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On the show
From 17 epsHost
Recent guests
Recent episodes
Petty Officer First Class Ken Cary
Jun 21, 2026
2h 37m 10s
Airman First Class Cynthia McCrea - Veteran Women of Influence
Jun 21, 2026
1h 20m 13s
Sergeant Teegan LeClair
Jun 14, 2026
1h 43m 26s
Lieutenant Colonel Jim Craig
Jun 14, 2026
2h 43m 28s
Captain Paul & First Lieutenant Sue McCool
Jun 7, 2026
1h 45m 02s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/21/26 | ![]() Petty Officer First Class Ken Cary | 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 | 2h 37m 10s | ||||||
| 6/21/26 | ![]() Airman First Class Cynthia McCrea - Veteran Women of Influence | Join us on Operation Insight as we host Airman First Class Cynthia McCrea of the U.S. Air Force Reserve and founder of Veteran Women of Influence! (00:00) Disclaimer (01:01) Opening Theme (01:30) Introduction (41:21) Part II (1:13:40) Closing | 1h 20m 13s | ||||||
| 6/14/26 | ![]() Sergeant Teegan LeClair | 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 | 1h 43m 26s | ||||||
| 6/14/26 | ![]() Lieutenant Colonel Jim Craig | Join us on Operation Insight as we host Lieutenant Colonel Jim Craig of the U.S. Army! (00:00) Disclaimer (01:01) Opening Theme (01:30) Introduction (1:16:16) Waking Up to 9/11 in Hawaii (1:25:16) Part II (1:58:47) Blue Collar Colonels (2:06:28) The UMSL Veterans Center (2:17:30) “The Veterans Left Behind” & the Issue of Military Discharges (2:25:34) The GWOT Memorial (2:39:16) Closing | 2h 43m 28s | ||||||
| 6/7/26 | ![]() Captain Paul & First Lieutenant Sue McCool✨ | veteransmilitary history+3 | Paul McCoolSue McCool | U.S. Air Force | — | veteransAir Force+3 | — | 1h 45m 02s | |
| 6/7/26 | ![]() Chief Warrant Officer Nick & Petty Officer Third Class Carrie Schwartzkopf✨ | veteransmilitary service+4 | Nick SchwartzkopfCarrie Schwartzkopf | U.S. Navy | Detroit | veteran coupleU.S. Navy+5 | — | 2h 33m 27s | |
| 5/31/26 | ![]() LifeWaters✨ | disability supportscuba diving+3 | Charley WrightMatt Wilson+1 | LifeWaters | — | LifeWatersdisabilities+3 | — | 1h 52m 21s | |
| 5/31/26 | ![]() Team River Runner St. Louis✨ | adaptive paddlingveterans support+3 | Sergeant John LawrenceSally Haywood | Team River RunnerWalter Reed | St. Louis | adaptive paddlingveterans+6 | — | 1h 16m 27s | |
| 5/25/26 | ![]() Memorial Day 2026 w/Gold Star Father Mark Schmitz✨ | Memorial DayGold Star Families+4 | Mark Schmitz | The Freedom 13 | — | Gold Star FatherJared Schmitz+5 | — | 1h 49m 07s | |
| 5/24/26 | ![]() Airman First Class Art Minor✨ | military serviceveteran stories+3 | Art Minor | U.S. Air ForceKorean War Veterans Association+1 | St. Louis | Air Forceveterans+3 | — | 1h 45m 00s | |
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| 5/10/26 | ![]() Master Sergeant Rebecca Tallman - Veterans Community Project✨ | military servicepersonal journey+4 | Master Sergeant Rebecca Tallman | U.S. Air Force | El SobranteSan Pablo+4 | militaryveterans+5 | — | 2h 36m 07s | |
| 4/26/26 | ![]() Sergeant First Class Diane Cole Phipps✨ | military servicefamily legacy+3 | Diane Cole Phipps | U.S. Army | St. Louis | Diane Cole PhippsU.S. Army+6 | — | 2h 08m 05s | |
| 4/12/26 | ![]() Specialist Phil Wight✨ | military serviceveteran support+3 | Phil Wight | U.S. ArmySTLTopRides.com | Cottleville, MissouriPiazza Messina | Phil WightU.S. Army+3 | — | 1h 16m 03s | |
| 3/29/26 | ![]() Staff Sergeant Tom Bommarito✨ | Vietnam Warmilitary service+3 | Staff Sergeant Tom Bommarito | U.S. Army | — | Vietnam preparationPurple Hearts+3 | — | 1h 52m 18s | |
