Mandatory Fun

The story of the slave who survived the Alamo

The attack on the Alamo in 1836 was not a 13-day siege and slaughter as often portrayed in film and television. Don't get me wrong – the defenders of the mission-turned-fortress were killed en masse as Mexican troops stormed the structure. It's just that not everyone inside the Alamo died that day.

Why Navy SEALs will storm the beaches of Normandy in 2018

Jumping into freezing water is just part of the legacy of being a Navy SEAL. During World War II, the U.S. Navy Combat Demolition Units were just a handful of guys equipped only with a pair of shorts, a knife, and maybe some explosives. But the roots of being amphibious is still close to the Navy special warfare community – that's why they still call themselves "Frogmen." Some 74 years ago, these Navy Combat Demolition Units braved the freezing waters of the English Channel in the predawn ...

How going to war brings out the best and worst in people

Our guest Sebastian Junger is not a military veteran. He makes that clear, but he sure sounds like one. Maybe it's because he's seen more conflict than many in the United States military. If there's an expert on modern warfare and the long-term effects of those who live it, that person is Sebastian Junger. He joins us to discuss his new PBS documentary airing on Memorial Day "Going To War" and explains how people transform before, during and after combat.

It will make you angry to learn how a veteran lost $100k in benefits

PTSD is temporary, here are the first steps to defeating it

How to 'Conquer Anything,' according to a Green Beret

Combat poetry reveals what life is like on the Afghan front lines

4 survival skills that will help you thrive in a disaster or zombie apocalypse

That time Senator Mitch McConnell was fooled by 'Duffel Blog'

5 insane stories from the life of Britain's most successful double agent

The real James Bond is finally revealed: A few years ago Larry Loftis decided to stop publishing legal articles and work full-time on researching and writing the story of Dusko Popov, the daring World War II double agent who worked tirelessly to keep the Nazis off guard about the upcoming D-Day invasions. That work became his book Into the Lion's Mouth: The True Story of Dusko Popov: World War II Spy, Patriot, and the Real-Life Inspiration for James Bond. Loftis received his undergraduat...

This corpsman wants to keep saving lives with 'Combat Medicine'

When Doc Todd left the Navy after spending three years as a corpsman, he didn’t have any transition assistance or training. He lost friends. He lost Marines. After separating from the military, he saw even more of his Marines take their own lives through substance abuse and suicide. It’s wasn’t the ending he had expected when he joined. He joined the Navy in 2007 after spending four years in sales and restaurant jobs. He wanted to experience some meaningful growth in his life and be part o...

Introducing This is War

How a comedian can go from Hollywood to Kabul

"It was like walking onto the surface of the moon," Graham Elwood says of his first experience walking off of a C-17 in Afghanistan. His experience was not unlike many of our own first times deploying to a far-off edge of the world. We take a long, long C-17 (or god help you, C-130) ride for seemingly endless hours. There are no windows. The plane is packed. Forget about an in-flight movie or looking out the window. And when you walk off, it's invariably the middle of the night and you and...

How to survive any dangerous situation with these deadly skills

Clint Emerson is not your average U.S. Navy retiree. He's not your average anything and he never was. That might be why so many Fortune 500 companies want Emerson to not only speak at their corporate gatherings but also teach them how to survive some extreme circumstances. Emerson is a former Navy SEAL and the author of a number of books, notably "100 Deadly Skills: The SEAL Operative's Guide Eluding Pursuers, Evading Capture, and Surviving Any Dangerous Situation." He also wrote "100 Dead...

5 of the biggest changes coming to the US military

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, the gang comments on some of the biggest coming the U.S. military will face in the coming days. Because external challenges are easy for a fighting force like ours, the internal struggles are the ones we really want to talk about. These affect not only the troops themselves, but potentially their families, friends, and morale as well. New physical standards for all The recent years have been huge for the military community in terms of chang...

6 military movies you need to watch in 2018

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, the crew discusses what military movies veterans need to see in 2018. Since all veterans have their own idea of what makes a good military movie, Blake, Tim, and even the new WATM contributor, Sean chime in what they think makes a solid war film. Is having a war film base on a true story more important than having epic explosions? Or a movie where the real heroes of the day play themselves make for a better cinematic experience? 1. 12 Stron...

This is why it’s so damn hard to play a veteran, according to an actor

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, the crew speaks with standup comedian turned actor Tone Bell. Tone isn't a veteran, but as always, there's a connection. On the Netflix show Disjointed, Tone plays a veteran who has served on three Iraq combat deployments and now deals with the everyday struggle of veteran issues. To play the role, Tone prepped for multiple levels of PTS, the process of veteran transition, the culture of cannabis, all while bringing his comedic charm to the c...

