Ssgt. Jay Amra served in the United States Marine Corps from 2008 - 2017. He served two combat tours in Afghanistan and a third on the 22nd MEU while assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marines as a machine gunner. During these deployments, he progressed from the rank of Lcpl. - Sgt serving in the billets of team leader, squad leader and eventually section leader. In 2015 He was assigned to The Basic School as a dugout instructor where he advanced to the rank of Ssgt and Senior enlisted...

CSM RET. Donald (Mac) McAlister served over 24 years in the US Army. He has multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he deployed from Squad Leader through SGM. He spent the majority of his career with the 82nd ABN DIV. While deployed with the 82nd ABN Div in the 2003 Iraq Invasion he was severely wounded. He recovered from his injuries and stayed in the fight and continued to deploy until he retired in 2017. Since retiring He continues to stay involved in the Veteran...

Dave Brooks is a former Royal Marines Commando who served in 40 Commando and the United Kingdom Landing Force Command Support Group RM. Dave was on a training exercise in the Mediterranean with 40 Commando as part of the Amphibious Ready Group during the September 11th attacks. His unit was involved in early operations in Afghanistan alongside C Sqn SBS and B Sqn SAS. Dave joined Landing Force Command Support Group in late 2002 and was part of a TACP team for the invasion of Iraq 2003. Dave...

Lt Col (retired) Perry Blackburn served in multiple roles throughout his time in the US Army. He spent a significant portion of his time with 5th SFG(A), deploying to multiple theatres including the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. Perry was an ODA team commander during Operation Anaconda which this episode focuses on. The movie '12 Strong' is the feature film that depicts the events of that operation and we discuss if the really assaulted tanks on horseback.  Follow on Instagram  The Lead...

Chris VanSant is a retired 20+ year Special Operations Veteran with service on four continents and in 17 countries. Chris's service includes time in the 75th Ranger Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, the 82nd Airborne Division, and 11 combat deployments as both a Team Member and Team Leader in 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta (Delta Force). Since leaving the military he has been working with Tyr Tactical and currently holds the position of COO with the company.    Follow along...

Episode 42 is with Lars Hove-Olesen (Captain, retired) who served in the Danish Army from the early nineties until 2019 and in his time, he deployed both as a private and officer. His deployments have taken him to the Balkans and Afghanistan His military background is both infantry and combat support arms, and he has served in various people-centric roles ranging from information gathering and civil affairs, as well as PSYOPS and press liaison duties. At the age of 45, he left the Danish...

Cope Wilson served with the Canadian Army deploying to Kabul before he passed selection and joined Canadian Special Operations Regiment - CSOR. He spent a number of years working a gun before moving on to becoming a JTAC and then a JTAC instructor. Cope struggled with some mental health issues whilst serving which lead to his retirement from active duty, which he shares in the episode. He is a keen advocate of the individual and believes we all have a story to tell, good or bad. He is a...

Simon 'Hawks' Hawken served with 2/4 RAR (Royal Australian Regiment) and 2 RAR and spent 20 years running the gauntlet of mainstream Infantry roles from Section Commander, Recon Platoon Sergeant and more. He has a wealth of experience as well as some extremely unique and lesser-known deployments to include a UN mission to Rwanda during the ongoing Genocide which proved to be an extremely hostile environment described by those that were there as 'Hell on Earth'.   Hawkes has his own podcast...

Episode 039 is with Neil 'Neilly' Davis who served with the British Army in the Queens Own Highlanders and JSG. Neil was an instructor at the Infantry Battle School, Brecon and had an envious Infantry career before transitioning to a new unit. JSG was a HUMINT gathering unit working in the UK to gain a foothold against the IRA and Neil was an agent handler there for 6 years.   His post-military career has seen him working all over the world in a multitude of exciting roles to include a long...

Clark Impastato is a former US Navy Seal, serving with Team 5. He served 8 years active duty and later spent 4 years with 19th Group Special Forces. His post-military career consisted of high level Contracting in the Middle East AO, in areas such as Isreal and Afghanistan. Clark moved into Policing on return to the US and served with the Phoenix Police Department working on some crazy undercover operations.   Follow on INSTAGRAM @leadwasps   Clark - @clark_impastato   Clark runs a podcast...

This episode is to commemorate the 30 Year Anniversary of the first Gulf War, Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.    Rick Hogg and Mark Kelley served in the same Platoon and they detail their involvement in the conflict, providing insight into what the grunts of the 1st BN 505th PIR, 82nd Airborne got up to.  This was a full-scale conventional war between a brutal dictator, his Army and the World. The War started with a 41-day bombing campaign, over 250,000 coalition soldiers...

Maj (retired) Heston Russel served with 2nd Commando Regiment in the Australian Army. He started his career as a Platoon Commander with 2 RAR before completing Special Forces selection and joining his Commando unit. Heston deployed on multiple combat deployments to Afghanistan and the middle east where he served in a multitude of senior command roles.    He now runs 'Voice of a Veteran', an organisation supporting contemporary veterans issues such as mental health awareness and other...