| 3/15/26 | ![]() Sergeant First Class Sheldon Hartsfield✨ | military serviceveterans+4 | Sergeant First Class Sheldon Hartsfield | U.S. Marine CorpsMissouri National Guard+2 | — | militaryveterans+4 | — | 1h 40m 27s | |
| 3/1/26 | ![]() Captain Mike Lavin✨ | military historyveteran experience+4 | Captain Mike Lavin | U.S. Army | — | Captain Mike LavinU.S. Army+5 | — | 1h 46m 00s | |
| 2/15/26 | ![]() Sergeant Brandon Eichholz - Sky Soldier Dog Training✨ | military historydog training+3 | Sergeant Brandon Eichholz | U.S. ArmySky Soldier Dog Training+1 | — | Sergeant Brandon EichholzSky Soldier Dog Training+3 | — | 1h 53m 00s | |
| 2/8/26 | ![]() The Freedom 13: Salute Our Troops Gala Night (Advertisement)✨ | veteransfundraising+3 | Adam Smith | — | St. Charles, Missouri | veteransgala+5 | The Freedom 13 | 2m 03s | |
| 2/1/26 | ![]() Sergeant Sif Sifford✨ | veteransmilitary history+4 | William "Sif" Sifford | The American Veterans of World War IIAMVETS | Missouri | Sif SiffordHarry S. Truman+4 | — | 1h 32m 00s | |
| 1/18/26 | ![]() First Lieutenant Repps Hudson✨ | military historypersonal stories+4 | Repps Hudson | U.S. Army | Carrollton, Missouri | Repps HudsonErnest Hemingway+6 | — | 1h 45m 28s | |
| 1/4/26 | ![]() Captains Kim & Dakota - Reveille & Retreat Project and Dog Tag Diaries✨ | female service membersabuse and discrimination+3 | Captains Kim LiszkaDakota Olson-Harris | NBCFear Factor | — | female service membersmilitary+3 | — | 1h 12m 25s | |
| 12/21/25 | ![]() Lieutenant Colonel Mike Vincent | Join us on Operation Insight as we welcome Lieutenant Colonel Mike Vincent of the U.S. Marine Corps! After leading a heartfelt rendition of "Happy Birthday" sung to Jesus Christ, Gunnery Sergeant Hartman announces to his Marine Corps recruits, "Today is Christmas!" During this scene in the oft-cited and critically acclaimed film Full Metal Jacket, the Senior Drill Instructor says things not normally included in a yuletide message, such as, "You can give your heart to Jesus, but your ass belongs to the Corps!" So, in the spirit of Christmas and having missed our opportunity to properly wish the Marines a "Happy 250th Birthday," Operation Insight is proud to present LtCol Michael E. Vincent! Mike is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve and embodies the motto "For God, Country, and the Corps!" After twenty years of service and a couple of badly-timed deployment announcements, Mike and his family returned to St. Charles County. Not only that, but Mike returned to his former place of employment, his father-in-law's HVAC company, while simultaneously pursuing his passion for personal coaching. Mike is also on a mission to convert his beloved Marine Corps from believing in a definition of resilience that relies heavily upon the idea of American bravado. Despite its lukewarm reception in the series of Rocky Balboa films, Rocky III actually provides a clear picture of the type of resilience for which LtCol Vincent advocates. In one scene, Apollo Creed, Rocky's rival-turned-friend, coaches him before the film's pivotal fight: "If you stand toe-to-toe with this chump, he'll kill you. He's just a man, Rock, so be more man than him! Eye Of the Tiger!" As crazy as it might sound, the Marine Corps and America's fighting forces have something to learn from that mindset. Mike argues that mental agility and adaptation are more important than rock-solid sturdiness and toughness when defining resilience. That is the type of mindset Mike strove to maintain as a Marine, and it's the same one he hopes will save lives today. President Reagan is quoted as saying, "Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in