We showed a civilian how to be a vet, here's what we got

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we speak with standup comedian turned actor Tone Bell. Tone isn't a veteran, but he plays an Army veteran with multiple combat deployments under his belt and now who deals with everyday veteran issues like PTS and transitioning out of the military on the Netflix show Disjointed. You may remember Tone from a few other shows he's been on like 9JKL, The Flash, Truth Be Told, and Bad Judge with Kate Walsh. Disjointed' s producers and creative m...

This Green Beret will change what you know about action movies

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we speak actor, TV host, and former U.S. Army Green Beret Terry Schappert. You may remember Terry from the popular History Channel show Warriors, and now, Hollywood Weapons on the Outdoor Channel with Israel Defense Forces reconnaissance man, Larry Zanoff. Terry was a Special Forces Team Sergeant who happened to serve alongside WATM's own Chase Milsap. Hollywood Weapons gears up to take on the most insane challenges to tactfully reproduce our...

This is why your next business book should be a military field manual

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we speak with U.S. Navy SEAL veteran turned entrepreneur Eli Crane. You may have seen Eli pitch his business Bottle Breacher on the hit TV show Shark Tank. Eli's appearance landed him a partnership with celebrity businessmen Mark Cuban and Kevin O'Leary. Eli stopped by our show to talk about what military strategies he uses to run his multi-million dollar business. "A lot of the tactics that we use on the SEAL teams actually work really well ...

How unconventional tactics won the battle for Ramadi

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we speak with Scott Huesing, a retired U.S. Marine Corps Infantry Major with 24 years of service as an enlisted and commissioned officer. During his career spanning ten deployments, he operated in over 60 countries worldwide. Throughout his numerous deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa he planned, led, and conducted hundreds of combat missions under some of the most austere and challenging conditions. Before the Marines on...

Navy SEAL: No, the military does not destroy your creativity

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we speak with poet, activist, filmmaker, actor, and Navy SEAL veteran of 22 years, Mikal Vega. Mr. Vega joined the Navy at 17, entered the EOD profession for roughly nine-years, deployed multiple times throughout the world in support of a few SEAL teams when he decided that's what he wanted to do with the rest of his career. At 28, Vega earned a spot on the SEAL teams and added a few more tours of duty to his already impressive resume. Afte...

Military brats are highly skilled at reading people and bad situations

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we speak with respected book author, speaker, publisher, and Vice President of Production at Warriors, Inc — Julia Dye. Warriors, Inc. is a unique organization that provides technical advice to the entertainment industry.  Mrs. Dye is the daughter of a World War 2 bomber pilot and is married to Hollywood’s drill instructor Capt. Dale Dye — who is featured in episode 37 of the Mandatory Fun podcast. Although growing up as a military brat has i...

This Army veteran's book focuses on the stories of the 'Frontline Generation'

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we once again speak with Army veteran, national speaker, and acclaimed author of the 2017 Independent Publishing Award-winning book The Frontline Generation: How We Served Post 9/11 — Marjorie K. Eastman. Marjorie is also an accomplished executive and operational professional with over 20-years experience in leading people and various organizations. Her award-winning book began as a personal memoir for her son. Marjorie's goal was to capture ...

How the US Air Force tricked CSAF McPeak into staying in the military

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we talk to former Air Force Chief of Staff, General Merrill A. McPeak, who served as a military adviser to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council, and the President. He’s also a career fighter pilot with more than 6,000 hours under his belt, including time as a solo pilot with the elite Thunderbirds. The General currently has three books out, Below The Zone, Roles and Missions, and Hangar Flying, about his time being ringside du...

How the Vietnam War shaped the modern day US Air Force

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake speaks formerAir Force Chief of Staff General Merrill A. McPeak who served as a military adviser to the secretary of defense, National Security Council, and the president. He’s also a career fighter pilot with more than 6,000 hours under his belt, including time as a solo pilot with the elite Thunderbirds. The General's book Hangar Flying is about his time being ringside during one of the most tumultuous times in recent history as an at...

How playing cowboys and indians prepared this commander for war

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake speaks once again with Jimmy Blackmon, the author of Pale Horse, a book about his time commanding an Army aviation task force with the 101st Airborne Division at the height of combat in the Afghan War. Set in the very valleys where the 9/11 attacks were conceived, and where 10 Medals of Honor were earned. These are the stories of the pilots behind the lethal Apache helicopters who strike fear into the heart of their enemies as they work...

The best qualities about veteran entrepreneurs that investors love

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we talk to veterans Mike Lui and Buck Jordan from RMR Laboratories, an over-the-counter cannabis pharmaceutical company about the best qualities investors love in veteran entrepreneurs. RMR Laboratories produces cannabinoid oil that's applied as a topical cream to relieve pain and other medical ailments. Mike served in the Army for eight-years and deployed to Iraq where he led teams that helped rebuild the country by setting up its first dem...

