Patriot to the Core
Society & Culture
About
Patriot to the Core highlights selfless Americans. I interview those from all branches of the military - combat controllers, PJs, Green Berets, SEALs, Rangers, Infantrymen, Pilots, etc - authors, and the US government. In addition, I speak with your every day mom who goes about doing good--from starting a non-profit to fighting for freedom in our communities and schools. I get to talk with Gold Star Parents, Siblings and Spouses, and Medal of Honor recipients. This provides an opportunity to learn about everyday Americans who go above and beyond to protect us and to help others. As a Gold Star brother, many of my guests have a military connection, but I still have a wide variety of people who answer the call to serve in various ways. We talk fighting terrorism, self protection, exercise, mental toughness, charity, parenting, fugitives and occasionally pop culture and politics. Please follow and subscribe so we can have many seasons to
Episodes
- Ep 125 | From Nuclear Sub Commander to the U.S. Senate: Seth Burton’s Mission
Seth Burton ( @sethburtonforsenate ) joins me in the Our Town studios for this episode of Patriot to the Core podcast. We dive into his run for U.S. Senate, unpacking the issues that matter most to Alabama and the nation—from security and…
- Ep 124 | Colleen Shine – The Search for Her Father in Vietnam
In this episode, Colleen Shine, daughter of Air Force Lt. Col. Anthony Shine, shares her decades-long search for answers about her father’s fate after he was shot down and went missing in Vietnam in 1972. At just eight years old, Colleen b…
- Ep 123 | Lori Chapman Longfritz | Remembering John Chapman – Left Alone on Takur Ghar: Part 2
In part 2 of my interview with Lori Chapman Longfritz, sister of Medal of Honor recipient John Chapman, we discuss John’s final moments at the Battle of Takur Ghar in 2002, his courage as an Air Force Combat Controller, and the delayed rec…
- Ep 122 | Lori Chapman Longfritz | Remembering John Chapman – Left Alone on Takur Ghar: Part 1
In this episode, I speak with Lori Chapman Longfritz, sister of Medal of Honor recipient John Chapman, about her brother’s remarkable life and ultimate sacrifice. Lori shares personal stories that reveal John’s character, his commitment to…
- Ep 121 | Marc Fitzwater – Army JTAC, I68 Consulting Group
In this episode, I talk with Marc Fitzwater ( @i68consultinggroup )—former Army Green Beret, JTAC, and teammate of my brother Mark Forester . Marc shares what it was like serving alongside Mark in combat, the bonds formed with the guys fro…
- Ep 120 | Col. Derek Oaks – A-10 Warthog and JTACs
In this episode, we unpack the legendary role of the A-10 Warthog in the battlespace, the irreplaceable bond between pilots and JTACs, and the critical missions led by Air Force Combat Controllers. Col. Oaks shares insights from his time i…
- Ep 119 | Mark Roland – Insider Attack!
Matthew Roland was killed-in-action in Afghanistan in August 2015 in an insider attack (aka “green on blue”) at an Afghan-led security checkpoint. Killed alongside him was teammate SSgt Forrest Sibley , both Air Force Combat Controllers at…
- Ep 118 | Michael Madsen – Army Judge Advocate (JAG) | Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Survivor
Michael Madsen is a Judge Advocate in the US Army. His current full-time job is an Attorney for the Air Force and he’s a JAG in the Army Reserves. After graduating law school and completing a JD/MBA program, Michael worked in the private s…
- Ep 117 | Matthew Longanacre – AH-64D Apache Pilot Overhead Mark in Afghanistan
CW4 Matthew Longanacre ( Matthew on Facebook ) was an AH-64D Apache Pilot with 1-101 Aviation Regiment “ Expect No Mercy ”. He was the Pilot-In-Command of one of the two Apaches that were overhead when Mark and Calvin were killed on 29 Sep…
- Ep 116 | Eric Moutsos – Freedom, Liberty, and Non-Essential
Eric Moutsos ( @ericmoutsos) is a small business owner and creator of Freedom Blends , a supplement company based on the principles of Freedom and Liberty. A former Salt Lake City Police Officer, Moutsos loved the job but quickly sta…
