There’s a new term for the deeply held emotional damage often caused by combat: moral injury. Moral injury is a fascinating, if not equally morbid, subject that should interest anyone in an authoritative position, but most often affects common veterans and active service members. People don’t choose their morals, at – Chris Henrikson for Antiwar.com Original
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A special thanks to our honorary producers Matthew Hoh and Will Ahrens!! Without you guys, we couldn’t continue our work. Thank you both so much!!!
Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
America has many three letter agencies that perform a variety of tasks. Law enforcement, tax collection, firearms investigations, customs and border security, and so forth. Today, Danny and I discuss our intelligence community, and when we say ‘intelligence community, we mean the SEVENTEEN intelligence agencies that perform intelligence missions of all sorts. Somehow, we have seventeen of them. But what does the public know about their ongoing mission? How does their presence on college campuses and film sets impact the views of the military for the average American? What role has torture played in the intelligence community and how does it affect the intelligence we receive, seventeen years after 9/11? With this is mind, Danny and I present our breakdown of the intelligence community. Enjoy!!!
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A special thanks to our honorary producers Matthew Hoh, Will Ahrens, and Gage Counts!! Without you guys, we couldn’t continue our work. Thank you all so much!!!
Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
Our new episode covers a new report which connects use of crew served weapons (50 Cal’s, mortars, and the like) to blast pressure damage to troops’ brains, much in the same way NFL players do from routine hits. For a generation at perpetual war and already to the gills with traumatic brain injuries, how do we deal with everyday damage caused by our own equipment?! Brand new from Danny at Anti-war.com – “Unwarranted Hysteria: The Iranian Threat Is Inflated and Regional War Would Be a Disaster” I think the title speaks for itself. Next Friday, I jump head first into recent turmoil at the VA, still without a secretary after seven weeks while Danny discusses recent developments in North Korea and Iraq, where Muqtada Al Sadr has returned with a political vengeance. I will probably make a live video in the next 48 on Robert Wilkie’s choice to sign a new $10b contract with Cerner for VA’s new computer system. More contractors get taxpayer money and veterans get the short end of the deal again!! Tom Engelhardt, founder and editor of TomDispatch will be joining us to discuss his new book, “A Nation Unmade By War.”
And last, but certainly not least, we’re hosting our second live stream on Facebook!! Here is a link to the event. Please join us, ask questions, call in and chat with us, and share your thoughts about the podcast and our nation’s addiction to war. For $5+ Patreon contributors, both new episodes will be available in the next 24 hours! No waiting!! $5+ Patreon contributors get all this and more for helping us keep podcasting. Please consider becoming a contributor and help us keep making the content you love!!! FOH on Patreon Oh, and the quote ‘Only the dead have seen the end of war’ wasn’t Plato, as I was told. It was George Santayana. Not so flashy now.
Got news to share about our military or veterans?! Or just need to cuss at us for a bit?! Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com
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A special thanks to our honorary producers Matthew Hoh, Will Ahrens, and Gage Counts!! Without you guys, we couldn’t continue our work. Thank you all so much!!!
Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
I’ve fired around a half dozen belt fed weapons systems during my time in service; some bigger and louder than others, and all of them a kick ass way to spend an afternoon. Well, that is until you realize the effects of firing them over a longer period of time. It’s not just loud noise or dangerous, hot metal. I remember spending an entire day working as a lane safety for a .50 cal machine gun range. I stood less than three feet from a firing heavy machine gun all day, burning my hands as I changed the barrels when they became too hot despite using a specially designed heat mitten. At a certain point of temperature, it doesn’t matter anymore. Glove or not, you’re getting burned. I remember I set a hot barrel a bit too close to the side of my foot while it was cooling and the damn barrel burned my foot through my boot.
This is part and parcel the Army’s (and I’m assuming the Marine Corps as well) main area of training. We’d spent hundred of hours a year on a variety of ranges and not just when we were the ones firing. It takes dozens of people to run most ranges, so in the lovely mist that is Fort Lewis in the winter and spring, your entire platoon would be spend whole days at the range, near these loud and dangerous devices. But what if that was enough to hurt you? I was already told as long as we had proper eye and ear protection, we were golden. The truth is much darker.
