Vicki Cody joins the program to talk about her life as a military spouse and parent, and how it resulted in the release of two books, including her most recent “Fly Safe.” Vick’s husband is a retired 4-Star General, and she discusses how life on the move as a military family has taught her how to cope and flourish in these challenging life situations.
We welcome Ryan Pavel, the CEO of Warrior-Scholar Project, to the program to discuss a hidden gem that needs to be LESS hidden. Ryan talks with Randy about his service in the Marine Corps, how his experience going into higher education following his service shaped what is now the great group Warrior-Scholar Project.
We welcome Navy EOD veteran Robert Pizzini to the program. He talks about how his line of work required people to be 100% right when executing their mission and how his experience in the Navy has been encapsulated in his new book “Elevate Your Leadership: How to Develop, Maintain, and Advance Lifelong Leadership.” Leadership is a perishable skill. Use it or lose it. Musicians rehearse, athletes train, scientists conduct experiments. Leading others is no different. Successful leaders are dedicated to lifelong learning. This book will elevate your confidence and competence by developing your own leadership brand.
We welcome our favorite documentarian to Celebrity Salute, Ken Burns. We chat about his newly released documentary, “The US and the Holocaust”, now available on the PBS Documentaries Video Channel on Amazon as well as PBS Passport. Randy and Ken discuss the background story for this doc, and some of the hard truths that Americans faced after the fact. Thanks again to Ken for coming back on the show and for continually sharing his art with us on a regular basis.
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We have another list to interest our veteran listenership! Lawnstarter has released its list of the Best and Worst Cities for Veterans 2023. We welcome the Editor-in-Chief of Lawnstarter, Jeff Herman. Jeff and Randy talk about what exactly Lawnstarter is, what went into this list, and a sneak peek of the best and worst cities.
We welcome Air Force Veteran and National Vice President of PVA, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Josue Cordova to the program. We talk about travel, and how paralyzed veterans must navigate the system of air travel in the United States. The PVA is engaging social media to help bring awareness and change to better the travel experience of passengers with disabilities with their #JustPlaneWrong campaign. We salute PVA for this initiative and encourage our listeners to learn more at PVA.org
In this segment we welcome the filmmaker who made the Netflix Documentary series, “Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?” Andrew Renzi to the program. This 90s promotion inferred that people could drink enough soft drinks to get a harrier jet. Andrew and Randy talk about how the plan initially was formed, how the documentary took shape, the main subject John Leonard, and what people can find in this great 90s time capsule that we here at the National Defense are really enjoying.
We welcome Ben Valenta, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Analytics for Fox Sports. He has released a fascinating new book for the sport fans: “Fans Have More Friends.” Ben and Randy talk about his professional background, as well as what sports fans can find in his new book. Ben has studied the psychological connections between fans and sports, both negative and positive, especially as America has emerged from the coronavirus pandemic.
We welcome Lt. Colonel Dan “Noonan” Rooney to the show to talk about his fantastic educational scholarship program benefiting the children of fallen soldiers: Folds of Honor. Over 14 years, 35,000 scholarships have been awarded, totaling over $160 Million in educational impact. Randy and Dan talk about his motivation, and where the Folds of Honor charity is headed in the future.
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In this segment, we speak with Martin Dugard, author of “Taking Paris” and his new book: “Taking Berlin: The Bloody Race to Defeat the Third Reich.” Randy and Martin talk a little about his writing process, his love of history, and some of the fascinating stories he uncovered while writing this great new book.
