Latest / The Stan R. Mitchell Show / The 5-23-24 edition of The View from the Front podcast.

Transcript

The 5-23-24 edition of The View from the Front podcast. · The Stan R. Mitchell Show

0:00
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0:08
SPEAKER_00: What is going on, guys?
0:09
SPEAKER_00: Hope everyone is doing great out there.
0:12
SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for joining us.
0:13
SPEAKER_00: I really am honored that you are here.
0:16
SPEAKER_00: Now, if this is the first time you've ever joined us, just know up front that I am a proud moderate.
0:22
SPEAKER_00: I served four years in the Marines, and every week I do three things with this show.
0:28
SPEAKER_00: First, I discuss conflicts happening around the world that might affect you or our military.
0:35
SPEAKER_00: I work to unite our country and remind us of how lucky we are to live in America.
0:39
SPEAKER_00: And finally,
0:40
SPEAKER_00: I always share some motivation and inspiration at the end of each episode,
0:45
SPEAKER_00: as well as honor a Medal of Honor recipient.
0:51
SPEAKER_00: If it's the first time you've ever joined us,
0:52
SPEAKER_00: I do have timestamps in case you want to jump forward to certain sections,
0:58
SPEAKER_00: but man,
0:58
SPEAKER_00: this week we have so much news that I'm just going to get straight into it.
1:03
SPEAKER_00: We've got about 20 things I would love to get in the show.
1:05
SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure I have time to get them all, but I'm going to do my best.
1:10
SPEAKER_00: As you guys know,
1:10
SPEAKER_00: I do work a full-time job in addition to this and the writing I do on the side for
1:16
SPEAKER_00: some newsletters and some fiction writing,
1:19
SPEAKER_00: so...
1:19
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to get in as much as I can,
1:22
SPEAKER_00: but guys,
1:24
SPEAKER_00: I do like to lift weights,
1:26
SPEAKER_00: I do like to do martial arts,
1:28
SPEAKER_00: and I do still have a life,
1:29
SPEAKER_00: so I can only get so much in.
1:31
SPEAKER_00: But I think I've got what should be set up to be a pretty good show,
1:36
SPEAKER_00: so we're just going to jump right into it.
1:38
SPEAKER_00: One story that I will not be covering in much detail involves Iran.
1:43
SPEAKER_00: As you know,
1:44
SPEAKER_00: the second in command there died in a helicopter crash earlier this week and had
1:52
SPEAKER_00: all kinds of notes to write about it.
1:54
SPEAKER_00: But there's been pretty good reporting on that from various mainstream news outlets today.
2:00
SPEAKER_00: The short of it is they've already appointed a second or an interim person.
2:05
SPEAKER_00: There's no real upheaval from it,
2:07
SPEAKER_00: and so I'm not going to waste a lot of time going into the history of the deceased
2:11
SPEAKER_00: second-in-command or what it may or may not do for Iran.
2:15
SPEAKER_00: The situation is stable.
2:17
SPEAKER_00: There doesn't appear to be any real change that's going to happen to Iran,
2:20
SPEAKER_00: so there's no point going into those kinds of details.
2:22
SPEAKER_00: So I'm just going to skip that and move on.
2:25
SPEAKER_00: If you want to know more about that, just...
2:28
SPEAKER_00: Do some online research for the helicopter crash.
2:31
SPEAKER_00: You'll see lots of stuff on it.
2:33
SPEAKER_00: But again, it happened really early in the week.
2:36
SPEAKER_00: It's been pretty well covered.
2:38
SPEAKER_00: And I'm not going to go in depth on news that happened,
2:41
SPEAKER_00: you know,
2:41
SPEAKER_00: basically with bad timing as far as when I released this podcast.
2:47
SPEAKER_00: It's just hard to do news that happened on, you know, Monday or the early part of the week.
2:51
SPEAKER_00: So we're just going to skip that and go straight into some Ukraine news.
2:56
SPEAKER_00: The first story I want to discuss involves the Russian surprise offensive in the
3:02
SPEAKER_00: northern part of Kharkiv.
