Operation Insight

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Petty Officer First Class Ken Carey of the U.S. Navy! From a horse farm in Leonard, Michigan to the thunder of carrier flight decks, Ken’s story is precise, human, and unforgettable. We begin with family: great-uncles on the WWI battlefields, brothers and cousins in WWII and Korea, and a father who returned with a piece of shrapnel and a story that would become the moral compass for a son. Ken remembers the night his father recounted how a fellow soldier leapt on a grenade—the image of that sacrifice became the lesson that would follow Ken into boot camp, into leadership, and back home for a lifetime of service. Ken walks us through the moment that changed everything: a young man from Kansas and Michigan walking into a Navy recruiting office, dreaming of college and wrestling fields, only to be chosen by the Navy for aviation ordnance. What sounds mechanical—loading, testing, and safeguarding weapons—becomes a study in responsibility. Ken’s vivid accounts take you under the flight deck: safety wiring by headlamp, the hush of nighttime launches, and the trust between ordnancemen and pilots. He explains how a single shim on an F-14 pylon and a hunch saved a squadron from being grounded—and won him credibility. The episode moves like a patrol: tales from Miramar’s classrooms, Point Mugu’s experimental squadrons, the roller-coaster seas aboard the USS Eisenhower, and the unexpected leadership tests that turned a young man into a mentor and instructor. Along the way, Ken shares the funny and human moments—a butcher knife mishap that got him banned from the kitchen, the rivalry between branches of service on a missile range, and the strange economy of base housing and VW bugs that stitch a military family together. But this is not only a technical memoir. Ken also tells the intimate story of faith discovered amid deployments: how conversations, a stubborn curiosity about scripture, and the warmth of community led him and his wife to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He reflects on leadership the way he taught ordnance crews—don’t ask of others what you won’t do yourself—and on the most elemental truth of all: service is about sacrifice, and every veteran carries a story worth hearing. Across decades Ken’s legacy ripples—sons who served in the Navy and Army, a family forged by shared duty, and a veteran who now volunteers to keep those stories alive. This episode threads technical detail and human tenderness into a single narrative: the cost of service, the strength of community, and the reward of passing the torch. (00:00) Disclaimer (01:01) Opening Theme (01:30) Introduction (17:14) Ken’s Father & a Powerful Lesson on Respect (23:24) Family & a Legacy of Service (29:21) The Aviation Ordnanceman (45:50) Ken’s Long Road to Joining the Navy (1:03:00) Father & Son (1:07:56) Part II (1:22:17) Point Mugu & the USS Eisenhower (1:46:28) Keeping Up with the Cary’s (1:53:28) Learning Leadership (1:58:58) Career Delights & Disappointments (2:15:19) Ken’s Faith Journey (2:26:04) Closing

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Sergeant Teegan LeClair of the U.S. Army! (00:00) Disclaimer (01:01) Opening Theme (01:30) Introduction (52:07) Part II (1:27:26) SALUTE (1:31:40) Closing

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Private First Class Walter "Wally" Mayer! As the sun sets this evening, Jewish people across the globe will begin celebrating Hanukkah. Despite its status as a "minor" holiday on the Jewish calendar, it has become one of the most widely recognized Jewish traditions. This is likely due to the use of the Menorah and the lighting of its eight candles. The act of lighting a candle each night during the dead of winter represents the miraculous flame that remained lit in a Jewish temple for eight straight days despite the shortage of oil. Eight years after our guest Walter "Wally" Mayer was born into a German-Jewish family, an evil, tyrannical man would complete his usurpation of power and declare that der Vaterland had become das Dritte Reich...the Third Reich. The plight of Nazism would soon cascade upon neighboring countries, and a second World War would ensue. Miraculously, Wally and his family were about to escape before becoming victims of the Shoah...the Holocaust. As the family fled by train, Wally's father, a World War I veteran, tossed his military medals out the window and began to cry. Wally has never forgotten what his father said next: "We're never coming back." The Mayer family eventually immigrated to the United States and found their way to St. Louis, Missouri. Shortly after finishing school, Wally was drafted into the Army and served in both Hawaii and the Pacific Theater during World War II. To put it lightly, Wally has experienced his fair share of hardships, and then some, but it is with humility, humor, and tremendous honesty that he reflects back on his life. We present this episode in honor of the millions of innocent lives lost during the Holocaust. We honor the memory of the Jewish men, women, and children forced into concentration camps and forced to stare death in the face. We are inspired by the numerous anecdotes of Jewish prisoners risking their lives to secretly celebrate Hanukkah. They courageously held to their faith and demonstrated that, despite the unimaginable darkness that surrounded them, their spirit and Jewish identity could not be extinguished. (00:00) Disclaimer (01:22) Introduction (31:51) Secrets & Sun in Hawaii (35:07) Entering the Pacific Theater (39:28) Post-WWII (48:29) Antisemitism (49:33) Family (51:38) Sharing Laughs (53:44) Reflecting & Imparting Wisdom (59:11) Closing

Join us on Operation Insight as we host Corporal Dorothy Mae "Rusty" Marlen, veteran of the Women's Army Corps! In the spirit of Thanksgiving and family togetherness, we introduce you to Dorothy Mae "Rusty" Marlen, Ethan's great aunt. For as long as Ethan can remember, Rusty has been the life of the party and one of his absolute favorite relatives. To think that if it wasn't for a box of donuts in a bar, Rusty would have never met Eddie Grover Marlen, and eventually joined the family. Whereas Eddie was a single dad of two boys hailing from the sleepy railroad town of Dupo, IL, Rusty was the second-born daughter of a Scottish immigrant who settled in the Rocky Mountain State and maybe not so secretly had hoped for a son. In her characteristically effervescant style, Rusty shares her story of joining the Women's Army Corps and becoming a WAC! By the time Rusty saw recruiting posters with phrases such as "Are you a girl with a Star-spangled heart," "This is my war too," and "Speed them back, join the WAC," the Women's Army Corps (previously known as the Women's Auxiliary Corps) hadn't even reached its tenth anniversary. Established in 1942, its formation marked the first large-scale, formally structured mobilization of women into the U.S. Army. Women had served their country long before that, but in unofficial and specialized roles, such as civilian nurses, laundresses, and cooks in the Revolutionary War. During World War I, the Army Signal Corps enlisted hundreds of bilingual American women, nicknamed the "Hello Girls," to operate switchboards near the front lines in France, and the Navy enlisted over 11,000 women as "Yeomanettes" to fill important clerical and support positions. Although largely uncredited, these foundational efforts demonstrated the immense value of female personnel in the armed forces. Then, with the onset of World War II, American lawmakers recognized the need to free up male soldiers for combat roles. While limited to non-combat support roles, the work and service of those within the WAC's ranks were essential to the war effort and victory. Beyond the war, patriotic American women like CPL Marlen helped to pave the way for future female servicemembers. Please enjoy this family reunion of sorts and all the fun that accompanies a conversation with the one and only Rusty Marlen! https://www.awfdn.org/ https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/womens-army-corps-wac-world-war-ii (00:00) Disclaimer (01:22) Introduction (37:40) Barry Manilow (40:00) Closing