Hazard Ground
356 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 months ago - ★★★★★ - 585 ratingsServicemembers from across the military, sharing their accounts of combat and survival. Hosted by sports talk radio host and Army veteran, Mark Zinno, this podcast brings you firsthand accounts of war, with a perspective you only get from someone who has lived through it. From WWII to Vietnam, Somalia, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, hear inspirational stories of service and resiliency from those who have fought on and off the battlefield!
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Steve Cannon (CEO of AMB Group/Atlanta Falcons)
February 19, 2018 19:41 - 55 minutesOur guest this week is not the typical guest we tend to feature on “Hazard Ground.” But we felt it was important to have Steve Cannon on to talk about service & leadership, as he is someone who’s embodied those ideals for a very long time. Steve Cannon is currently the CEO of AMB Group, LLC – the Arthur M. Blank family of businesses, which includes the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, whose business operations Cannon currently leads. He is also a West Point graduate and qualified Army Airborne Ranger, ...
Special Guest: Sebastian Junger
February 12, 2018 20:27 - 51 minutesWe are honored to be joined this week by special guest & author/journalist/filmmaker Sebastian Junger. Junger is a #1 New York Times Bestselling author of such works as “The Perfect Storm,” “War,” & “Tribe.” He is also a documentary filmmaker whose debut film “Restrepo” was nominated for an Academy Award. As an award-winning journalist who’s covered news stories around the world, he’s received both a National Magazine Award & a Peabody Award. He is also known for directing “Korengal,” the seq...
Margaux Mange
February 05, 2018 23:12 - 1 hourWe return this week with a guest who at first, humbly, didn’t really believe she had much to offer to the podcast or our general audience. But she in fact does have something important to share, & sharing her story is yet another reason we do the podcast each week – to help others whether they’ve been in the military or not. Margaux Mange is a living example that you can find a way to heal from PTSD & the traumatic effects of having your brain literally rattled in combat. While serving in Ira...
Chris Van Etten
January 29, 2018 20:42 - 1 hourThere are simply too many positive things to say about Chris Van Etten to fit in this short intro, but what we will say is that his drive & motivation to move beyond his injuries & inspire others is infectious & invigorating. In 2012, while on patrol as a Marine in Afghanistan, Van Etten stepped on an IED. The blast took both of his legs as well as the life of his best friend. The accident took its toll both physically & mentally on Chris. Unsure where his drastically changed life was headed,...
Ryan Pitts (Medal of Honor Recipient) - Part II
January 22, 2018 21:09 - 51 minutesToday we pick-up with Ryan Pitts’ story as the Anti-Afghan force begins their deadly and sustained assault on Pitts and his observation post, in the vicinity of Wanat Village, Kunar Province, Afghanistan on July 13, 2008! Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors at www.hazardground.com/sponsors! If you like the show, please subscribe/rate/review on iTunes! It helps the show tremendously, and we always appreciate the feedback!
Ryan Pitts (Medal of Honor Recipient) - Part I
January 15, 2018 19:54 - 53 minutesOn the one year anniversary of Hazard Ground, it’s probably fitting that we share part one of the two part story of how Staff Sergeant Ryan M. Pitts received the Medal of Honor for his actions in combat. His is a story that defines the reason we do the podcast every week – to tell the stories of service, sacrifice, of unbreakable spirit, and strength in the face of insurmountable odds, with the hope that these stories will help others, whether they’ve served in the military or not. Sergeant P...
Scott Huesing ("Echo in Ramadi")
January 09, 2018 07:54 - 53 minutesWe should consider ourselves fortunate to have someone like Scott Huesing to carry on the story of the brave men of Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines who fought daily in Ramadi, Iraq from the winter of 2006 to early 2007. During that period, Ramadi was considered the deadliest city in Iraq. Huesing and his Marines likened it to living in Hell. Scott Huesing served for over 24 years in the Marine Corps, both as enlisted and a commissioned officer, retiring as an Infantry Marine Major. H...
