American Warrior Radio (AWR) - APEX GEAR Company

APEX GEAR COMPANY
Apex Gear Company co-founders Nick Wyatt (Marine Corps) and Drew Everett (Army) have been friends since childhood. They first partnered on an e-commerce site for Nick’s family owned company Foot Medic Insoles. One day they had a great idea – a one stop marketplace for Veteran owned retailers and Veteran brands. They assumed someone else had already filled that market gap but extensive research showed they were wrong. Apex Gear Company debuted to the public on September 11th.
There are numerous books on how military strategies and philosophies can transfer to the business world. Many business executives refer to the “The Art of War”, a tome written by Chinese General Sun Tzu in the 6th century BC. In this Veteran Entrepreneur episode Nick and Drew discuss their experiences in the context of Sun Tzu’s writings.
They describe Apex Gear Company as “an Amazon for Veteran brands” and their target customers are those who are looking for unique products they won’t find in other places. The site features a very diverse set of products including apparel, tactical gear, food/beverage and beauty/health products. They focus on diversity and breadth of catalogue when selecting partners for their website.  To qualify for their website partners must be Veteran owned and actively selling online. Nick and Drew also look at sales data to assure it is a product in demand. They are constantly looking for other Veteran produced products to build out their catalogue, especially those smaller companies who don’t have the expertise or budget for extensive on-line marketing.
One of their values is to be a better marketplace and create a unique sales channel for their partners. They do not charge any upfront or registration fees and simply retain a percentage of sales lower than the industry average.
TAKEAWAY: “The response and support we have received from the Veteran network has been the most humbling part of this experience.”

American Warrior Radio (AWR) brought to you by Medicare Mentors

American Warrior Radio Presented by Medicare Mentors - Episode 26

Special guest Jon Hoffman 
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS TRAINING – LT. COL. JOHN HOFFMAN
The Office of Special Investigations is an Air Force unit whose mission includes investigating felony level crimes and conducting counter intelligence operations.  They are highly trained and this show discusses a rather unique training exercise implemented by the Commander of OSI Detachment 217.
While assigned duties at Davis-Monthan Air Force base, Lt. Colonel John J. Hoffman and his wife visited Tombstone, Arizona and took in a gunfight re-enactment. It struck him that it would be interesting to do crime scene training on a movie set.  He ran the idea up the chain of command and before long was undertaking Operation “Lights, Camera, Training”.
The Mescal movie site is located outside of Benson, Arizona and has been the filming location for over 80 movies including the 1993 version of Tombstone starring Kurt Russel. OSI Agents, Security Forces Investigators and members of the Judge Advocate General’s Office were dispatched to the remote site for the day. “Crime scenes” recreating the murders of Morgan Earp and Tombstone Town Marshal Fred White were staged at the same locations used in the film. Authentic old west props, fake blood and “victims” provided by the fire department added to the “authenticity”.
Participants then undertook crime scene investigations.  The purpose of the training exercise was to help agents identify what elements are important and to collect the evidence and document the scene in a manner that would be presentable in court.
John is a patrol supervisor for the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department and is also a member of the Air Force Reserves. OSI Reservists are usually Individual Mobilization Augmentees and are assigned to fill slots as needed.  Over his career, John has been assigned to seven different OSI Detachments.
TAKEAWAY: Given the average age of the participants, many had to watch the film Tombstone for the first time before participating in the exercise.
 
Originally Aired 10/2/21

American Warrior Radio Presented by Medicare Mentors - Episode 25

BATTLE OF CASTLE ITTER – JOHN C. MCMANUS
The Battle of Castle Itter was one of the most bizarre actions of World War II and just one of the interesting events we discuss with noted historian and author Professor John C. McManus. John is often called upon as a subject matter expert for numerous television programs and has authored 14 books on military history.
Battle of Castle Itter began on May 5, 1945 during the last days of war in the European theatre and five days after Hitler committed suicide. While some German soldiers were committed to a fight to the death, others were more pragmatic. SS officer Kurt Siegfried-Schrader approached US Captain Jack Lee to tell him that about a group of high level French prisoners being held in Castle Itter and his concern they might be slaughtered by Nazi fanatics. What ensued was something strait out of a movie plot; German soldiers, a French tennis star and a pair of World War I French Generals fighting side by side with American Soldiers defending a medieval castle against overwhelming odds.
Maintaining the “Castle Theme” we also discuss the fight to capture Fort Montbarey. The Fort was constructed in the 1700’s but proved exceptionally resistant to modern weaponry.  The Fort was finally captured when combat engineers used a very medieval tactic; tunneling under the castle walls and placing explosives.
John’s latest book “Island Infernos” is the latest in a series of books he has written about the Army’s role in the Pacific War. John began the series because he believes the Army’s role in that theatre is often overshadowed by the Marines and Navy. The book exposes several interesting details. These include the capture of a key communications code book that allowed the allies to unlock Japanese communications for nine months and General MacArthur’s “cult of personality.”

