In this episode of the Combat Flags Podcast I talk with Michael Rock. Mike is a former US Army Tanker turned Green Beret turned pedophile hunter. 

After growing up with bad situations all around him, he chose to take a leap, and change his path in life. 

After medically retiring from the Green Berets in 2014 due to various injuries, he chose to work for a 3 letter agency and take down pedophiles with computer forensics. 

Through every hardship, Mike has learned to keep moving forward, and realize that all of the bad leads to the good, and to stay positive. 

He now resides in Reno, NV with his 3 kids, 2 dogs, and all of the adventures.

In this CROSSOVER podcast, Jason Piccolo (host of the Protectors Podcast) and I talk with  New York Times bestselling author and retired Special Forces Operation Detachment Officer Brad Taylor. 

Brad was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Infantry.  Brad served for more than 21 years, retiring as a Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel.  During that time he held numerous Infantry and Special Forces positions, including eight years in 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta where he commanded multiple troops and a squadron.  He has conducted operations in support of US national interests in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other classified locations.

His final assignment was as the Assistant Professor of Military Science at The Citadel in Charleston, SC.  He holds a Master’s of Science in Defense Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School, with a concentration in Irregular Warfare.  In 2011, Brad published his debut novel, One Rough Man, which was an immediate success and launched the Pike Logan series. Now with more than 15 installments and more than 3 million copies sold, the series has consistently hit the New York Times bestseller list. When not writing, he serves as a security consultant on asymmetric threats for various agencies.  He lives in Charleston, SC with his wife and two daughters.

The Combat Flags Podcast: U.S. Army Veteran and Founder of Combat Flags, Dan Berei, gets deep with active-duty service members and veterans to understand what brought them to serve in the United States military. The Combat Flags Podcast moves beyond war stories to chronicle and understand why some choose to serve when most others don’t. With veterans, we take the discussion a step further to uncover the good, the bad and the ugly about the transition from the military back to the civilian sector.

The Protectors Podcast™: Hosted by Dr. Jason Piccolo, a 21-year federal agent, and military veteran. Jason interviews guests from best-selling authors to military heroes to every day "protectors". Protectors, they run toward danger.

You can find Brad's books on his website, Amazon and other major bookstores:
Website: https://bradtaylorbooks.com/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/006288610X?tag=harpercollinsus-20

And you can find Jason through his website and the Protectors Podcast:
Website: https://jasonpiccolo.us/
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-protectors-podcast/id1451895454
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4RdEiF3TsPh3rjLzQyLTIb?si=a8b02d23929e46f4

Just a quick PSA in this week’s episode before taking a few weeks off for the holidays:

I’m excited to share with you the 2022 Combat Flags Book Club! It's been a years' long dream of mine to share a collection of curated books for active duty military, veterans, family, friends and military supporters who are committed to learning more about the military experience (physical, mental and philosophical) and improving the lives of our nation's warfighters.

At the end of this year you'll have a better understanding of the military experience AND engage with veterans in your life in a more meaningful way.

It’s 100% free (minus the cost of the books, of course).

Head to https://www.combatflags.com/pages/combat-flags-book-club to sign up for the club, to receive the reading guide and join the exclusive Facebook group for club members.

In this episode of the Combat Flags Podcast I talk with Sergeant First Class (SFC) Ryan Hendrickson. Ryan served in the Navy, Air Force and Army, most notably as a Green Beret in the famed U.S. Army Special Forces. As a Green Beret, Ryan cleared the way for his twelve-man team while conducting combat operations against the Taliban. 

As the "tip of the spear," his role is to ensure the route taken by U.S. and Afghan troops are free of IEDs -- improvised explosive devices. Many soldiers do not survive their last step; those who do often lose at least one limb.

While rescuing an Afghan soldier outside a mud-hut compound in 2010 -- knowing that he was in "uncleared" territory -- Ryan stepped on an IED with his right foot. The device exploded, leaving his foot dangling at the end of his leg.

American soldiers losing a limb is an all-too-common occurrence. But what makes Ryan's story different is that after undergoing two dozen surgeries and a tortuous rehabilitation, he was medically retired but fought to return to active duty. 

Multiple skin grafts to his leg and right foot successfully reattached his lower leg, and he was aided in his recovery by wearing a new prosthetic device known as an IDEO (Intrepid Dynamic Exoskeletal Orthosis). 

Once he passed a series of crucial physical tests, Ryan was able to rejoin the Green Berets within a year and physically perform his duties, redeploying to Afghanistan in March 2012.

In 2016, he volunteered to return to Afghanistan with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group. During a firefight with the Taliban, he risked his life under heavy enemy fire to rescue three Afghan soldiers cut off from friendly forces and return the bodies of two dead Afghan soldiers under the ethos that "no one gets left behind." 