00:45 – Blast pressure report on heavy use of crew served weapons
11:40 – Afghanistan update from recent SIGAR report
Got news to share about our military or veterans?! Or just need to cuss at us for a bit?! Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com
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A special thanks to our honorary producers Matthew Hoh, Will Ahrens, and Gage Counts!! Without you guys, we couldn’t continue our work. Thank you all so much!!!
Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
As a prolific news junkie, there are some stories that I’m tired of reading about and the Niger investigation has become one of those stories. Not because the news about Niger is especially horrible or specifically newsworthy, or because we’re seeing more and more expansion by AFRICOM into new corners of Africa; obviously, both those things are true. My frustration with this is because of the fallout people connected to this news must live through.
The families of these soldiers deserve to fully understand how their loved ones died and what reason the US government says is the prevailing rationality for these soldiers to be in Africa at all. But the lies and subterfuge continue, most recently in attempting to largely lay the blame of the ambush on the soldiers who died. And I expect more from our military leadership; I shouldn’t, but I do. These men died being told they were serving their country, but all I see here is lies and propaganda.
Here, Danny and I break down recent headlines out of Africa and discusses the immense number of military members who have family that served. You wouldn’t think that would be a problem, but for diversity of thought and experience, it’s really important.
00:50 – Danger pay for areas in AFRICOM, new base in Somalia and updates on the Niger ambush
18:06 – Vice chief comments on the US military becoming a caste onto itself through multi generation service
Got news to share about our military or veterans?! Or just need to cuss at us for a bit?! Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com
Leave us a voicemail at 860-598-0570. We might even play it on the podcast!!!
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A special thanks to our honorary producers Matthew Hoh, Will Ahrens, Ron Unger, Gage Counts, and Bashir!! Without you guys, we couldn’t continue our work. Thank you all so much!!!
Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
Being honorably discharged from the military is the reality most veterans face. They receive all benefits from their time in service and help from the VA with healthcare and other significant issues. To me, it’s always been a given. I served my country and for that, I receive these services. But what if you had to leave the military and receive NONE of those benefits? This would make sense if someone was court martialed or committed a high offense in some way during their service, but how about someone who doesn’t? Would it make sense to give a lifetime of punishment to a person who commits a minor offense and yet loses all access to assistance from the VA and otherwise?
Here is my interview with Tyson Manker, Marine Corps combat veteran who participated in the invasion of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and following his deployment, he smoked weed in an attempt to deal with PTSD symptoms that he didn’t even recognize yet. In return, he was chaptered from the USMC and received a less than honorable discharge. Here is his story.
Got news to share about our military or veterans?! Or just need to cuss at us for a bit?! Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com
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A special thanks to our honorary producers Matthew Hoh, Will Ahrens, Ron Unger, Gage Counts, and Bashir!! Without you guys, we couldn’t continue our work. Thank you all so much!!!
Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
Whistleblowers are a divided and dense topic. Bringing up Edward Snowden or Chelsea Manning generally invites conflict, especially for those who work in national security. However, our government has worked hard to keep secrets while its citizens are kept in the dark. So, often times, whistleblowers are the only remedy to bring these facts into the light.
Barack Obama was supposed to be the most transparent president in our history, but instead became the exact opposite: a president who set the record for most people charged under the Espionage Act. With these ideas in mind, Danny and I present our breakdown on whistleblowers.
Got news to share about our military or veterans?! Or just need to cuss at us for a bit?! Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com
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A special thanks to our honorary producers Matthew Hoh, Will Ahrens, Ron Unger, and Gage Counts!! Without you guys, we couldn’t continue our work. Thank you all so much!!!
Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
Wow, these last few weeks have had so much news for Danny and I to comb through. The gas attack in Douma and our government’s response, John Bolton becoming national security adviser, the killing of Palestinian protesters in the Gaza Strip, and a whole host of other major stories. Here’s the Fortress breakdown of recent events. Our whistleblower episode aires a week from today on the 20th, so keep an eye out for that.
00:40 – Danny’s quick takes on tons of shit – John Bolton, Trump says leave Syria, killing protestors in Gaza
10:15 – Hector Barajas and the Deported veterans support house
18:35 – Pentagon raises budget more than the entire military budget of Russia
Got news to share about our military or veterans?! Or just need to cuss at us for a bit?! Contact us direct by email at fortressonahill@gmail.com
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A special thanks to our honorary producers Matthew Hoh, Will Ahrens, Ron Unger, and Gage Counts!! Without you guys, we couldn’t continue our work. Thank you all so much!!!
Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