3:04
SPEAKER_00: I have covered this at length in the past few weeks.
3:07
SPEAKER_00: It's also been in the media pretty much everywhere.
3:10
SPEAKER_00: But Russia launched this surprise offensive from a Russian territory into Ukraine.
3:17
SPEAKER_00: It caught Ukraine by surprise there.
3:20
SPEAKER_00: And things looked a little rough in the beginning of this couple or so weeks ago.
3:25
SPEAKER_00: The great news is,
3:27
SPEAKER_00: is that since last week's episode,
3:30
SPEAKER_00: you can see quite a few articles out there that it appears the Russian offensive is faltering.
3:37
SPEAKER_00: I'll mention just a couple of headlines just so you can kind of get a feel for it.
3:44
SPEAKER_00: Now,
3:44
SPEAKER_00: in previous weeks,
3:46
SPEAKER_00: there were story headlines in The Economist and other places,
3:50
SPEAKER_00: stuff like Ukraine's desperate struggle to defend,
3:54
SPEAKER_00: you know,
3:54
SPEAKER_00: offensive catches Ukraine unprepared,
3:57
SPEAKER_00: really scary stories such as this,
3:59
SPEAKER_00: and...
4:00
SPEAKER_00: It was a bit of a scary situation because Russia had somewhere in the neighborhood
4:06
SPEAKER_00: of as many as 50,000 troops that were basically behind the very long defensive
4:13
SPEAKER_00: lines that are 600 miles long that Ukraine had,
4:16
SPEAKER_00: where this was coming from the north and they had punched through a very thin
4:22
SPEAKER_00: Ukrainian line.
4:23
SPEAKER_00: There was this bit of fear that this could be something that is a dire situation.
4:30
SPEAKER_00: However, since that time, Ukraine seems to have stabilized the map quite well.
4:38
SPEAKER_00: The Telegraph,
4:39
SPEAKER_00: which is out of the United Kingdom,
4:40
SPEAKER_00: put it this way,
4:42
SPEAKER_00: Putin's poorly prepared assault on Kharkiv has achieved nothing but record Russian casualties.
4:52
SPEAKER_00: That was from one day ago.
4:54
SPEAKER_00: One other indication that this advance isn't going as well as Russia would prefer,
5:01
SPEAKER_00: the Associated Press had a story a few days ago that says,
5:04
SPEAKER_00: and this is the headline,
5:06
SPEAKER_00: that Putin says Russia wants a buffer zone in Ukraine's Kharkiv,
5:11
SPEAKER_00: but has no plans to capture the city.
5:16
SPEAKER_00: Of course,
5:16
SPEAKER_00: if you were keeping up,
5:17
SPEAKER_00: initially Putin was pretty much celebrating this breakthrough in the northern part
5:22
SPEAKER_00: of Ukraine,
5:23
SPEAKER_00: but many analysts were saying by the fact that he said that they just wanted a
5:28
SPEAKER_00: buffer zone and they had no plans to capture the city,
5:31
SPEAKER_00: that perhaps this was an indication that the fighting was not going as well as
5:36
SPEAKER_00: Russia had hoped,
5:38
SPEAKER_00: and thus he was already trying to tamp down expectations on this surprise offensive.
5:45
SPEAKER_00: So that's the good news.
5:47
SPEAKER_00: Ukraine has gotten the surprise hook from Russia.
5:52
SPEAKER_00: It took the surprise hook,
5:54
SPEAKER_00: it's regained its footing,
5:56
SPEAKER_00: it's stabilizing the defensive lines,
5:59
SPEAKER_00: and even Russia appears to realize that this unique or surprise move that they had
6:04
SPEAKER_00: planned isn't going to quite work out the way they had hoped.
6:08
SPEAKER_00: So that was the good news.
6:10
SPEAKER_00: I wanted to start with some good news.
6:12
SPEAKER_00: We're going to move now into some not-so-great news for Ukraine,
6:16
SPEAKER_00: which the Washington Post had a detailed,
6:19
SPEAKER_00: in-depth story about the energy grid inside Ukraine.
6:25
SPEAKER_00: And the headline was, with its energy network nearly destroyed, Ukraine already fears the winter.
