Tag: US Army

The hard path of resistance – conscientious objectors panel – Ep 35

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Conscientious objection is a time-honored part of military service.  After reading about its history a bit, I decided we needed a closer look from the only people who can tell it right from the horse’s mouth: objectors themselves.  Here, I chat with three of them, all with different backgrounds, but one overwhelming consensus among them: military service was unacceptable to their conscience. Here, we find out a few clues why.

Clifton Hicks enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of seventeen and served as an M1 Abrams tank crewman with C Troop, 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division in Iraq 2003-2004. In 2005 he was honorably discharged as a conscientious objector. He went on to earn a degree in anthropology from Appalachian State University and currently works as a musician and music teacher.

Rosa del Duca is a writer and musician. She grew up a tomboy in rural Montana, where she joined the Army National Guard when she was seventeen. During her six-year contract, she became not only a conscientious objector, but a feminist and unlikely rebel.  That tumultuous time is the focus of her memoir, Breaking Cadence: One Woman’s War Against the War, forthcoming from Ooligan Press in May, 2019, and her companion podcast, Breaking Cadence: Insights From a Modern-Day Conscientious Objector.

Jorge Javier (JJ) Rodriguez is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, where his time spent as a cadet solidified his stance as a conscientious objector.  He is now stationed at Fort Campbell, KY, where he is going through the process of the Army’s conscientious objector program. For his full bio and a better look at his situation, click here.

Ramon Mejia enlisted in the Marine Corps out of economic necessity. He served in Supply Ops. and participated in the initial invasion of and deployment to Dhi Qar Province, Iraq in 2003. As a result of his experience in Iraq, he converted to Islam in 2008. He has been an active organizer in countering local manifestations of hate and racism by neo-Nazis and paramilitary groups in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Ramon is a Social Studies teacher and one of the founding organizers of #VetsVsHate, a national veteran grassroots initiative pushing back against racism and bigotry. He was recently recognized as part of the ‘MPower 100–Muslim Social Justice Leaders Building Power Across the United States.

RESOURCES

GI Rights Hotline – 18774474487

Quakers House of Fayetteville – 919-663-7122

Department of Defense Office of Inspector General – 800-424-9098

Center on Conscience and War – 1-800-379-2679

Code Pink – 202-248-2093

Vets For Peace – 314-725-6005

About Face (Veterans against the war) – 929-430-4988

Courage to Resist –  510-488-3559

The Objector Church – 510-488-3559

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A special thanks to our honorary producers Matthew Hoh, Will Ahrens, Gage Counts, Fahim Shirazee, James Higgins, and James O’Barr.  Without you guys, we couldn’t continue our work.  Thank you so much!!!

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FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson, Danny Sjursen, and BT Hampton

Intro / outro music “Fortress on a hill” written and performed by Clifton Hicks.  Clifton’s Bandcamp page; Clifton’s Patreon page

Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL

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.

Seeking truth among the ruins of disaster – Ben Fountain interview – Ep 24

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Ben Fountain stopped by the podcast to talk with us on his visits to Haiti, his inspiration for his award winning book “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk“, and his time following candidates in the 2016 election, which became the subject of his new book “Beautiful Country Burn Again“.

Enjoy the show?!  Please leave us a review right here.

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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 so much!!!

Not up for something recurring like Patreon, but want to give a couple bucks?!  Visit Paypal.me/fortressonahill to contribute!!

Facebook – Fortress On A Hill

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FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen

Intro / outro music “Fortress on a hill” written and performed by Clifton Hicks. Be sure to check out Clifton’s Bandcamp page and Clifton’s Patreon page

Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL

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.

Spenser Rapone interview – Ep 21

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Spenser Rapone joins us on the podcast as we discuss growing up in the aftermath of 9/11, Spencer’s time at West Point, his thoughts about the anti-war movement, and his new podcast Eyes Left.  Enjoy!!!

Enjoy the show?!  Please leave us a review right here.

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, and Gage Counts!!  Without you guys, we couldn’t continue our work.  Thank you so much!!!

Facebook – Fortress On A Hill

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FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen

Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL

Music provided royalty free by Bensound.com

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.