Nick "The Reaper" Irving (U.S. Army Sniper)
January 01, 2018 21:19 - 1 hourJoining the military had been a lifelong dream for Nick Irving. He even knew from a young age that he wanted to be a sniper, taking BB gun shots at just about every inanimate object in his neighborhood, using his homemade ghillie suit as camouflage. And like many who know they want to be a part of the best the military has to offer, Nick set out in high school to join the elite Special Operations Forces of the U.S. military. Through hard work, preparation, and perseverance he became a sniper ...
Jason Beighley
December 18, 2017 20:32 - 1 hourJason Beighley is a special breed of soldier. He has over 17 years experience serving and excelling in the U.S. Army’s top tier Special Operations units. Looking for a greater challenge and more fulfilling job in the military, he worked to join those units, and would soon find himself involved in combat and high-stakes engagements with the enemy. One of those engagements was the Battle of Mogadishu, better known by its film and book adaptation, “Black Hawk Down.” In this episode, Jason, like ...
Special Guest: Dr. Julia Dye
December 11, 2017 20:14 - 31 minutesDr. Julia D. Dye is an author and the VP and CFO of Warriors, Inc., “the entertainment industry’s premiere military advising company.” She also runs Warriors Publishing Group with her husband, retired Marine, and star of such iconic war films as “Platoon” and “Saving Private Ryan”….And former Hazard Ground guest, Dale Dye. Julia also holds a Ph.D. in Theatrical Hoplology – a field which combines anthropology, sociology, economics, and the study of military history and combatives with perform...
Jesse Yandell (Career Army Ranger)
December 04, 2017 21:11 - 58 minutesAs a young infantryman, Jesse Yandell knew he wanted to serve with the best units the U.S. Army had to offer - with soldiers who had the desire to take on more and always push further than the rest. He settled on the elite soldiers of the 75th Ranger Regiment. Once in, he never looked back, serving 15 combat deployments with the Rangers, and eventually reaching the position of Company First Sergeant within the Regiment. Many describe him as "cool and calm" in combat, and a "rock" who others l...
Robert Disney (Air Force Pararescue - PJ)
November 27, 2017 20:58 - 1 hourHaving decided that eight years of medical school was not the right fit for him, and stung by a desire to do something immediately more challenging with his life, Robert Disney dropped out of college to join the Air Force to become a Pararescue specialist, more commonly known as a "PJ." The PJs primary mission is to rescue, recover, and/or provide medical aid to downed air crews anywhere in the world, in any type of environment, both hostile and friendly. The attrition rate within the PJ trai...
Kirstie Ennis
November 20, 2017 20:49 - 1 hourA self-described hellion growing up, Kirstie Ennis has always had the fire inside of her to overcome virtually any obstacle. That trait was put to the test on June 23, 2012, when the helicopter she was a door gunner on crashed in Afghanistan while performing combat resupplies. Kirstie, the daughter of two Marines, had planned to stay in the Marine Corps for a full career. The injuries she sustained as a result of the crash, which included an above-the-knee amputation on her left leg and a tra...
A.B. & Joshua Grantham (Father & Son Marines...From Vietnam to Iraq)
November 13, 2017 21:09 - 1 hourThey're father and son, bonded by war. Both of them, Marines. The father fought in Vietnam, during one of the most violent periods of that conflict. The son did the same in Iraq. For the longest time, the son only knew that his dad was Alvin Bert Grantham, or "A.B." as he's known, the wounded Marine on the tank in one of the most iconic photographs from the Vietnam War. The photo of A.B. Grantham was shot by award-winning photographer, John Olson. It was featured in the March 8, 1968 issue of...
Special Guest: Peter van Agtmael (Documentary & War Photographer)
November 11, 2017 11:39 - 47 minutesEach time Peter van Agtmael has been to war, he's gone without a weapon. No pistol, no knife, no rifle. The only thing he's carried into combat is a camera. And through that camera he has captured the human toll of war, both mental and physical. Since 2006 he has covered the Global War on Terror, working primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has since produced three books of images from these wars that are at times just as moving as they are haunting. Without these works, we would be devoid o...