6:33
SPEAKER_00: So yes, you heard that right.
6:35
SPEAKER_00: We're in summer and Ukraine is already worried about the winter.
6:41
SPEAKER_00: Because with the six-month delay in getting additional air defense and weaponry to Ukraine,
6:48
SPEAKER_00: while our Congress was dallying and wasting time,
6:55
SPEAKER_00: Russia took advantage of it.
6:56
SPEAKER_00: And so they spent the past,
6:58
SPEAKER_00: especially the last month,
7:00
SPEAKER_00: six weeks,
7:01
SPEAKER_00: about four to six weeks or so,
7:03
SPEAKER_00: attacking Ukraine's actual production part of the energy grid.
7:11
SPEAKER_00: Just as a bit of a refresher,
7:14
SPEAKER_00: a year or so ago,
7:16
SPEAKER_00: Russia was using the Iranian-made Shahi drones to hit electrical substations,
7:24
SPEAKER_00: and they were targeting those around the country,
7:28
SPEAKER_00: and at first Ukraine didn't have a good answer to it,
7:31
SPEAKER_00: and it was proving to be successful.
7:34
SPEAKER_00: But in recent weeks, Russia has shifted.
7:38
SPEAKER_00: And they've gone from attacking the electrical distribution grid to actually
7:43
SPEAKER_00: targeting Ukraine's thermal and hydroelectric power plants.
7:49
SPEAKER_00: And they have done so quite successfully.
7:52
SPEAKER_00: In fact, these attacks were so effective...
7:55
SPEAKER_00: That,
7:56
SPEAKER_00: as I said a week ago,
7:58
SPEAKER_00: the Ukrainians are having to create limits and brownouts and some short blackouts,
8:06
SPEAKER_00: especially at night,
8:08
SPEAKER_00: where cities and areas are completely without power.
8:13
SPEAKER_00: And so Ukraine has decided to spread that across the entire country out of fairness.
8:18
SPEAKER_00: And Ukraine is bringing in electricity from five other countries already.
8:24
SPEAKER_00: But even with that, it's not the best picture.
8:28
SPEAKER_00: A slight bit of good news is that Ukraine's energy company has said that their nuclear power stations
8:35
SPEAKER_00: which do provide half of the country's electricity, will ramp up production by September.
8:42
SPEAKER_00: So things will get a tad better then,
8:44
SPEAKER_00: but the head of their electric grid said that winter will be,
8:49
SPEAKER_00: quote,
8:49
SPEAKER_00: "...undoubtedly difficult."
8:52
SPEAKER_00: And then the only question is, to what degree?
8:54
SPEAKER_00: And that energy company,
8:57
SPEAKER_00: he's quoted as saying that Ukraine has lost 8 gigawatts of electricity production
9:03
SPEAKER_00: because of the strikes that it's endured the past 4 to 6 weeks on its production in
9:09
SPEAKER_00: thermal and also in hydroelectric,
9:12
SPEAKER_00: which is,
9:12
SPEAKER_00: of course,
9:12
SPEAKER_00: those big dams that they have.
9:16
SPEAKER_00: The Russians had targeted...
9:19
SPEAKER_00: Thankfully, not the dams themselves, but the actual production facilities next to the dams.
9:26
SPEAKER_00: So now the dams just serve merely to stop the water flow.
9:32
SPEAKER_00: They don't generate power as they used to.
9:34
SPEAKER_00: If you are interested in this story,
9:36
SPEAKER_00: I actually put in the sub-stack notes,
9:39
SPEAKER_00: or the episode notes,
9:41
SPEAKER_00: a gift link article to...
9:43
SPEAKER_00: Washington Post story so you can read more about it and get a little bit more into
9:48
SPEAKER_00: the weeds if you would like.
9:49
SPEAKER_00: Moving along, we're going to cover four more stories about Ukraine.
9:55
SPEAKER_00: The first two involve actual fighting or ground combat or range of weapons.