John McCain, women in combat arms, and a Twitter troll – Ep 20

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Without even trying, Danny and I spent the episode discussing numerous topics where others have gone to great lengths to mask the truth.  Whether rumors of John McCain’s military prowess, discussing an anonymous op-ed from within the White House, or analyzing a set of boilerplate articles on women in combat arms, it’s all about making something seem different when all the while, they were lying their asses off.  The sad truth is that these deceptions get passed around by ordinary Americans without question. For your listening pleasure, here’s some illumination.

00:39 – Danny’s recent post on John McCain

14:53 – Anonymous op-ed from a “senior White House official”

27:14 – Popularmilitary.com article on investigation involving female infantry soldier

44:24 – Approaching milestone of next generation serving in Afghanistan

58:08 – Danny ‘celebrates’ his first Twitter troll

A ‘Maverick,’ Revisited – TIM DICKINSON – Rolling Stone

I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration – New York Times

Hamdan v. US, 696 F. 3d 1238 – Court of Appeals, Dist. of Columbia Circuit 2012 (the case Henri couldn’t remember)

‘Horny bastard’ first sergeant had affair with female infantry private, Army says – Meghann Myers – Army Times

Photo of infantry first sergeant having affair with female infantry private released – Staff Writer – Popularmilitary.com

Enjoy the show?!  Please leave us a review right here.

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!!!

Not a contributor on Patreon? You’re missing out on amazing bonus content! Sign up to be one of our contributors today! – www.patreon.com/fortressonahill

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 so much!!!

Facebook – Fortress On A Hill

Twitter – Fortress On A Hill

Soundcloud – Fortress On A Hill

FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen

Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL

Music provided royalty free by Bensound.com

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.

Death from above and apathy from below – US drone warfare – Ep 17

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Drones are quickly becoming a crucial part of many US military and government toolboxes in order to deal with specialized situations.  This morning, I saw that the FAA granted a special exemption to allow drones to help fight massive forest fires happening in Idaho. Police departments are using drones for building searches and crisis situations at a minimum.  And our military uses drones for a wide variety of functions, not the least of which is to be used as an instrument of assassination.

Something important to remember here is that not all drones are armed.  One surveillance drone, Global Hawk, surveillance drone, has a 150 ft wingspan and is half the size of a 747.  It can fly at much higher altitudes and can fly longer than most armed drones. The kinds of intelligence it gathers are certainly magnitudes of order above armed drones or small surveillance drones.  Do we believe it’s acceptable to share this kind of intelligence with our foreign partners? Should the info a Global Hawk gets from surveilling Yemen be given to the SA government for us in their proxy war against the Houthti’s?  Should surveillance of Syria and Palestine be given to Israel? These are important questions in this discussion.

Danny and I bring you our breakdown of drone warfare.  We’ll be taking a break for the next few weeks from the podcast to attend the About Face – Veterans Against the War convention and create some new content to share with you.  See you soon!!

00:35 – President Trump’s remarks in Helsinki

15:04 – The Air Force replacing older generation Predator / Reaper control stations

24:26 – US drone warfare

The Islamic State Is Pioneering a New Type of Drone Warfare – Ben Sullivan – Vice

What The Intercept Found in “The Drone Papers”—And What I Found In Them – Quinta Juricec – LawFare

Navy contracts Raytheon for LOCUST prototype – Brooke Baitinger – UPI

Army to Buy Raytheon’s Coyote Expendable UAS for Drone-Killing Mission – Oriana Pawlyk – Military.com

Recommendations and Report of the Stimson Task Force on US Drone Policy – The Stimson Center

Enjoy the show?!  Please leave us a review right here.

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!!!

Not a contributor on Patreon? You’re missing out on amazing bonus content! Sign up to be one of our contributors today! – www.patreon.com/fortressonahill

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!!!

Facebook – Fortress On A Hill

Twitter – Fortress On A Hill

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FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen

Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL

Music provided royalty free by Bensound.com

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.

