We listen to some incredible reports from former Army Rangers/Journalists with Coffee or Die magazine; Marty Skovlund Jr., Jariko Denman, and Joshua Skovlund. We follow some of Josh's emotional social media posts and get a sense of what life is like as Ukrainians fight for survival amidst Russian attacks. See more at Coffee or Die magazine For stories or guest booking contact phil@connectingvets.com or follow on Twitter @philbriggsVet

Army veteran Chris Jones went from firing missiles to becoming a graphic designer and building luxurious custom home projects for clients around the world. We talked about how the kid's rooms he creates look like Disneyland or Ikea on acid. Plus the T-Shirt company he founded with his son MOS apparel.

Garnet and Zaimis Brooks found each other in the Army, but they found financial success after founding a Stretch Zone franchise near Ft Bliss, Texas. We talked with them about what Stretch Zone does for their clients, how they got started and what it takes to be a successful franchise owner. See more about Stretch Zone here

We talk with Grunt Style apparel's outspoken leader, Tim Jensen about President Biden's SOTU and a recent bill that Congress says will help vets dying from toxic exposure get the care and benefits they deserve. Spoiler alert: Don't do a victory dance yet! We separate fact from bs and tell vets who can help them right now. See more Grunt Style apparel here Read more about the bill Congress is pushing to help vets here

You may know Dakota Meyer as the badass Marine Corps vet who earned the nation's highest honor, or as the host of the American Party podcast. But in his latest book "The Way Forward: Master Life's Toughest Battles and Create Your Lasting Legacy" we hear another side of this warfighter. We talked about growing up a country boy in Kentucky, fatherhood, his days as a cheerleader? And some killer advice that everyone can use in their daily life.

Always quotable and sometimes controversial, former Navy SEAL Rob O'Neill talks about his new book "The Way Forward: Master Life's Toughest Battles and Create Your Lasting Legacy". Known best for being the man who shot Osama Bin Laden we talked about why he chose to go public, but we also hear how basketball helped him become a SEAL, how he wasn't the greatest swimmer and many other incredible life lessons for the average Joe.

Decorated Navy SEAL combat veteran Rob O'Neill is best known for being the SEAL team member who killed Osama Bin Laden. During our recent interview we talked about the insanity of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and what the US should be prepared to do. 

It's not every day you meet a band whose founders are a Delta Force veteran and the ex-guitarist of Nirvana. But that's just the start of our conversation with Army veteran Brad Thomas. We talked about his time in Spec Ops, combat ops in Somalia, forming the band Silence and Light with his Special Forces bandmate, and his friendship with Ozzy! Crank it up.

Army veteran Will Boyd and Navy vet Damon Darienzo went from the military to the civilian workforce but still wanted more. They discuss how they discovered Amazon’s "Delivery Service Partner" program and how in a short time they became business owners who manage the delivery of over 1M packages a year.  

Marine Corps Special Operations vet Bryan Buckley served with the elite MARSOC “Raiders”. After deployments in Iraq, Africa, and Afghanistan's Helmand Valley he was unable to sleep. But he shares how he found relief with cannabis and how he and other MARSOC vets founded Helmand Valley Growers Company. Now their mission is to help vets benefit from cannabis and conduct the scientific trials that will force Congress to change the stupid law.

Stuart Scheller is a former Lt. Colonel in the Marine Corps, and probably one of the loudest military voices of 2021. In a series of viral videos posted last Fall, Scheller slammed Marine Corps leadership, and military leaders all the way up to the President for failing to go execute a proper withdrawal from Afghanistan. The videos would ultimately result in his discharge. But now he’s telling why he still stands by his comments, offers multiple examples of failed leadership, and shares what he’s going to do next.

Marine Corps vet Jake Edwards survived The Battle of Fallujah, Iraq. Now he's sharing the skills that kept him alive, and teaching them to school systems around the country. Hear his incredible story and how the LEAD Tactics method can help schools be better prepared for gun violence. See his threat response training at LEADTactics.org

Former PsyOps soldier and Army Intel Officer Marjorie K Eastman served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Angered by our fumbled exit from Afghanistan, she decided to get in the ring and pursue the Republican nomination for US Senate in NC. Unafraid of tough questions, she gave bold answers on Afghanistan, National Security, China, Education, Economy, career politicians and offered a rally cry for more veterans to run for office. 

From chasing Iranian terrorists to an ancient Christian organization bent on bringing about Armageddon, former Delta Force commander Brad Taylor offers a look at his explosive new novel. Plus, we discuss real-world events like the Biden administration's fumbled withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Capitol riot of January 6th.        

Marine Corps vet “Chaps” is best known as the edgy host of Barstool Sport’s military podcast “Zero Blog Thirty”. Off the mic, he shared some war stories, his passion for helping vets, a past life as a preacher, and proved why this podcast host is funny as hell!          

Army veteran Jariko Denman is an Army Ranger veteran with 15 combat deployments. After retiring, he co-founded War Office Productions with Navy SEAL vet Ray Mendoza. They use their years of combat experience to ensure filmmakers get it right. We talked about his journey, psychedelic plant medicine, Hollywood movies, what it’s like to work on set with celebs like Mark Wahlberg, and the recent tragedy on the set of Alec Baldwin's film Rust. See more about War Office Productions https://warofficeproductions.com/   

Special Forces veteran and ConnectingVets.com Journalist Jack Murphy and Eye on Veterans Host Phil Briggs look back at some interesting stories from 2021 and share their hopes for the future.

British paratrooper veteran James Thornett tells the epic story of smuggling a truckload of liquor through a combat zone in Iraq and how he founded the legendary bar known as "The Baghdad Country Club".

Grunty Style's 1st Sgt of Apparel, Tim Jensen shares how their new foundation is going to help fix problems like Mental Health, Veteran Transition, Food Insecurity, and Veteran Homelessness. We get deep into how the T-Shirt brand has always put boots to asses on Capitol Hill and how they're moving to fund programs themselves.

Guitar legend Joe Walsh is back with VetsAid 2021 on Dec 18. We talked with him about the show, who he's jamming with (including a member of The Beatles), and why his veteran connection is so personal. The show will be streamed through Dec 25. Over the last 5 years, VetsAid concerts have raised $1.8M for veteran charities. Get tickets at VetsAid.org

Dr. Keita Franklin, Loyal Source Government Services, Chief Clinical Officer shares how a new toll-free phone number called “The Independence Line” is ready to assist Afghan refugees with all the things they need to start their new life in America. 1-855-341-5456

Margaux Donoghue deployed to Iraq twice. She sustained head trauma from an IED attack, PTSD from witnessing others die, eventually developing Bells Palsy. After brain surgery failed to help, VA docs prescribed mountains of meds. But she swears what saved her life back was Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and a trip to the South Pole.

Almost a million vets suffered head trauma in Iraq and Afghanistan. All evidence suggests Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy heals the injured brain. Dr. Robert Beckman, TreatNow dot org Founder, shares successful case studies and warns that by ignoring HBOT, the scientific community and our government is wasting time, money, and lives.

“From Service to Start-Up” is a contest where aspiring veteran entrepreneurs can win $100,000 from USAA and Bunker Labs. We talk with Army veteran and IT business founder AJ Orr and USAF Maj (Ret) Mike Kelly from USAA about contest details. Make your dreams of owning a business a reality!

In this new book, Retired Army Lt. General Keith Kellogg shares what it was like being one of President Trump's advisors on National Security for his entire term and offers vivid details on Afghanistan, COVID, and the Capitol riots. Find his book here “War by other means … A General in the Trump White House”