David Rutherford Show: Saving Lives Under Fire - Marine Recon Corpsman Tom Rader

David Rutherford Show: Saving Lives Under Fire - Marine Recon Corpsman Tom Rader

May 13, 2026 · 1h 9m

About this episode

David Rutherford interviews Tom Rader about his experiences in emergency medicine and combat medicine.

Tom Rader spent 18 years in emergency medicine — from the streets of Dallas-Fort Worth to a Marine Reconnaissance Battalion in Iraq's Al Anbar Province. He's treated cardiac arrests in the Bronx, trained Marines to handle trauma before their first deployment, and watched his own mother revived in a non-viable state by a friend who didn't know when to stop. David and Tom break down what combat medicine actually teaches you about decision-making, why civilian EMS training is built around passing exams instead of saving lives, the psychological toll of watching people die on their worst day, and why most Americans have lost the basic ability to handle their own emergencies. Tom Rader is a former Navy Corpsman (E-6) who served with a Marine Reconnaissance Battalion in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He's a civilian paramedic, a Wilderness Medical Associates instructor, and currently teaches wilderness medicine to wildland firefighters and first responders. ✅ Sponsor: ☕️ Black Rifle Coffee, use code froglogic20 for discount: https://www.blackriflecoffee.com/ 🏫 Get coaching by David Rutherford: https://www.froglogicinstitute.com/ 📕 Get David's novel, The Poet Warrior…

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