US military recruiting tactics and a far right Supreme Court – Ep 16.5

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It’s been sixteen years since I sat in a recruiter’s office.  I remember visiting there many times (even after I was signed up to join) and asked all kinds of questions.  What was basic training like? How was the food? Did they like their non-recruiter MOS? Did I have to make that MANY trips to MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station – Super boring)?  I heard a lot about Army values, doing PT (physical training) until you puke, being yelled at by drill sergeants, and a tid bit about deployments, but looking back on my six years in service, the recruiters shared very little real information.  I didn’t hear about deaths in training accidents, moving heavy equipment by hand from one place to another OVER AND OVER AND OVER, blowing out your knees from heavy running, getting odd diseases that are both rare and debilitating, and sharing an 80 sq ft room with another guy who seems to have soap aversion issues.

Recruiters are the car salesmen of the US military and by their very nature, they water down much of the downsides in what they’re selling.  But when a teenager is trying to decide whether to enlist or a parent is asking questions about their child’s future, should this be one of those times to have some actual ‘truth in advertising?’     

00:37 – Danny’s breakdown of ‘12 Strong’

10:21 – Tactics and methods of US military recruiters

30:41 – Nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for US Supreme Court

Should we end military recruiting as a matter of child protection and public health – Amy Hagopian / Kathy Barker – American Journal of Public Health

Enjoy the show?!  Please leave us a review right here.

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!!!

Not a contributor on Patreon? You’re missing out on amazing bonus content! Sign up to be one of our contributors today! – www.patreon.com/fortressonahill

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!!!

Facebook – Fortress On A Hill

Twitter – Fortress On A Hill

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FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen

Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL

Music provided royalty free by Bensound.com

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 the beautiful…and ugly “Reality” – Ep 16.0

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Even with the usual drowning of military news topics in circulation today, this last week has raised the bar considerably on how much horrible news can be crammed in such a small amount of time.  Yemen, already awash in the humanitarian disasters caused by the Saudi / UAE / US campaign to remove the Houthis, found a new low this week as Yemeni citizens fled the new drive to retake the both the port and airport in Hodeidah.  The Supreme Court demonstrates its very pointed lack of democratic principles as it voted down cases on both labor rights and President Trump’s Muslim ban, to only name a few. And poor Reality Winner receives her sentence for whistleblowing, to the tune of 63 months in federal prison and 3 years supervised release.

Grab a pillow case or a paper bag to scream into, because I think you’ll need it.

5:16 – UAE backed militia forces fight to retake Hodeidah port in Yemen from the Houthis

15:11 – Supreme Court gives 5-4 vote in favor of the Muslim ban

26:50 – Reality Winner makes plea deal, sentenced to 63 months in federal prison

37:54 – Maintaining two full brigades as a ‘deterrent’ to Russia

Henri appearance on Fault Lines Radio – June 25, 2018

UAE SAYS IT CAN’T CONTROL YEMENI FORCES — EVEN AS IT HANDS THEM BAGS OF CASH – Iona Craig – The Intercept

SHE NAMED HER CHILD “ENOUGH” – A Rare Look at Yemen’s War, Where Children Starve and Hospitals Are on Life-Support – Alex Potter – The Intercept

“IT TOOK US OVER A WEEK TO FIND ALL THE BODY PARTS” – Alex Potter – The Intercept

Reality Winner, Accused Of Leaking Classified Documents, Pleads Guilty – Camila Domonoske – NPR

Enjoy the show?!  Please leave us a review right here.

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!!!

Not a contributor on Patreon? You’re missing out on amazing bonus content! Sign up to be one of our contributors today! – www.patreon.com/fortressonahill

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!!!

Facebook – Fortress On A Hill

Twitter – Fortress On A Hill

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FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen

Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL

Music provided royalty free by Bensound.com

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.

Keagan Miller interview – former Navy-NSA intel analyst – Ep 15.0 – Part 1

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Military operations grind to a halt without intelligence.  Both the human side (HUMINT) and the electronic side (SIGINT for signal intelligence) must be pursued relentlessly to give military operational forces their picture of the battlespace.  Yes, it’s a lot of jargon and bullshit to say intelligence speaks to people and gets info from them, along with listening to cell phones and other electronic devices.