- Ep 115 | Brian Jodice – Men’s Heath and Recognizing Signs of Suicide
Brian Jodice (@brianjodice) of Pick Up The Six Productions and NGBN TV is back to promote this new network for men in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Discussed in this episode: -why focus on this demographic? -men’s mental health -Biblical appl…
- Ep 114 | Joe O’Keefe – Hunting Osama bin Laden in Tora Bora in 2001
Within weeks of the 9/11 attacks, Air Force Combat Controller Joe O’Keefe was in Afghanistan working with the CIA and other special operations units. Joe and his small team made their way into the mountains of Tora Bora with the help of th…
- Ep 113 | Hershel “Woody” Williams – Medal of Honor Recipient from Iwo Jima
The late Woody Williams will never forget the odor of burning human remains. “There are some things about that 4 hours that have bothered me my whole life… I can’t remember going back and getting the other 5 flamethrowers. It was so…
- Ep 112 | Mark Schmitz – Disaster at Abbey Gate
Mark Schmitz’s son, LCpl Jared Schmitz, was one of the 13 Americans murdered at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, on 26 August 2021 during the evacuation from Afghanistan. He was just 20 years old. He was there on a humanitarian…
- Ep 111 | Don Stevens – Security Forces, Combat Control, Burn the Ships, PTSD
Don Stevens is one of those rare operators who retrained into the Air Force combat control (CCT) pipeline at the age of 32, after being in security forces. This required uncommon humility since leadership said, “What are we gonna do with a…
- Ep 110 | Special: Kenny Alicea & Mark Forester – Beautiful Symphony of Death and Destruction
On this 13th anniversary of the death of my brother, SrA Mark Forester, I have the opportunity to talk with Kenny Alicea who was the Senior Weapons Sergeant for his Army Special Forces team (ODA 7212) where Mark was attached. Kenny contact…
- Ep 109 | Nic McKinley - Fighting a War on Human Trafficking
Nic McKinley is an entrepreneur, former Air Force Pararescueman, and ex-CIA operative who founded DeliverFund , the only donor-funded solution to human trafficking that delivers proprietary data and technology to law enforcement, allowing…
- Ep 108 | Rich Brown – Marine, Author, American Warrior Society Co-Founder, Savage Somm
Retired U. S. Marine and former Policeman, bouncer, Corrections Officer and more Rich Brown ( @american_warrior_society ) is back on the show so I can dig into his new Memoir “ On Violence & Varietals “. We cover many areas of his life: fi…
- Ep 107 | The Mark Forester Foundation Charity Golf Tournament – Aug 11, 2023
The Mark Forester Foundation’s annual golf tournament will be held Friday August 11, 2023 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Muscle Shoals, AL. In this episode, I chat with Doug Cole and Jay Stubbs who are long…
- Ep 106 | T. C. Fuller – Stories From a 20-yr Odyssey in the FBI
T. C. Fuller joined the FBI after an 11-year career in the Army as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer. Then he joined the FBI and became a Special Agent, serving for 20 years. During his time in the FBI he held many assignments, includ…
- Ep 105 | Medal of Honor Recipient Mike Rose – Vietnam
Gary Michael Rose (Mike) joins me in person to share what happened in Laos during Operation Tailwind in 1970. During these 4 days, Sergeant Rose exposed himself to the enemy many times in order to treat the wounded. And then, the helicopte…
- Ep 104 | Dan Skidmore, aka Cadre DS – Getting Ready for the JAG 28 Birthday Walk
Dan Skidmore ( @danskidmore11 ) is the Director of Specialized Training at GORUCK . He’s back on PTC as to talk initially about the upcoming Mark Forester JAG 28 Memorial Birthday Walk/Ruck . This is our annual event honoring my brother Ma…
- Ep 103 | Tips and Thoughts on the Mark Forester JAG 28 Birthday Walk/Ruck
Chris Sprayberry and Troy Bye join me to talk about the upcoming JAG 28 Birthday Walk on May 20, 2023. Chris ( @https://www.instagram.com/sprayberry_77 /) has done the walk every year since we started in 2011. Troy’s ( @https://www.instagr…