These vets may have the answer to the future of cannabis pharmaceuticals

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake speaks with Army veteran turned co-founder and CEO of RMR Laboratories, Mike Lui, about his over-the-counter cannabis pharmaceutical company. RMR Laboratories produces cannabinoid oil that's applied as a topical cream to the skin for pain relief and to treat other medical alignments. Mike served in the Army for eight-years and deployed to Iraq where he led teams to help rebuild the country by setting up its first democratic elections. ...

How Bergdahl’s stroll in Afghanistan affected a unit's operations

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake speaks with Jimmy Blackmon the author of Pale Horse a book about his time commanding an Army aviation task force with the 101st Airborne Division at the height of combat in the Afghan War. Set in the very valleys where the 9/11 attacks were conceived, and where 10 Medals of Honor were earned. These are the stories of the pilots behind the lethal Apache helicopters who strike fear into the heart of their enemies as they work with medevac...

How to stay fit and not get fat after you get out of the military

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake, Tim, and O.V.  speak with Army veteran and fitness expert Jennifer Campbell on what veterans can do during their busy day to stay in shape when going to morning PT isn't an option. "Veterans have a 70 percent higher chance of developing obesity than the general public," Jennifer Campbell says. The reason for this statistic is due to the change is a service member daily habit. The majority of the veteran community have been known to cease...

How to see those never-before-published 'Terminal Lance' comics

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake speaks with Marine veteran and "Terminal Lance" creator Max Uriarte about his newest projects and other current events. Related: 'Terminal Lance' creator talks about the Marine Corps and the future of his comic "When I first started 'Terminal Lance' I was convinced I was going to get my sh*t pushed in," Max humorously explains. "I knew I was going to get in trouble. I was waiting for that phone call." Soon, Max was releasing hundreds of...

How post-9/11 vets are bringing new life to the American Legion

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake speaks with Army veteran Jennifer Campbell who is currently the Second Vice Commander of the American Legion Post 43 in Hollywood, Ca. Recently, Jennifer and the commander of Post 43, Fernando Rivero were featured in a Wall Street Journal article about how they engineered a plan to bring some fresh energy to the post. The young veterans of the post managed to fuse and honor old military traditions with the new generation of combat veter...

The best military movies by service branch

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake, Tim, and O.V. talk with stand-up comedian and Marine veteran Mitch Burrow about what their favorite military movies are broken down by branch. Everyone loves to watch movies from all genres. Veterans and service members have a unique connection to military films for various reasons other than great characters and storylines. In this episode, we talk on a wide-range of topics including: [0:55] Mitch humorously plugs monster energy drin...

The real-life dictator who ruined his country and became a cannibal

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake, Tim, and O.V. talk with stand-up comedian and Marine veteran Mitch Burrow about a communist Army cadet, a cannibal dictator and make a smooth segway into Ken Burns' Vietnam documentary. General Idi Amin dethroned the government of Milton Obote and declared himself President of Uganda. During his 8-years of ruthless leadership, its estimated he massacred approximately 300,000 civilians. Then its rumored, the Ugandan president was a clos...

These fantasy benefits would make being a vet so much better

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake, Tim, and O.V. once again speak with stand-up comedian and Marine veteran Mitch Burrow about what fantasy benefits vets would love to receive. We asked Mitch what fantasy benefits or one law he would love to get exempted from, his response wasn't surprising for a Marine Corps veteran. "Murder. I would kill so many people," Mitch humorously states. "Do you know how clear the [highway] 405 would be? I wouldn't have been late today." Also ...

The military superpower veterans have but sometimes fail to use

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Tim, O.V., and Blake speak with The Marine Rapper a.k.a. TMR about all the A-level training our service members receive but don't capitalize on it when they get out. Every veteran's journey after the military is different. While some of us pursue the career along the lines in which the military trained us for, others take a different path and sometimes fall short of their full potential. "They [veterans] have a set of skills, they have lead...

How Taco Bell influenced a rapper to become a Marine

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake speaks with The Marine Rapper a.k.a. TMR about how he went from wrapping tacos to rapping music lyrics. "I joined the military because I was working at Taco Bell and ironically as a [taco] wrapper," TMR recalls. "I wanted more, so I became the manager. I'm going to do the same route as the [Taco Bell] founder did and become a Marine." If you've ever surfed the internet looking for military rap songs, chances are you've come across the u...

How to kidnap Marines, according to combat training role player

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake speaks with Kelvin Garvanne about his life as an Arabic/Iraqi role player who took training U.S. ground troops to a whole new level — even conducting mock kidnapping scenarios. During these training drills, Marines are "killed" (taken out of play for a period of time) or held hostage by the role players if they're caught off on their own. "We kidnapped Marines," Mr. Garvanne explains. "One of the things we wanted to do in real time was ...