10:02
SPEAKER_00: So the first one is
10:05
SPEAKER_00: As we had discussed in previous months,
10:08
SPEAKER_00: Ukraine had really been limited on how much artillery it could fire as the United
10:13
SPEAKER_00: States went through the very painful six-month delay on appropriating additional
10:20
SPEAKER_00: aid to Ukraine.
10:21
SPEAKER_00: And as I said a few weeks ago, at one point, it was almost a 10-to-1 disadvantage.
10:28
SPEAKER_00: Ukraine was so limited on artillery ammunition that
10:32
SPEAKER_00: that it could fire only one shot for about every ten shots the Russians could fire.
10:38
SPEAKER_00: And I had gone into,
10:39
SPEAKER_00: in the past,
10:40
SPEAKER_00: some of the logistical difficulties that Ukraine faced,
10:44
SPEAKER_00: because as the war really got underway,
10:48
SPEAKER_00: when Russia invaded,
10:50
SPEAKER_00: and as Ukraine shifted,
10:52
SPEAKER_00: from Soviet block weapons to American or Western-made NATO weapons, changing the size of the artillery
11:04
SPEAKER_00: calibers etc it really started to they basically became dependent on america and
11:12
SPEAKER_00: nato to help supply these 155 millimeter shells and so they get switched over to
11:18
SPEAKER_00: them and then suddenly we are not sending them but i do have some great news on
11:24
SPEAKER_00: that front
11:25
SPEAKER_00: And I'm going to share in the episode notes a recent engagement where some Russian
11:31
SPEAKER_00: mechanized vehicles,
11:33
SPEAKER_00: some armored personnel carriers,
11:35
SPEAKER_00: and a tank attempt an attack on the eastern front of
11:43
SPEAKER_00: And you can see,
11:45
SPEAKER_00: and many analysts have picked up on this in the last few days,
11:48
SPEAKER_00: the amount of Ukrainian artillery being fired is back to what one would normally
11:54
SPEAKER_00: expect when an armored attack comes at you.
11:58
SPEAKER_00: And so this was definitely great news to see.
12:01
SPEAKER_00: I'll put the video in the episode notes if you want to see it,
12:04
SPEAKER_00: but this attack was very easily stopped between artillery fire and drones hitting
12:10
SPEAKER_00: these vehicles.
12:12
SPEAKER_00: And I just know,
12:13
SPEAKER_00: watching it,
12:14
SPEAKER_00: you would not want to be a Russian soldier trying to advance through this very
12:19
SPEAKER_00: heavy artillery fire.
12:21
SPEAKER_00: The second story that involves ground combat and fighting that I wanted to mention
12:27
SPEAKER_00: is there is increasing pressure,
12:29
SPEAKER_00: and I mean quite seriously increasing pressure...
12:33
SPEAKER_00: on the Biden administration to allow Ukraine to use American weapons in Ukraine to
12:40
SPEAKER_00: strike targets inside Russia.
12:44
SPEAKER_00: Last week I had played some audio from Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying
12:51
SPEAKER_00: that Ukraine could essentially do what they want,
12:53
SPEAKER_00: but it's been clear since that was put out last week that the green light has not
13:01
SPEAKER_00: been given to Ukraine.
13:04
SPEAKER_00: So I'm not real sure about the comments.
13:08
SPEAKER_00: It just seems that that was not official U.S.
13:11
SPEAKER_00: policy.
13:12
SPEAKER_00: There's been a story that the Secretary of State,
13:15
SPEAKER_00: Antony Blinken,
13:16
SPEAKER_00: is trying to urge President Biden to lift the restrictions.
13:19
SPEAKER_00: So it's apparently either President Biden or the National Security Advisor,
13:25
SPEAKER_00: Jake Sullivan,
13:26
SPEAKER_00: who has been very cautious and soft and wary of agreeing to almost anything.
13:35
SPEAKER_00: He's increasingly become a target.
13:37
SPEAKER_00: I've talked about this in previous weeks.
13:39
SPEAKER_00: But since the last episode,
13:42
SPEAKER_00: there was just a grilling that the Secretary of State Antony Blinken received
13:47
SPEAKER_00: inside a hearing in Congress.
13:51
SPEAKER_00: There was also an official letter that the U.S.
