Today we have a once in a lifetime Combat Story with one of the few living Medal of Honor recipients from the war in Afghanistan: Earl Plumlee. Earl was a Marine infantryman, Force Recon team leader, and Special Forces Weapons Sergeant in the pre- and post-9/11 era. Earl would deploy multiple times with the Marine Corps and the Army, to include combat deployments with Force Recon and a historic deployment in 2013 with the his ODA where he would earn the Medal of Honor.  In this episode, we...

Today we have a Combat Story where we bring two F-15E Strike Eagle aviators - a front seater and backseater - together to talk about what it was like flying at the same time and some of the adventures that come with that life. Both Tom “Gunny” Moser and Mike “Pako” Benitez are decorated aviators, both Fighter Weapons School qualified and both former Marines (Tom an 0311 and Mike a helicopter aircrew member and door gunner). We interviewed both Gunny and Pako individually if you’re curious...

Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more! Today I’m so excited to share this...

Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more! In this second round interview...

Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more! Today we hear Round 1 of a two...

Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more! Today we have an amazing Combat...

Today we hear round two of our two-part Combat Story from seasoned F-15E Strike Eagle fighter pilot Tom “Gunny” Moser. Moser would go on to be a Weapons Fighter School graduate (the Air Force’s Top Gun), in addition to a Squadron and Wing Weapons Officer, and Squadron Commander.  In this episode, we dig into several combat experiences from the F-15’s front seat and what makes this aircraft so lethal. This includes the very first strikes into Syria in 2014 taking on ISIS where Gunny helped...

Today we hear Round 1 of a two part Combat Story from seasoned fighter pilot Tom “Gunny” Moser who flew the F-15E Strike Eagle, served as a Squadron and Wing Weapons Officer, was a Fighter Weapons School graduate (akin to the Navy’s Top Gun), commanded a Squadron, and more.  In this episode, we follow Gunny’s circuitous route into the military first as a Marine 0311 (Infantryman), followed by a stint as a Police Officer, followed by a very decorated career in the Air Force.  Since...

This is our first JOINT Combat Story where we bring two combat veterans on the show to talk about combat operations they were part of together. This time we’re fortunate to have Sam Mackey and Joel McGuire, both former SEALs, who speak about some of the toughest moments they had deployed to Afghanistan.  I always wanted to have two guys who fought side by side to see what they remember, where they each have gaps and to watch the bond firsthand that was forged in those difficult moments...

We sit down with previous guest and former Ranger and Delta Force operator Brad Thomas as he sets the record straight about what happened back in Mogadishu and how his recollection of one event (as he shared back on Episode 58) was different than what another person remembered.  Join hundreds of others with our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan each week about the show, life, and the military. In the former interview, Brad...

Today we have our second round Combat Story with Sam Mackey, who overcame a challenging and rebellious youth to successfully earn his SEAL Trident, carrying him to SEAL Team Eight where we left off at the end of round one. In this second round interview, Sam’s deployments continue as he faces defining moments, including the loss of a close friend in a helicopter crash and intense firefights in Afghanistan. This includes a brief morbid but hilarious story of Sam nearly breaking the longest...

Join hundreds of others with our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan each week about the show, life, and the military. Please leave us a 5 star review at Apple podcasts or Spotify to get these amazing stories of valor and sacrifice to more people. Today we have our first of a two round Combat Story as we delve into Sam Mackey's extraordinary journey from a rebellious youth to a Navy SEAL and, after retiring with 20 years in the...

To help us support our Veterans, Subscribe, Like, and Comment on this video. It helps us get more people to watch and bring more guests on! Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week...

In this second round Combat Story with Jack Beaumont, we pickup with Jack being forced to walk away from flying jets after wrecking his back in a hard landing. His back was too injured to handle the Gs and an ejection from the aircraft, making him a liability to his fellow fighter pilots.  He found his way over to fly planes in the French COS or Special Operations Command in some amazing circumstances, to include evading radar and landing to unimproved runways at night in bad weather (it’s...

Today we have round one of an incredible two part Combat Story and our first from a member of the French military and intelligence services, Jack Beaumont. Jack was an elite fighter pilot in the French Air Force flying single seat Mirage2000’s, designed for dog fighting, in combat operations.  Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. He would...