Joel Carpenter
October 30, 2017 20:01 - 53 minutesThere's probably no greater act of patriotism or selflessness than signing up for military service right after your country has been attacked. That's exactly what Joel Carpenter did after September 11, 2001. Prior to 9/11 he had gone to Hollywood to pursue a career in film and television, but the coordinated terrorist attacks compelled him to fulfill a higher sense of purpose, even though Joel was teetering on the cusp of "making it" in LA. He soon joined the ranks of the Army Rangers at the ...
Dan Futrell
October 23, 2017 19:39 - 49 minutesFor Dan Futrell, joining the military was at first just a means to pay for college. After initially shunning the idea of joining ROTC, he started taking some of the classes and found he enjoyed working with the people in the program. He eventually earned a four-year ROTC scholarship, and from there the Army became more than just a way to pay for college. Following graduation and commissioning, he joined the Infantry, because as he put it, "I wanted to be right in the thick of things." After ...
Staff Sergeant John Diem
October 16, 2017 19:18 - 1 hourStaff Sergeant John Diem knows what it means to serve one's country. That phrase gets thrown around a lot, but John Diem embodies the spirit of patriotism in every sense of the word. He has served multiple combat tours as an infantryman, spending most of that time on the line as part of an infantry squad. He survived a year-long deployment to Iraq's "Triangle of Death", where he and his unit suffered almost daily bomb, mortar, and small arms attacks, before four members of his platoon were co...
Mike Durant
October 09, 2017 18:49 - 1 hourEven if you've seen the movie "Black Hawk Down," and know everything about the book by the same title, you'll want to listen to this very special episode with Mike Durant, the pilot who was shot down over Mogadishu, Somalia during Operation Gothic Serpent in 1993. The level of courage and bravery displayed by him and the other soldiers who fought that long day on October 3rd, 1993, is unmatched. In this episode, Mike takes us through what it's like to fly helicopters for the Army's most elite...
Robin Brown
October 02, 2017 18:49 - 46 minutesIf you've ever wondered what it's like to be shot down in a helicopter in the middle of a war zone, then you definitely want to listen to this week's episode. Even if you haven't, then you'll want to listen to how this week's guest, Robin Brown reacted cool and calmly under pressure, and crash landed her Kiowa Warrior helicopter after literally being blown out of the sky by enemy fire in 2003, when the war in Iraq was starting to go from bad to worse. Many years later, Robin would go back to ...
Stacy Bare
September 25, 2017 20:00 - 1 hourFrom as early as he can remember, Stacy Bare wanted to be in the military. To him it was adventure, coolness, and selfless service, all in one. When Stacy finally got to be the soldier he always dreamed of, he went to war, and served with honor during Operation Iraqi Freedom. But when he came home, his life began to unravel. War had never left him. After battling addictions and a downward spiral that was sure to end in death, Stacy found peace in the outdoors. He became a climber and mountain...
Lt. Jim Downing (Pearl Harbor Survivor)
September 18, 2017 18:43 - 33 minutesOn the show today, we go back over 70 years and cover the most significant attack on American soil prior to 9/11. Our guest on this episode is retired Navy Lt. Jim Downing. At 104 years old, Jim is the 2nd oldest known American survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Jim's memory of that day is still as sharp and clear as it was the day it all unfolded, so we are incredibly lucky to get this firsthand account of the day "which will live in infamy," as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt obser...
Jacob Schick
September 11, 2017 18:24 - 1 hourEarly in the morning on September 20, 2004, and during some of the bloodiest days of the war in Iraq, Jacob Schick and his fellow Marines received a quick reaction call. With no sleep following the previous night's mission, Schick rounded up his Marines and jumped in a Humvee. Even though he had a bad feeling about the situation, Schick demanded he drive the lead vehicle. Shortly after moving out, his vehicle ran over a triple-stacked tank mine IED. Schick took the brunt of the blast. He was ...