American Warrior Radio Presented by Medicare Mentors - Episode 24

SEPTEMBER 11 TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY
September 11 survivors Matt Rosenberg and James Gagliano share their thoughts 20 years after the attacks.  Matt was an Army Medic at the Pentagon and Jimmy was an FBI agent in lower Manhattan.
Matt was assigned the position of Mass Casualty NCO at the Pentagon about two weeks before September 11. His primary duty was as a medic in the minor surgery clinic and emergency response teams. Because the plane that hit the Pentagon impacted a section recently been renovated to include bomb resistant designs, it was not initially apparent to Matt that they had been hit also.
When Matt received permission to enter the burning section of the building he recalls “To this day I will never forget the look my supervisor gave me – it was one of those I don’t expect to see you again looks.” Someone gave him a shirt soaked in what they thought was water to help deal with the heavy smoke. He would later learn it was water mixed with jet fuel.
Jimmy was on his way to a dental appointment when he heard the news over the radio and turned around to rush into lower Manhattan.  He says the fact that he was in a soft cast from recent ACL surgery – moving slower than normal may have saved his life. Jimmy arrived just as the first tower came down and spent months “working the pile” looking for survivors and remains. One of his most vivid memories of September 11 was the image of those souls who chose to jump to their deaths rather than die in the flames.
Both Matt and Jimmy agree that they would like to see a return the visceral feeling of resolve, connectivity and sense of unity that our nation felt shortly after the attacks.
We reflect on concepts of passing the torch to subsequent generations.  Young people joining the military and emergency services today know that the September 11 attacks set a new standard for what our nation and communities expect from them and they join anyway.

American Warrior Radio Presented by Medicare Mentors - Episode 23

EAGLE DOWN – JESSICA DONATI
“Eagle Down; The Last Special Forces Fighting the Forever War” is a powerful book by Jessica Donati that is receiving high praise from many including Sebastian Junger.  Jessica currently covers foreign affairs for the Wall Street Journal. She was the bureau chief in Kabul in 2015 and lived four years in Afghanistan.
Eagle Down tells the personal stories of several Green Berets posted to Afghanistan conducting “training operations” following the official declaration that the “longest war in American history was over”. The book covers many of their missions in detail both heroic and heartbreaking. Jessica was motivated to write this book because the messaging that the government was sending out did not align with the reality on the ground. These Green Beret “advisors” were often at the tip of the spear in combat operations.
She covers several missions where Green Berets were sent in to recapture positions taken over by the Taliban, often without proper equipment or air support due to the restrictive rules of engagement.  This created very real tensions between the soldiers and command leadership.
Jessica was embedded with Afghan commandos and says they are great fighters and very impressive. However, their own leadership could not always get them air support or even paychecks. She says that the average Afghan simply wants peace.
We are also joined by journalist Jessica Stone who is part of a group of humanitarian aid professionals involved with the Afghanistan Transit Initiative. They are working to help get at risk Afghans to safer locations so they can be evacuated. They have 375 individuals in their first wave to move to safer locations. Funds will be used for transportation and life support services while their permissions and paperwork are processed. You can help by making a donation here.
TAKEAWAY: “I don’t know if there was a way to win but there were certainly several different ways to lose.”