🎙️  🎙️ Today we hear the second round of our insightful two part Combat Story with former Green Beret and Delta Force operator Brent Tucker. In this episode, Brent runs through deployments with The Unit, including what it feels like breaching a door on an objective and earning a Purple Heart (the last one on his team to earn one), after being shot and hit with grenade shrapnel. Since leaving the military, Brent founded First Responder’s Coffee Company, which uses the tagline ‘Coffee with a...

Today we have round one of our two part Combat Story with an elite member of the Tier 1 community, Brent Tucker who completed over a dozen deployments with Special Forces and 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta (or more commonly referred to as Delta Force). Brent is now the founder of First Responder’s Coffee Company and First Responder’s Cigar Company, which uses the tag line ‘Coffee with a purpose’ because it directly supports the First Responder community.  In our first...

Today we have the second round of our two part Combat Story with Mike Edwards, a former Regimental Reconnaissance Company (RRC) operator and longtime Ranger with 18 combat deployments. Mike was one of the few to serve in the Omega Program, which the Washington Post described as “units comprising CIA personnel and troops with JSOC…using co-mingled bases in Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen” and “mostly designed against specific high-value targets.” Effectively, Omega was some of the best and most...

This episode was sponsored by HelloFresh! Go to HelloFresh.com/combatstoryfree and use code combatstoryfree for FREE breakfast for life! Today we have part one of a two part Combat Story with Mike Edwards, a former special operations soldier and leader with 18 combat deployments with the Ranger Regiment, Regimental Reconnaissance Company (RRC), and as part of the Omega Program where JSOC and CIA personnel were paired together to form lethal operational units downrange. The Washington Post...

On today’s Combat Story we dive into stories of a handful of the brave men who were at Pearl Harbor during the tragic December 7th, 1941 attack that changed the course of history. These are stories of action, selflessness, and courage that few of us can imagine, but sound right at home with the stories we often hear on Combat Story and should not be forgotten. [Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and...

🎙️ Today's Combat Story: Navy SEAL, SDV Team One, and DEVGRU  🎙️ Today’s Combat Story focuses on both Navy SEAL, SDV Team One, and DEVGRU member Rodney Brown and his connection to an upcoming guest, Mike Edwards. I asked Mike, in preparation for a future interview, who I could talk to about Mike’s time downrange. Surprisingly, Mike, an Army Ranger, referred me to Rodney, a Navy SEAL. After talking to Rodney, however, it’s easy to see why and how this brotherhood was created. Rodney spent...

🎙️ Today's Combat Story: Training Dogs for SEAL Teams and Founding the Warrior Dog Foundation🎙️ Today we have the second portion of a two-part crossover Combat Story with former Navy SEAL, NY Times Best-Selling Author, Trikos Founder, and founder of the Warrior Dog Foundation: Mike Ritland. Many will, of course, know Mike as the host of the long-running Mike Drop podcast. I traveled out to Texas to interview Mike in-person and then he returned the favor.  For those who missed part one, Mike...

🎙️ Today's Combat Story: Training Dogs for SEAL Teams and Founding the Warrior Dog Foundation🎙️ Today we have a cross over Combat Story with former Navy SEAL, NY Times Best-Selling Author, and Trikos Founder Mike Ritland who many will also know as the host of the Mike Drop podcast. I traveled out to Texas to interview Mike and then he returned the favor.  For those who don’t know Mike, he earned his Trident pre-9/11 and found himself on the largest operation in the history of Naval...

This episode is brought to you by Nutrisense. Visit nutrisense.com/combat and get $30 off your first month and one month of board certified nutritionist support.  When they ask how you learned about Nutrisense make sure to tell them it was the Combat Story podcast. ======= Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant...

Check out this week's sponsor AUSA's podcast Army Matters. Amplifying the voices of the Total Army: https://www.ausa.org/podcast This episode is brought to you by Nutrisense. Visit nutrisense.com/combat and get $30 off your first month and one month of board certified nutritionist support.  When they ask how you learned about Nutrisense make sure to tell them it was the Combat Story podcast. ======= Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short...