Nate Self (Part II)
September 04, 2017 18:04 - 43 minutesPart II of our episode with Nate Self, and the incredible Battle of Takur Ghar. Thanks for listening! www.nateself.com | "Two Wars"
Nate Self (Part I)
August 28, 2017 19:13 - 50 minutesNate Self's story is the reason "Hazard Ground" was born. Early on the morning of March 4, 2002, Self, a young officer and elite Army Ranger, found himself fighting for his life on top of a remote mountain in Afghanistan, markedly outgunned by al Qaeda fighters. Self was tasked with leading the Ranger Quick Reaction Force that was sent to rescue Navy SEAL Neil Roberts and Air Force Technical Sergeant John Chapman, who had become trapped on top of the mountain known as Takur Ghar, during Opera...
Mike Erwin (Founder of Team RWB)
August 21, 2017 20:03 - 47 minutesMike Erwin is an amazing human. After surviving three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as an Intelligence Officer, much of that time directly supporting Special Operations, he started one of the premier veterans support organizations in America: Team Red, White & Blue, or "Team RWB" as it's commonly known. For several years now, Team RWB has been connecting and helping veterans heal through physical fitness, building community, and enacting positive change. Mike is also the Founder and Pr...
Zinno & Pascarella, Creators of "Hazard Ground"
August 14, 2017 19:21 - 1 hourMark Zinno & Matt Pascarella, creators of "Hazard Ground," finally get together in the same city and sit down for a chat. They talk about everything from how the show got started, what it was like booking and working with some of their favorite guests so far, plans for the future, and a whole lot more! Check it out! www.facebook.com/hazardgroundpodcast | www.patreon.com/hazardground | @hazardground
General (Ret) Ann Dunwoody
August 07, 2017 18:59 - 48 minutesGeneral (Ret) Ann Dunwoody holds the distinction of being the first woman in the US Military to achieve the rank of four-star general. But when you listen to her speak and understand a little bit of who she is as a person, you get the sense that there is no military rank high enough to quantify who she is as a leader. Her 37 plus years of military service have helped transform the US military for the better, and inspired other servicemembers to become incredible leaders like herself. She has ...
Bill Reynolds (Vietnam, 9th Infantry Division)
July 31, 2017 19:21 - 1 hourIn the spring of 1966 a 19-year old Bill Reynolds was on top of the world. The young Californian had it all: the killer car (a '65 Chevelle Super Sport to be exact), the gorgeous girlfriend, and a well-paying job in Los Angeles. Then, just before summer hit, his world changed forever - he received a draft notice in the mail, with orders to report to the Los Angeles Induction Station on May 17, 1966. Bill knew that it was his time to serve, like his father before him in WWII, so he went withou...
Chris Roessner ("Sand Castle")
July 24, 2017 19:38 - 56 minutesChris Roessner's attitude and work ethic speak for themselves. In a relatively short period of his life, he's gone from surviving a year in Iraq in the Sunni Triangle performing a wartime mission with one of the lowest survival rates, to being awarded a prestigious academic scholarship through the Pat Tillman Foundation, to writing and executive producing his own film, "Sand Castle," which recently debuted as a Netflix Original Movie in April 2017. Part of his reason for joining the military,...
Dale Dye
July 17, 2017 18:58 - 1 hourDale Dye is probably best known for the roles he's played in numerous motion pictures on war and combat...Films like "Platoon," "Casualties of War," and "Saving Private Ryan." But before he landed in Hollywood, he spent a majority of his time fighting and leading Marines on real battlefields - the ones where the slightest mistake or sniff of bad luck meant you weren't coming home. He's a veteran of multiple tours in Vietnam and survived 31 combat operations there. He's a decorated Marine who ...
Col (Ret) Roland Guidry (Operation EAGLE CLAW / Iran Hostage Crisis)
July 10, 2017 19:28 - 58 minutesRoland Guidry is a retired Air Force Colonel, who led an extraordinary career in air special operations during two very volatile periods in US history. The first was Vietnam, flying special "Buffalo Hunter" missions to launch photo reconnaissance drones into enemy territory from his DC-130 aircraft, in support of special missions like the Son Tay Raid. The second was the Iran Hostage Crisis in early 1980. Many people know from the 2012 film, "Argo," of the six diplomats who initially evaded c...