13:54
SPEAKER_00: House Permanent Select Committee sent to the Secretary of Defense urging the Biden
14:01
SPEAKER_00: administration to allow Ukraine to strike military targets inside Russia using
14:06
SPEAKER_00: American weapons.
14:07
SPEAKER_00: I've got that letter in the episode notes if you want to read it.
14:12
SPEAKER_00: But definitely a hard push to allow Ukraine to be more aggressive in the use of these American weapons.
14:22
SPEAKER_00: And it feels like
14:24
SPEAKER_00: Especially with the comments last week that I played,
14:26
SPEAKER_00: it just feels like that the momentum is shifting and that green light will be
14:32
SPEAKER_00: coming from the Biden administration relatively soon.
14:36
SPEAKER_00: There's just too much pressure building against them and the attacks from Russia against the energy grid.
14:44
SPEAKER_00: There's just too much pressure, I think.
14:46
SPEAKER_00: So I would predict that the green light will be officially given relatively soon.
14:53
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to shift from the military side of the equation to the economic side of the equation now.
14:59
SPEAKER_00: And there are two brief stories that I want to make sure you guys are aware of.
15:04
SPEAKER_00: The first story involves the European Union,
15:07
SPEAKER_00: and they have moved forward with a plan to use the proceeds or profits,
15:14
SPEAKER_00: and in this case,
15:15
SPEAKER_00: basically the interest proceeds,
15:17
SPEAKER_00: from about $300 billion of frozen Russian assets.
15:25
SPEAKER_00: These assets were locked down once Russia illegally invaded Ukraine a couple of years ago.
15:32
SPEAKER_00: So the European Union has voted to take the interest from this $300 billion,
15:39
SPEAKER_00: which is about $3 billion in its first year,
15:43
SPEAKER_00: and they are going to actually transfer that to buy arms for Ukraine.
15:48
SPEAKER_00: Now this is a pretty big move,
15:51
SPEAKER_00: and the crazy thing is,
15:52
SPEAKER_00: so $3 billion is obviously a pretty good chunk of change,
15:56
SPEAKER_00: but the crazier part is that they're actually looking at a plan.
16:02
SPEAKER_00: to potentially borrow
16:06
SPEAKER_00: and essentially lend money to Ukraine based on a value of that $300 billion.
16:13
SPEAKER_00: And so they would basically use the future profits from those frozen Russian assets
16:21
SPEAKER_00: to pay off what,
16:23
SPEAKER_00: you know,
16:23
SPEAKER_00: maybe a $20 or $30 billion loan that Ukraine could use.
16:29
SPEAKER_00: And so that's kind of a more aggressive thing that they were looking at.
16:33
SPEAKER_00: And of course,
16:33
SPEAKER_00: many analysts have been saying for a long time,
16:36
SPEAKER_00: the most aggressive hawks,
16:38
SPEAKER_00: that this money that has been held in the European Union,
16:42
SPEAKER_00: and then there's also quite a bit that the U.S.
16:44
SPEAKER_00: has access to, should just be seized and donated or provided to Ukraine.
16:52
SPEAKER_00: That is the most aggressive position that some analysts have pushed, because that starts to...
16:59
SPEAKER_00: You know, it really goes into some gray zones on international relations.
17:05
SPEAKER_00: Having said all that.
17:07
SPEAKER_00: That's all for the future,
17:08
SPEAKER_00: but at least for the moment,
17:10
SPEAKER_00: some small bit of good news for Ukraine in that the European Union,
17:15
SPEAKER_00: at least,
17:16
SPEAKER_00: is moving in that direction and they have decided to move forward on providing
17:22
SPEAKER_00: about $3 billion of,
17:25
SPEAKER_00: as I said,
17:25
SPEAKER_00: interest.
17:26
SPEAKER_00: So I've got a story to that, a link to that in the episode notes, but you can find...
17:32
SPEAKER_00: The link that I have is behind a paywall,
17:35
SPEAKER_00: but you can find other stories that talk about this move by the European Union.
17:39
SPEAKER_00: So that's the first economic story I wanted to make sure you were aware of.