These are the Hollywood actors who train our troops for combat

Role players are an essential element for troops preparing to travel overseas and face-off with the enemy. They provide a cultural boost immersing troops in a violent world in which they're about to deploy. Role players submerge themselves into training scenarios commonly setting up mock firefights, ambushes, and suicide bombings — all for the troop's benefit. In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake discusses with Kelvin Garvanne about his life as an Arabic/Iraqi role player ...

These simple luxuries can make your next deployment tolerable

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake, Tim, and Chase speak with stand-up Mitch Burrow about what simple luxuries we wished we had while on deployment. Mitch is a Marine Corps veteran that served in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. He then started a career in manufacturing before realizing that it sucked. Now, Mitch has found his true calling in acting silly on a stage in front of strangers on a nightly basis. Being forward deployed without the amenities that service member...

How an aspiring sergeant major became a stand-up comedian

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake, Tim, and O.V. speak with Mitch Burrow, a funny burly-guy who went from being a Marine to becoming a stand-up comedian. When we join the military all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we have sort of an idea of what we want to do with our lives — but we change our minds dozens of times before landing a career that we hopefully love. Mitch is a Marine Corps Veteran that served in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. He then started a career in m...

How drunken shenanigans earn fighter pilots their callsigns

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake, Shannon, Tim, and O.V. discuss the interesting process of how Air Force officers receive their callsigns. In the military, callsigns are considered much more than just a name, rather a perfect representation of the airmen's personality. The Air Force holds "naming nights" for young pilots where their fellow service members put potential callsigns on a wall that relate to a specific story. Then on the night of the naming ceremony, the p...

These are the wars we'd fight in if we had a time machine

In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Blake, Chase, Tim, and O.V. discuss what role we'd like to serve in during any war. Many veterans today are so intrigued by military history, they've considered what war they feel like they missed out on. Although when (hypothetically) given the opportunity to change from their real life MOS to whatever occupation they wanted, the podcast crew surprisingly decided to stick to their original area of expertise. "I would still select the Navy, an...

5 perks that will help you win your time in the military

We did not join the military for the fabulous pay. If pay were the only motivator, we'd all go somewhere else. Most vets will have you believe that he or she joined because it's their patriotic duty. While that may be part of the reason, Blake Stilwell's alcohol fueled honest answer sums it up for a lot of the troops: "At 18, and with my only experience being a sea food cook, I don't know where I was going to go," Stilwell said. "It was either the Air Force or 'Deadliest Catch.'" Referri...

This is the World War II film Dale Dye wants to make with a cast of veterans

Dale Dye wants to make the "air version" of Saving Private Ryan, and he wants to film it with as many military veterans as possible.   "If you think of the first 18 minutes or so of Saving Private Ryan," Dye said. "This will be that but airborne. This will be guys coming out of those aircraft and sky full of tracers."   Dye wrote the script for "No Better Place to Die" from a story he'd studied during his active duty days. He felt the story perfectly exemplifies what Americans troops c...

Officers and enlistees confess the best and worst about each other

Historically, the military has relied on clearly defined bounds of acceptable interaction between the officer and enlisted ranks to maintain good order and discipline. It is a long-standing custom that dates back hundreds of years and has proven itself effective time after time. But not everyone feels it's custom worth holding on to. "I think there should not be a difference between officer and enlisted ranks," said former Air Force officer Shannon Corbeil. "I believe we should all reach...

What we learned from working with Iraq and Afghan locals

Green on blue attacks — attacks by Afghan soldiers on Coalition forces — are one of the many dangers our troops in the Middle East face every day. These deadly morale-sapping attacks are difficult to predict and leave lasting negative trust issues between the locals and American forces. As many as 91 incidents resulted in 148 Coalition troops killed and as many 186 wounded between 2008 and 2015. In this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Marine infantry officer turned Army Green Beret...

10 things that will change the way you look at grunt officers

Grunt officers get a bad wrap when they arrive to their first unit. Like any newbie, "Butter Bars" — military slang for 2nd Lieutenants — have to earn the respect of their men despite their rank. Related: These legendary military officers were brilliant (and certainly crazy) But it doesn't stop there, there's added pressure from the other officers higher in the chain. When Chase Millsap a veteran officer of both the Army and Marine Corps infantry got to his first unit, he received a war...

How Navy corpsmen and Army medics work together in the field

Rivalries are nothing but tough brotherly love between military service branches. Sure, we give each other a hard time but put us on any mission together, and we become an unstoppable force. Army medics and Navy corpsmen are a perfect example of service branch cooperation. When they work together, they save lives. For this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we invited former Army medic Ruty Rutenberg to chat with our resident corpsman about deployment responsibilities. Tune in to ...