this world. Marines don't have that problem." Veterans like Mike make our community and our country better and stronger. It is an honor to celebrate this year’s end and commemorate our season finale with LtCol Vincent’s deeply moving and motivating interview! (00:00) Disclaimer (01:22) Opening Theme (01:41) Introduction (24:00) Remembrances of 9/11 (31:04) OCS & Choosing to Stay (36:16) Durable Skills (39:32) An Okie in Oki & Deploying (54:41) Twentynine Palms: No Beach Days but Some of the Best Days (1:02:29) Combat Zone HVAC & Logistics in No Man's Land (1:19:37) DLI & Managing Stress in Cali (1:31:16) Reflections, Resilience & Rocky (1:50:58) Closing | 1h 57m 17s | ||||||
| 12/14/25 | ![]() Private First Class Wally Mayer | 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 | 1h 04m 00s | ||||||
| 12/7/25 | ![]() Lieutenant Commander Trey Warren | Join us on Operation Insight as we host Lieutenant Commander William "Trey" Warren of the U.S. Navy! There's a poignant scene in Top Gun: Maverick in which Tom Cruise's iconic character meets with his rival-turned-friend Iceman, played by Val Kilmer. During the scene, Iceman (now an Admiral and technically Maverick's superior) instructs him, "It's time to let go." The context for that advice revolves around the death of Maverick's former backseater, "Goose," for which Maverick feels responsible. While Lieutenant Commander Trey Warren fantasizes that he is young enough for the Top Gun sequel to have been his inspiration for joining the Navy, that timeline doesn't quite add up! It is, however, still fitting for a connection to be made. Just as Maverick had to "let go" in order to teach his TOPGUN students to become elite fighter pilots, Trey learned how to let go of his ego in order to free his mind of all the pain he had caused and experienced. And overcoming one's ego is no small task, especially for a Naval fighter pilot and TOPGUN graduate. In fact, as Trey explains, it's hard to resist developing an oversized ego or a God complex once you strap into a multi-million-dollar flying killing machine. On this eighty-fourth anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Trey not only presents his story of service, but also that of his grandfather, who was there on that infamous day. Trey's paternal grandfather, William Kenneth Warren, would continue his service in the Pacific Theater, where he even became an honorary Marine for several weeks during the Battle of Guadalcanal. Trey drew inspiration from him, as well as an uncle who returned from the Vietnam War with seemingly no signs of what they called "Vietnam Syndrome," or so the family thought. Later, after his own service ended, Trey began to recognize the extent of moral injuries incurred through combat. Now, Trey is speaking out and opening up about his struggles with post-traumatic stress and the uncommon (sometimes controversial) methods he has used to regain peace in his life. We are so grateful to Songs4Soldiers for highlighting Trey's heartbreaking and inspiring story this past fall and to Ambio Life Sciences for the care and support they provide to our American heroes! (00:00) Disclaimer (01:22) Opening Theme (01:48) Introduction (40:02) TOPGUN: The Navy Fighter Weapons School (50:26) Top 3 Close Calls (1:14:25) Part II (1:51:02) Getting Out & Getting Help (2:12:18) Trey's Ibogaine Journey (2:34:40) The God Molecule & Rediscovering Love (2:54:00) Closing | 2h 59m 20s | ||||||
| 11/30/25 | ![]() Corporal Rusty Marlen | 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 | 45m 29s | ||||||
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