American Warrior Radio Presented by Medicare Mentors - Episode21

GORUCK CO-FOUNDER & CEO JASON MCCARTHY
GORUCK co-founder and CEO Jason McCarthy says his path from leaving the Special Forces to building a $100 million company is a “cautionary tale”.  He even wrote a book titled “How Not to Start a Backpack Company.”
Jason served with the Green Berets and his wife Emily was a CIA Case Officer deployed to West Africa. Jason put together a “go-ruck” for Emily to carry in her vehicle and home.  This planted the seeds for GORUCK, but it was a long journey fraught with many ups and downs.
“You go from having a super high speed job to doing nothing that is cool anymore. Reconciling that can be a difficult thing to do.” Jason’s marriage was falling apart and he found himself sleeping on a friend’s couch.  His Green Beret training taught him that doing something is better than doing nothing. So Jason loaded some of his backpacks and drove the contiguous 48 states with his dog Java, pitching his product to potential retailers. No one bought any.
A transformational moment for GORUCK came when Jason and a team joined a rucking competition to “field test” their gear & take some photos.  He saw how many people were enjoying the activity. GORUCK would expand from a gear company to a people first company. They have now hosted over 7,000 rucking events with 150,000 participants all across the country. They range from simple team events to the brutal GORUCK Selection Course featured in the documentary “The Standard”.
GORUCK also supports various Veteran & First Responder charities including The Green Beret Foundation.
P.S – The story has a happy ending. Jason and Emily are back together and their “back of a napkin” idea is hugely successful.
TAKEAWAY: “Failure is central to the human experience. I failed so many times in the Q-Course and in the early days of GORUCK. It’s all about what you do when you fail.”
 

American Warrior Radio Presented by Medicare Mentors - Episode 20

“THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY” – AUTHOR AND NAVAL HISTORIAN ROBERT CRESSMAN
Noted Naval Historian Robert Cressman recounts one of the most significant battles of World War II in the Pacific – the Battle of Midway. “A Glorious Page in our History” is Cressman’s book about the Battle of Midway

American Warrior Radio Presented by Medicare Mentors - Episode 19

BONE FROG CELLARS/BONE FROG COFFEE – TIM CRUICKSHANK
Bone Frog Cellars and Bone Frog Coffee Founder and CEO Tim Cruickshank says “giving is the reason we exist as a company.”  I bet you won’t find that mission statement on many company websites.
Tim served with SEAL teams on both coasts. In addition to being the team corpsman he was also the primarily responsible for demolitions. “My kids knew nothing but me being at war the entire time. I was gone for half my son’s life at one time.”
Tim retired in 2016 and was inspired to start the Bone Frog Companies while speaking at his retirement ceremony. “We had been at war sixteen years and it was still continuing. I wanted to find a way to give back. They say we die twice; once when we stop breathing and once again when someone says our name for the last time. I wanted to create a way to keep reminding people about these heroes.”
Tim knew nothing about roasting coffee or making wine. So he engaged subject matter experts including Dave Stewart, one of the Founders of Seattle’s Best Coffee. His partner Dave Johnson also plays a critical role in keeping him aware of his left and right boundaries.
A portion of the proceeds from both Bone Frog businesses are donated to military charities including the Navy SEAL Foundation. This Foundation helped Tim his family while he was deployed
The Bone Frog symbol was first drawn by a Navy SEAL Keith Kimura and became a sacred symbol upon his death. SEALS use the symbol to commemorate a fallen teammate.  Tim redrew the symbol out of respect for Keith and integrated the SEAL Trident and Navy anchor into his company’s logo.
TAKEAWAY: “For everyone who is thinking of starting a new business; find something with purpose that you are passionate about. For Veterans – there is a huge community out here ready to help you.”

American Warrior Radio Presented by Medicare Mentors - Episode18

BONE RATTLE – US MARSHAL MARC CAMERON
“Bone Rattle” author Marc Cameron is quite familiar with some of the scenarios presented in his latest thriller. He lived them during his long career with the US Marshals
 Service. Bone Rattle is the latest addition to his “Arliss Cutter” series and joins Marc’s bestselling Jericho Quinn thriller collection. Marc was also chosen to continue the very popular Tom Clancy books.
Much of Marc’s career was in judicial protection but he most enjoyed his time in fugitive apprehension units. He draws his story ideas both from his experiences and travels as well as current world events like the John Clark (Tom Clancy series) character’s exposure to the world of child trafficking. Marc is a trained tracker and we spend some time discussing how technology like social media has augmented the toolkit of man hunters.
Marc was always interested writing, telling his wife he wanted to be a novelist even before they were married and then confessing he also wanted to be a police officer. She bought him a ballistic vest and a typewriter. His first published short story paid a month’s rent and his wife said “Now go write us a couch!”
He begins much of writing with basic pen and paper. While working on three different series simultaneously may seem challenging, he says they are all so different it has not been a problem.
We spend a little time “talking shop” and the importance of situational awareness in today’s dangerous world. Marc believes one of the biggest threats is people becoming so attached to their cell phones that they walk around unaware. He also shares his take on the status of the current relationships between law enforcement and the civilian community.
TAKEAWAY: Marc says he is fortunate to have developed a very successful career as a novelist but it is still “the SECOND best job in the world”. He very much misses his time in the Marshals service.