Special Bonus Episode: John Brenkus (ESPN & "Brink of Midnight")
July 02, 2017 20:00 - 49 minutesYou might be wondering why our guest this week is not affiliated with the military. Every now and then we like to feature a special guest on the show - someone who hasn't necessarily experienced combat, but who works to better the lives of others through podcasts, music, books, and other forms of media. And that's exactly why we have John Brenkus on the podcast. He has an amazing story of how he created his own show for ESPN, called "Sport Science." And he has an even more amazing story of ho...
Special Guest: Mark Bowden
June 26, 2017 20:06 - 40 minutesMost people know Mark Bowden as the best-selling author of the book, Black Hawk Down, the basis for the 2001 film by the same name. But this is only one small part of a collection of books Mark has written that detail some of the most instrumental US military operations in modern history. In the last several years he has covered the Iran Hostage Crisis, the hunt for Pablo Escobar, and the final chapter of Osama Bin Laden, as seen through the eyes of those that were there on the ground, and a...
Will Bardenwerper
June 19, 2017 19:10 - 50 minutesStruck by a sense of duty to defend his country after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Will Bardenwerper walked away from a comfortable job in Midtown Manhattan to join the military. Despite some unexpected downtime while waiting to start his initial training, and then more schooling to become an Airborne & Ranger qualified officer, Will was finally dropped into the "hornet's nest," as he describes it, near Ramadi, Iraq in 2006, at the height of the initial Iraqi insurgency. Having fulfilled h...
Johnny "Joey" Jones
June 12, 2017 20:07 - 54 minutesJohnny "Joey" Jones seemed to have it all. He was a young, good looking Marine, who had earned one of the most technically difficult, interesting, coolest, and coveted jobs in the U.S. military - that of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician (Think back to Ep. 3 w/ EOD Tech, Brian Castner...). It's also one of the most dangerous jobs in the military, and on August 6, 2010, that danger caught up with Jones when he stepped on a very well hidden IED in Afghanistan, instantly severing both...
Matthew Griffin & Donald Lee (Combat Flip Flops)
June 05, 2017 18:58 - 1 hourDespite their difference in military rank when they served in the Army's elite 75th Ranger Regiment - one a seasoned enlisted man with a combat deployment already under his belt, and the other, a new lieutenant working to gain experience and the respect of other Rangers - Donald Lee and Matthew Griffin became fast friends. They went to war together several times, all the while hatching a plan to become business partners when the bullets stopped whizzing overhead. What they started, in spite...
Jason Van Camp (MISSION 6 ZERO)
May 22, 2017 19:08 - 1 hourJason Van Camp, who is today the Founder and Chairman of Mission 6 Zero, is another one of those guys who knows what it means to be a leader, in every sense of the word. He knows what it's like to have passion for something in life and to scratch and claw toward a goal until it's been achieved. He knows what it means to never quit - at least not until there's physically nothing left to give (and even then we're not quite sure Jason would give up). And it's that attitude that has gotten Jason ...
Paul Rieckhoff (Founder & CEO of IAVA)
May 15, 2017 19:24 - 47 minutesFeeling an obligation to do his part for his country, Paul Rieckhoff enlisted in the Army after graduating from college in the years just before 9/11. After the Twin Towers fell, Paul found himself in uniform working tirelessly at Ground Zero. It wouldn't be long after that he would trade the dust and debris of 9/11 for the sands of Iraq, fighting as an infantryman at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Following his service overseas, Paul returned home to start a group that is now the ...
Special Guest: Taya Kyle
May 08, 2017 20:03 - 1 hourMany know Taya Kyle as the wife of American Sniper, Chris Kyle...But for so many others she's an inspiration for overcoming tragedy. For us, she is our first non-military member that we've interviewed, but her story is so compelling. She is raw, honest, and graceful. This is a woman who has shown more strength in her grief, than most do in a lifetime. And like Chris, she is a protector, who continues to help others through times of trouble. Please do not miss this episode! www.tayakyle.com ...
