application to reopen the inquest into his brother Geoff Campbell’s death on September 11, 2001. He breaks down the legal battle now before the UK Supreme Court, the question of whether the Attorney General’s power is subject to judicial review, and why this case could redefine the line between executive auth...

Heidi Langbein-Allen, author of Save the Last Bullet: Memoir of a Boy Soldier in Hitler’s Army, talks about her father’s harrowing experience as a child soldier in the final days of World War II, the Nazi indoctrination of German youth, and the long shadow war cast over survivors and their families. Raised in Germany, France, and Spain, Heidi wrote the book from sixteen cassette tapes her father recorded in German, pres...

Hoangmai H. Pham, Vietnamese American refugee, physician, health policy leader, and author of Bridge from Saigon, talks about her family’s escape from Vietnam, the personal and psychological aftermath of displacement, and the path that took her to the highest levels of American health care leadership. She also discusses the story behind Bridge from Saigon, her work in medicine and policy, and the deeper questions of identity,...

Retired B-52 pilot, ALO, and ASOS commander, Steve Call, talks about the story behind the writing of his book, Danger Close.Danger Close: Tactical Air Controllers in Afghanistan and Iraq https://a.co/d/4flojAU

#AirForceSpecialWarfare#AFSW #TACP #Leadership #warstories#combat #closeairsupport #CAS #JTAC #USAF #veterans #veteran #usmilitary #etac #alo#MilitaryAuthor #VeteranAuthor #DangerClose #military #history #MilitaryHistory#Milit...

Miles Spencer, former co-host of PBS’s MoneyHunt, multi-exit entrepreneur, author, and founder of Reflekta, talks about Reflekta, the company he co-founded to help preserve voices, memories, and personal legacy through interactive digital storytelling.https://reflekta.ai/

#Reflekta #Storytelling #Heritage #FamilyHistory #Ancestry#Genealogy #Legacy #PreserveYourStory #FamilyLegacy #OralHistory#PersonalHistory #RootsAndHeritage ...

Miles Spencer, former co-host of PBS’s MoneyHunt, multi-exit entrepreneur, author, and founder of Reflekta, talks about his adventures, his kayaking experiences with Kayak for a Cause, and the long desert journeys that shaped his view of risk, teamwork, and resilience. He also breaks down Reflekta, the company he co-founded to help preserve voices, memories, and personal legacy through interactive digital storytelling.

https:/...

Frank Haidusek Jr., retired TACP, talks about the time he had to make a life changing combat decision.

#TACP #JTAC #CAS #AirSupport #Veterans #VAClaims #MedBoard#IraqWar #AfghanistanWar #FishingLife #military #airforce #usaf #combat #war#veteran #specialoperations #militaryaviation #tacp#airforcespecialwarfare #warstories #warstory #history #veterans #warrior#BreastCancer #AmericanHeartAssociation #hearttransplant #clearedhotfishing

Frank Haidusek Jr., retired TACP, talks about combat CAS decision-making in Iraq, the realities of the VA/MEDBOARD process and how service members can protect themselves, and life after service building a fishing guide business while giving back to veterans.

https://www.clearedhotfishing.com/

#TACP #JTAC #CAS #AirSupport #Veterans #VAClaims #MedBoard #IraqWar #AfghanistanWar #FishingLife #military #airforce #usaf #combat #war #veter...

Zolal Habibi is an Iranian human rights activist and a leading voice for justice, democracy, and women’s rights in Iran. This conversation is an update to our interview from a month ago, focusing on the worsening conditions faced by Iran’s citizens, including arrests, executions, repression of women, and the ongoing struggle of families, protesters, and political prisoners. A member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of t...

Zolal Habibi is an Iranian human rights activist and a prominent voice for justice, democracy, and women's rights in Iran. She serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), where she advocates globally for a free, secular, and democratic Iran. With over two decades of dedicated activism, she has become a fierce advocate on behalf of the voiceless inside Iran, regularly appearing in in...

Andy Deacon, former TACP, KC-135, MQ-9, and U-28 pilot talks about flying one of the most valuable assets ever used on the battlefield.

#military #airforce #usaf #combat #war #veteran#specialoperations #militaryaviation #airforcepilot #tacp #afsoc #mq9reaper#kc135 #ac130 #airlinepilot #mq9 #gunship #combataviation#airforcespecialwarfare #u28 #pilatuspc12 #tankerpilot #hurlburtfield #warstories#warstory #history #veterans #warrior #h...

Andy Deacon, former TACP, KC-135, MQ-9, and U-28 pilot, and co-founder of Hoosier Warrior Coffee, talks about the enlisted-to-officer path from TACP to military pilot, how JTAC/U-28/AC-130 crews worked together in combat, and building a life through deployments, airline flying, and family.

#military #airforce #usaf #combat #war #veteran#specialoperations #militaryaviation #airforcepilot #tacp #afsoc #mq9reaper#kc135 #ac130 #airlinep...

Today’s episode is a special replay from At the Water’s Edge with host Scott Kelly.Full credit to Scott Kelly and At the Water’s Edge — check it out on Spotify, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6b6TN2bcrsVF6QCpsuV7K2?si=tD2uWib3TC6HvJeTrz_wpA

I wanted to share this episode because it cuts through the talking points and gets to the ground-truth of modern war: what Clos...