- Ep 102 | Darrell Utt – Army Special Forces (Ret.) and National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation Chief of Bus. Ops
MSG Darrell Utt retired from the U.S. Army Special Forces in January of 2017 after 26.5 years in the Army. For this episode, he joins me in person and we have a great time covering the purpose of the National Medal of Honor Museum being co…
- Ep 101 | Matthew Reed – Military Intelligence, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia and China
Matthew Reed started his military career in the Marines. After being honorably discharged in 2007, he joined the Army and became an Interrogator and a Military Intelligence NCO, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Then from 2012 throug…
- Ep 100 | Michael Blout – Combat Controller, Silver Star Recipient
Michael Blout joins me to talk about the battle from 2012 where he was awarded the Silver Star . As a former Flight Superintendent, Combat Dive Course Superintendent, and Superintendent over the Department of Training, Special Warfare Prep…
- Ep 099 | Yvette Sierra – Gold Star Mother to SrA Danny Sanchez
On Sept 16, 2010, Yvette’s son, Daniel Ray Sanchez (Danny) was killed in Afghanistan by an insurgent who infiltrated the Afghanistan partner force. Today, Danny’s mom tells us why this “ball of energy” was made for Combat Control and what…
- Ep 098 | Christmas from Heaven – Gail Halvorsen
On this special Christmas Day episode, we hear from a legend from WWII – Gail (Hal) Halvorsen. He has many names: Uncle Wiggly Wings, The Berlin Candy Bomber and The Chocolate Flier. He became popular for dropping candy f…
- Ep 097 | Scott DeLuzio – Surviving Son
Scott’s younger brother, Steven, was killed-in-action in Afghanistan in Aug. 2010 at the same time that Scott was deployed just miles away. Not only did Scott ( @scottdeluzio ) have to receive the news of Steven’s death while Scott and his…
- Ep 096 | Special: Doug Cole on the Impact of Mark Forester
Today, September 29, 2022, mark’s 12 years since my little brother, Mark Forester’s death in Afghanistan. Mark’s close friend and roommate, Doug Cole ( @dcoleii ), spends some time telling us what life was like living with Mark and watchin…
- Ep 095 | Brian Jodice – Pick Up the Six Podcast
Brian Jodice is the owner and host of Pick up the Six Productions and Podcast, where he shares stories about the men and women among us who go above-and-beyond to PICK UP THE SIX through SERVICE, PURPOSE and IMPACT. He recalls many impactf…
- Ep 094 | Ish Villegas – 2-time Silver Star Recipient
Ish Villegas is one of three people who have received the Silver Star twice, since 9/11. Today he walks us thru the battle in 2009 where he got his first Silver Star . It was a 16 hour fight that resulted in at least 32 enemy insurgents ki…
- Ep 093 | Leading Well in Turbulent Times
“Good judgment comes through experience, which comes from bad judgment.” Brig. Gen. Robert (Gwyn) Armfield and Lt. Gen. Bruce Fister , both USAF, retired are on the show to talk about their new book “ Lead to Serve and Serve to Lead .” The…
- Ep 092 | Justin Roberts – On the Ground in Ukraine
Former Army Chaplain Justin Roberts ( @justindroberts ) has been in Ukraine since April 2022 recording a documentary film series to highlight people who are doing good in Ukraine–helping with aid, managing donated money effectively and hon…
- Ep 091 | William Markham – One Veteran at a Time
Retired Chief Master Sergeant William Markham spent 30 years in the Air Force, was inducted in the 2021 Air Commando Hall of Fame and in the 2022 USSOCOM Hall of Heroes. I know him personally because he was the chief of my brother Mark’s s…
- Ep 090 | Troy Bye – The Long Road to Cyber Security, Insider Threat & Intelligence
M. Troy Bye , is an Executive Director with ManTech and has spent much of his career managing large IT programs for customers within the Intelligence Community in the Washington D.C. area. ManTech has a long history of supporting the…
- Ep 089 | Jennie Taylor – Gold Star Wife and Mother of 7