Ben Kotwica
May 01, 2017 19:35 - 42 minutesWashington Redskins Special Teams Coordinator, Ben Kotwica is a proven leader through and through. From his time spent grinding it out on the football field at West Point, to flying Apache attack helicopters in combat, and returning home to work his way up to coaching in the National Football League, Ben embodies the importance of preparation, perseverance, and mentorship. It was truly an honor to have him on the show to share his take on combat, survival, coaching, and leadership!
Marty Skovlund
April 24, 2017 19:04 - 52 minutesWhen Marty Skovlund joined the military, he knew right from the start he wanted to be a part of the best the Army had to offer. He wanted to be a part of something bigger than himself...and Marty is not a small man. So after Infantry School, he earned a coveted spot in the 75th Ranger Regiment, one of the most elite units in the United States Military. While in the Ranger Regiment, Marty served five combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Marty has since left the military, an...
Jonathan Hancock
April 17, 2017 19:18 - 1 hourAs a Marine, Jonathan Hancock experienced some of the worst fighting of the Iraq War in 2004 in Ar Ramadi. That year started off fairly peaceful, and it looked as if an extended American presence in Iraq would not be needed. Then, all hell broke loose, and Ramadi offered some of the fiercest fighting the Marines would see. Jon survived combat, but when he came home, like most of his fellow 2/4 Marines - nicknamed "The Magnificent Bastards" - he continued to fight a battle that raged within...
David S. Williams (Part II)
April 10, 2017 18:46 - 56 minutesPart II of our episode w/ David S. Williams. Thanks for listening!
David S. Williams (Part I)
April 03, 2017 20:07 - 45 minutesIf you followed the news during the start of the war in Iraq in 2003, you probably remember the two Apache pilots that were shot down behind enemy lines during the first weeks of the war. One of those pilots was Chief Warrant Officer David S. Williams, and his story was chronicled on several news outlets following his rescue. But what you didn't hear was a detailed account of his time in captivity. He and his co-pilot suffered through weeks of brutal interrogations among other perils. Hea...
Nate Boyer
March 27, 2017 19:05 - 1 hourNate Boyer has lived anything but an ordinary life. Primarily because he's a man who knows how to set goals and achieve them. Not just any goals either; we're talking big goals. In early 2005, after working as a volunteer at refugee camps in Africa, he came back to the US and joined the Army, becoming a Green Beret in 2006. After serving in combat as a Green Beret, he decided to work toward achieving another dream of his: playing professional football. An unlikely candidate, Nate made th...
Brigadier General (Ret) Becky Halstead
March 20, 2017 20:30 - 1 hourIf you're looking for inspiration, a leader, or someone with true grit, look no further than Brigadier General (Ret) Becky Halstead. She is a leader and a trailblazer through and through. There aren't enough words to describe how great this woman is...You just have to listen. It was truly an honor to have her on our show, and this is definitely one episode you don't want to miss!! www.beckyhalstead.com 24/7: The First Person You Must Lead Is You
Dusty Kirby
March 13, 2017 19:07 - 1 hourOn Christmas Day 2006, Navy Corpsman Dustin Kirby was shot through the jaw by a sniper in Iraq. Up to that point, Kirby had worked tirelessly on the battlefield to save the lives of several Marines who he served with as their first-line source of medical care in combat. The sniper's bullet is what eventually took Kirby off the battlefield, and left him with a decade or so of chronic pain, depression, and limited ability to perform such simple tasks as eating and talking. It took ten years ...
Joshua Brandon
March 06, 2017 20:21 - 1 hourJoshua Brandon served three combat tours in Iraq, for which he was awarded the Silver Star and two Bronze Stars with Valor. He served ten years in the Army as an Infantry Officer. But when he came home from combat, he soon realized he was battling another enemy; one from within. In 2007, he was diagnosed with PTSD and has since battled with the effects of PTSD and a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Fortunately for Joshua, he found a remedy in the healing powers of the wilderness. He took to...
Justin Watt (Part II)
February 27, 2017 23:05 - 51 minutesPart II of our episode w/ Justin Watt. Thanks for listening!