For his heroic efforts on the battlefield, SFC Ryan Hendrickson was awarded a Silver Star, the nation's third-highest award for valor.

You can find Ryan’s book at https://ryanmhendrickson.com/,  Amazon and other major bookstores.

In this episode of the Combat Flags Podcast I talk with Sergeant First Class (SFC) Ryan Hendrickson. Ryan served in the Navy, Air Force and Army, most notably as a Green Beret in the famed U.S. Army Special Forces. As a Green Beret, Ryan cleared the way for his twelve-man team while conducting combat operations against the Taliban. 

As the "tip of the spear," his role is to ensure the route taken by U.S. and Afghan troops are free of IEDs -- improvised explosive devices. Many soldiers do not survive their last step; those who do often lose at least one limb.

While rescuing an Afghan soldier outside a mud-hut compound in 2010 -- knowing that he was in "uncleared" territory -- Ryan stepped on an IED with his right foot. The device exploded, leaving his foot dangling at the end of his leg.

American soldiers losing a limb is an all-too-common occurrence. But what makes Ryan's story different is that after undergoing two dozen surgeries and a tortuous rehabilitation, he was medically retired but fought to return to active duty. 

Multiple skin grafts to his leg and right foot successfully reattached his lower leg, and he was aided in his recovery by wearing a new prosthetic device known as an IDEO (Intrepid Dynamic Exoskeletal Orthosis). 

Once he passed a series of crucial physical tests, Ryan was able to rejoin the Green Berets within a year and physically perform his duties, redeploying to Afghanistan in March 2012.

In 2016, he volunteered to return to Afghanistan with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group. During a firefight with the Taliban, he risked his life under heavy enemy fire to rescue three Afghan soldiers cut off from friendly forces and return the bodies of two dead Afghan soldiers under the ethos that "no one gets left behind." 

For his heroic efforts on the battlefield, SFC Ryan Hendrickson was awarded a Silver Star, the nation's third-highest award for valor.

You can find Ryan’s book at https://ryanmhendrickson.com/, Amazon and other major bookstores.

In this episode of the Combat Flags Podcast I talk with Jason McCarthy of GORUCK. Jason enlisted in the Army after 9/11 because of 9/11 and served in Special Forces in Iraq and the Sahel region of West Africa. In 2006, Jason's wife Emily was a Case Officer in the CIA working in French-speaking West Africa. Applying what he had learned in war, Jason built Emily a "go-bag", or "go-ruck" for her to keep in her vehicle and at home, ready to go at all times.

Jason's commitment to the Special Forces way of life and the idea for a "go-ruck" led him to start GORUCK in 2008. It took over two years to design and manufacture the rucksacks and ensure they would thrive in both Baghdad and NYC - Green Berets were judge and jury of quality and functionality. In order to raise awareness for the gear, Jason started community building through physically grueling events based on Special Forces training called the GORUCK Challenge.

Over 7,000 events and 150,000 participants later, GORUCK has become The Rucking Company, a people first organization centered around increasing global activity through rucking. strengthening communities, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. In every way, the GORUCK community represents a bridge between the civilian and military worlds and there are over 365 Official GORUCK Clubs all over the world, accessible and open to all.

In this episode of the Combat Flags Podcast I talk with Neville Johnson. Neville was born and raised in South Africa and at the age of 23, he left his home country to travel and work in the United Kingdom. 

In 2003 Neville joined the British Army and became an infantry soldier. He served seven years in the British Army and deployed on active duty to Northern Ireland, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

After he left the army, he worked as a private security contractor in the Middle East on numerous Unites States government contracts.

Neville currently resides in New Zealand with his wife and three young kids. 

Neville is also a published author, with some of his poetry published in three books alongside the work of other veteran writers.

The titles are, Sweeping Leaves in the Wind, Alone in a Crowded Room, and War… & After the anthology of poet warriors.

In this episode of the Combat Flags Podcast I talk with published author and poet, Cokie. Cokie, in his own words, is a vituperative redneck who spent his formative years in a seminary, then performed the obvious transition to military service. After doing bang bang things for pew pew people, he picked up a pen and discovered that it was significantly more convenient than the sword (at least regarding his wardrobe). Despite (or perhaps because of) multiple blows to the head, Cokie continues to use the Oxford comma. He lives in the midwest with his beautiful wife and children where he contemplates service to God and the absurdity of braille road signs.

You can find him on instagram at @cokie_actual

And you can find his collection of poems, “Where They Meet,” here: https://deadreckoningco.com/collections/books/products/book-where-they-meet