Jennie Taylor was taking a much needed break by spending the weekend with friends from college, therefore she wasn’t home when the “knock” came at her door. In January of 2018, her husband, Major Brent Taylor left his position as Mayor of…
- Ep 088 | Combat Controllers – Small Force, Big Impact
CMSgt (retired) Michael Lamonica and MSG (retired) Kyle Stanbro , both retired Air Force combat controllers join us to break down what CCT’s do and their roles in the war on terror, Afghanistan withdrawal, and humanitarian missions through…
- Ep 087 | Kyle Defoor – Former SEAL, Sniper and current Firearms Instructor
Photo Courtesy of BCM To end the year, I’m playing my all-time most downloaded episode. Right after high school graduation, Kyle Defoor @defoorproformanceshooting left for boot camp in Orlando. A few months later, he was in Coronado…
- Ep 086 | Gene Adcock – Combat Control Team History
Retired Air Force Combat Controller Gene Adcock joins me to talk about his new book, “ Combat Control Team History “. Since joining the Air Force in 1955 and retiring in 1977, Mr. Adcock has continued to contribute to the CCT career field.…
- Ep 085 | Bobby Weismiller – Vaccine mandate, liberty and breaking the cycle
As this episode goes live, Bobby Weismiller @lionscreedfitness is awaiting his job status with the federal government. Will he still be employed at the end of November? Like millions of others, the executive order could affect his and his…
- Ep 084 | Zach Asmus and Cress Clippard on Afghanistan and SIV’s
Afghanistan. What can I say? Well, I have a lot to say, but I’m not unloading my feelings here–much. We lost 13 American lives. At least 18 are injured, last I read (trying to get correct #). My heart goes out to their families. These hero…
- Ep 083 | Mark Lauren – Move Better, Feel Better
Mark Lauren ( @mark_lauren_training ) started as a USAF Combat Controller. After his active duty service, he went on to use his experience as an operator and instructor to write the bestselling book You Are Your Own Gym ; the Bible of Body…
- Ep 082 | Dan Schilling – The Power of Awareness
I last spoke with Dan Schilling in episode 64 about his NY Times Best-Selling book “Alone at Dawn”. Today, he has a new book, The Power of Awareness . Schilling uses his personal experience from conducting combat and covert missions around…
- Ep 081 | Michael Andrew in Indonesia | Covid Vaccine Distribution
Michael Andrew ( Michael the Maven ) is back on the show to discuss why he’s in Indonesia and why UPS asked him to help them with logistical challenges in delivering vaccines. If you don’t follow Michael, I encourage you to check out all h…
- Ep 080 – Three Wise Men
In 2010, Beau and Ben Wise buried their big brother Jeremy. Two years later, Beau buried his brother Ben. He went from the youngest son to the only son. Their parents are the only known U.S. military family to lose two sons in Afghanistan…
- Ep 079 | Rhonda Jimmerson – The Fight to Bring Her Brother Home
Rhonda Jimmerson’s brother, Major Troy “Trojan” Gilbert was an F-16 pilot with over 1000 flying hours. On November, 27, 2006, his plane crashed in Iraq while he was protecting Americans whose helicopter had crashed. His body was ejected fr…
- Ep 078 | Stan Staheli, Patton’s Third Army, WWII POW – Replay
Photo courtesy of The Commercial Appeal Please enjoy this replay that originally aired in Feb of 2017. J. Stanford (Stan) Staheli was only 18 years old when drafted. One year later he was a member of Patton’s Third Army, 4 th Armored Divis…
- Ep 077 | My Interview on “The Game” | Throwback from 2012
Throwback to my interview with Mick Gillispie and Ryan Fowler on “The Game” radio show in February 2012. Mick has been a big supporter of The Mark Forester Foundation since its inception. And in this interview we cover many topics surround…
- Ep 076 – Special: Brig. Gen. Gwyn Armfield | Behind the scenes of our Next-of-Kin notifications
Sept 29, 2020 is the 10th anniversary of Mark Forester’s death in Afghanistan. The picture in this post is Mark’s body being taken from the C-17 at Dover AFB for the Dignified Transfer. My guest is General Robert Armfield who was Mark’s gr…