About this episode

CSM (Ret.) Donald "Mac" McAlister shares his journey from being rejected by the Marine Corps to retiring at the top of the enlisted ranks after multiple combat tours.

Send us Fan Mail The Marine Corps turned him down at eighteen. Twenty-four years later, CSM (Ret.) Donald "Mac" McAlister retired at the very top of the enlisted ranks — a Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, and a Purple Heart, with five combat tours behind him: two in Iraq, three in Afghanistan. This is one of the most honest conversations we've ever recorded. Mac takes us from a self-described "heathen redneck" childhood in Hammond, Louisiana to carrying caskets at Arlington with The Old Gua...

People in this episode

Guest: Donald "Mac" McAlister

Topics covered

• military service
• personal journey
• combat experience
• leadership
• honesty
• veteran stories

Keywords

• Marine Corps
• combat tours
• Legion of Merit
• Bronze Stars
• Purple Heart
• veteran
• military leadership
• Hammond Louisiana

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Marine Corps, Arlington

Places: Hammond, Louisiana

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