Today, we’re going to focus on the analyst side and speak with Keagan Miller.  Keagan is a former CTT (Cryptologic Technical Technician) who served in the Navy from 2009-13. He worked at NSA Georgia in support of 5th fleet and intelligence agency operations in North Africa and Middle East such as the Libya mission in 2011, the anti-piracy mission in Somalia, as well as other intelligence support given to operations in Yemen and Syria. Since getting out of the military he has been working with homeless veterans in the non profit and at the county level as a Case manager for Supportive Housing programs.

Here’s part 1.  Enjoy!!!

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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!!!

Facebook – Fortress On A Hill

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FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen

Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL

Music provided royalty free by Bensound.com

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.

To the victor in Syria goes the spoils of war…and mass murder – Ep 14.5

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We’ve got one exceptionally LONG episodes of headlines for you.  Danny and I discuss a bunch of new developments in Syria, Google’s choice to not renew their contract to Project Maven, and discussion about Reality Winner and the Intercept.  Enjoy!!!

15:51 – The US / Turkey reach agreement over Syrian town

26:52 – New interim VA director Peter O’Rourke – updates on VA Mission Act

35:37 – The US is pushing NATO to get more troops / weapons ready in order to deter Russia

43:41 – US bombing in Raqqa, Syria may have violated international law

52:32 – Partisan battle for tactical nuclear weapons begins in the Senate

1:01:56 – Google chooses not to renew contract for Project Maven

1:05:36 – No more foreign bases

1:12:56 – Reality Winner and the Intercept  

Association of Veterans Affairs Psychological Leaders – Breakdown of VA Mission Act

U.S. AIRSTRIKES VIOLATED INTERNATIONAL LAW IN “WAR OF ANNIHILATION” IN RAQQA, SYRIA, SAYS AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL – Murtaza Hussain – The Intercept

SYRIA: “WAR OF ANNIHILATION”: DEVASTATING TOLL ON CIVILIANS, RAQQA – SYRIA – Amnesty International

THE U.S. SHOULD NOT BUILD MORE FOREIGN BASES – Akhilesh (Akhi) Pillalamarri – Defense Priorities

GOOGLE WON’T RENEW ITS DRONE AI CONTRACT, BUT IT MAY STILL SIGN FUTURE MILITARY AI CONTRACTS – Lee Fang – The Intercept

US senators grapple with new sub-launched nuke – Joe Gould – Marine Corps Times

U.S. pushes NATO to ready more forces to deter Russian threat – Robin Emmott and Idrees Ali – Reuters

Enjoy the show?!  Please leave us a review right here.

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!!!

Not a contributor on Patreon? You’re missing out on amazing bonus content! Sign up to be one of our contributors today! – www.patreon.com/fortressonahill

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!!!

Facebook – Fortress On A Hill

Twitter – Fortress On A Hill

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FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen

Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL

Music provided royalty free by Bensound.com

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.

When you feel the ‘pressure’ – Blast pressure, water contamination, and Afghanistan – Ep 12

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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

22:32 – Water contamination at 126 DOD sites

In Vets, Even Mild Case of TBI Linked to Increased Risk of Dementia – Karen Kaplan – Los Angeles Times

Gunners Using Shoulder-Borne Heavy Weapons at Risk for Brain Damage – Stars and Stripes – Wyatt Olson

Update to last week’s post on suicide and combat guilt – Matthew Hoh

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) quarterly report to Congress – 4-30-18

DoD: At least 126 bases report water contaminants linked to cancer, birth defects – Military Times – Tara Copp

Ranks of Notorious Hate Group Include Active-Duty Military – Propublica

Enjoy the show?!  Please leave us a review right here.

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!!!

Not a contributor on Patreon? You’re missing out on amazing bonus content! Sign up to be one of our contributors today! – www.patreon.com/fortressonahill

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!!!

Facebook – Fortress On A Hill

Twitter – Fortress On A Hill

Soundcloud – Fortress On A Hill

FOH is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson and Danny Sjursen

Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL
Music provided royalty free by Bensound.com

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.