Robert ' Bobby" Colliton served with the US Army, in various units before finding his home with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Bobby was involved in one of the largest combat jumps, since World War 2, into Northern Iraq in 2003, capturing an airfield and securing large swathes of the country utilising mobility platforms. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2005 as a Rifle Squad Leader before leaving the Army to pursue a new career in the USAF as a SERE Specialist working with AF Rescue and Personel...

Sean 'Buck' Rogers is a former 18B, Weapons Sergeant, from the US Army's Special Forces Green Berets. He served with 10th group and deployed to Afghanistan working with host nation Commandos in the fight against Daesh (ISIS). He now spends his time running a YouTube channel called, FNG Academy helping guys get selected for special operations. He is the author of Rising Above, launching in February 2021.    Checkout is YOUTUBE Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/FNGACADEMY  Follow on INSTAGRAM...

Jonny Mortimer-Hendry is a retired Captain from the British Army. He served with the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment as a Platoon Commander, deploying to Afghanistan on Herrick XIII in 2010. He moved to UK SFSG [1 PARA] on promotion to Captain and returned back to Afghanistan with his new unit. He spent a brief period of time with 3 PARA as OC Mortor Pl before leaving the army to pursue other ventures.   You can follow Jonny on INSTAGRAM @iamjonnymh  Follow the podcast @leadwasps...

Neville Johnson served with the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, British Army. Born and raised in South Africa, he joined the British Army in the early 2000s deploying multiple times throughout his service, to include Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a published poet and his piece on Sangin is featured in the episode intro.    Find Neville on INSTAGRAM @Nevillejohnson01 YouTube (2) The Lead Wasps Podcast - YouTube

.Jack Marshman served with the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment with the British Army for close to 12 years. He deployed to KAF, Afghanistan in 2008 and Helmand Province in 2010 but most of his career he spent representing the Army in Boxing and fighting professionally as in MMA. He now fights in the UFC at middleweight and is a former Cage Warriors and BAMMA Champion     Follow Jack on Insta @Jack.marshman.ufc

Episode 030 is with retired Sgt Jared Prewitt from the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, United States Marine Corps. Jared served as a squad leader whilst deployed to Garmsir, Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2008. He talks about the dumpster-fire that is rural Afghanistan and details the USMC push into that part of the country.    This is part 2 of his story where we talk about his deployment to Afghanistan. Go back and listen to episode 030 to hear about his first deployment, to Iraq....

Episode 030 is with retired Sgt Jared Prewitt from the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, United States Marine Corps. Jared served as a squad leader whilst deployed to Garmsir, Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2008. He talks about the dumpster-fire that is rural Afghanistan and details the USMC push into that part of the country.   This is part 2 of his story where we talk about his deployment to Afghanistan.  Go back and listen to episode 030 to hear about his first deployment, to Iraq....

Episode 029 is with retired Sgt Jared Prewitt from the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, United States Marine Corps. Jared served as a designated marksman (DM) whilst deployed to Ramadi, Iraq in 2006. He was involved in a number of significant events on that deployment.   This is part one of his story where we talk about his time joining the USMC and his first deployment, to Iraq. Follow along for Part 2 in the next episode for his Deployment to Garmsir, Afghanistan and his post-deployment...

Episode 028 is with Green Beret Anthony Karr. Anthony enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard and later entered into the 18X (Special Forces) pipeline. He was eventually assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group as a Special Forces Comms guy. During his service, he deployed multiple times to Central Africa and Afghanistan. Anthony became a JTAC and subsequently a Special Ops JTAC Instructor. He is now serving part-time and is in the process of being welcomed to a new Infantry unit....

Cpl [retired] Rob Langdon served with 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in the Australian Army. He spent some time as a RECON soldier, an Instructor at the Infantry Training Centre and finished with the Brigade Reconnaissance Platoon. On leaving the Army, Rob completed Ronin SA Close Protection course and found work overseas contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was involved in an incident that saw him sentenced to death, and spent 7 years in an Afghan prison before receiving a...

Geraint Jones served with 2 Royal Welsh, British Army and is a combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. His back to back deployments were pivotal in his future success as a New York Times and Sunday Times best-selling writer, and host of The Veteran State of Mind podcast. He wrote his own Afghanistan memoir, 'Brothers In Arms',  that was later published in 2019 and is a great read or listen on Audible.   Follow Geraint on: INSTAGRAM @grjbooks  Follow The Veteran Stator of Mind on INSTAGRAM...

Jason Gardner is a retired Master Chief from the US Navy SEALs. He served the United States for over 30 years as a SEAL, Sniper and Commander and deployed on multiple occasions to Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and more. Jason now works for a consulting company called Echelon Front who provide leadership and strategic management to corporate America.   Follow Jason on INSTAGRAM @jason.n.gardner  Follow the podcast @leadwasps   Listen on SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/show/2GrWtmf......