17:44
SPEAKER_00: The second economic story involves Russia itself,
17:48
SPEAKER_00: and the United Kingdom's Defense Intelligence Agency has released a report that
17:56
SPEAKER_00: Russia is experiencing a pretty significant labor shortage,
18:02
SPEAKER_00: and it is becoming an increasingly significant problem in some sectors.
18:07
SPEAKER_00: According to the United Kingdom,
18:10
SPEAKER_00: Russia has almost a shortage of nearly 5 million workers by the end of 2023.
18:17
SPEAKER_00: And the UK is saying that the Russian transport and logistics industry was unable
18:26
SPEAKER_00: to fill 25% of its truck driver vacancies today.
18:31
SPEAKER_00: Now, there's a couple of things causing this.
18:33
SPEAKER_00: First of all,
18:34
SPEAKER_00: obviously,
18:34
SPEAKER_00: the large mobilization of men being drafted against their will and forced into
18:43
SPEAKER_00: service in the Russian army.
18:44
SPEAKER_00: That was part of the issue.
18:46
SPEAKER_00: The second thing is, obviously, at the beginning of this horrific war that was launched by Russia...
18:53
SPEAKER_00: More than a million Russian men who could have served or could have remained in
18:58
SPEAKER_00: Russia working fled the country,
19:01
SPEAKER_00: and Russia actually let them go.
19:02
SPEAKER_00: I covered that in quite a bit of detail toward the very beginning when I first launched the podcast.
19:09
SPEAKER_00: And part of the reason that Vladimir Putin let them go instead of locking down the
19:14
SPEAKER_00: country is that he knew that those who were willing to leave,
19:18
SPEAKER_00: those who were unwilling to serve,
19:21
SPEAKER_00: they would be troublemakers.
19:23
SPEAKER_00: And it was in some ways a smart move.
19:26
SPEAKER_00: Let out these guys who might have resisted, who might have protested, who might have even fought against
19:34
SPEAKER_00: or conducted acts of sabotage inside Russia.
19:38
SPEAKER_00: Just let those dudes go.
19:40
SPEAKER_00: Just keep the sheep, the large masses who refuse to resist inside the country.
19:48
SPEAKER_00: Let the belligerent ones go.
19:49
SPEAKER_00: And that's what he did.
19:50
SPEAKER_00: Now,
19:52
SPEAKER_00: unfortunately for Vladimir Putin,
19:54
SPEAKER_00: many of those were skilled professionals who wanted to avoid the draft.
19:58
SPEAKER_00: So he lost talented individuals and some of the
20:03
SPEAKER_00: Some of those folks came from money and they were well-educated,
20:07
SPEAKER_00: and so he lost both their intellect and also their financial resources as these
20:14
SPEAKER_00: folks fled Russia.
20:16
SPEAKER_00: One minor footnote on this labor shortage is if you remember the terrorist attack
20:23
SPEAKER_00: back in March,
20:25
SPEAKER_00: because ISIS attacked that theater,
20:32
SPEAKER_00: Russia enacted some pretty harsh restrictions on migrants being employed,
20:40
SPEAKER_00: and so that has further made the shortage worse because many companies inside
20:47
SPEAKER_00: Russia cannot use labor that perhaps they would normally use because there are some
20:52
SPEAKER_00: restrictions on migrant employment.
20:57
SPEAKER_00: We're going to take a quick break, but when we come back, we're going to get into a couple of U.S.
21:01
SPEAKER_00: news stories that are military in nature that I think you'll appreciate.
21:14
SPEAKER_00: hey guys just a quick reminder if you enjoy the show been listening to it for a
21:19
SPEAKER_00: while you'd like to support what I'm doing there's a few ways you can do so you can
21:24
SPEAKER_00: sign up on my sub stack page support the show at five dollars per month you can
21:28
SPEAKER_00: also do it through patreon I've got a link to that in the episode notes and then
21:33
SPEAKER_00: finally you can even just send a tip through Venmo I've got a link to that as well
21:37
SPEAKER_00: I really appreciate all of your all support
21:40
SPEAKER_00: It helps me justify the time to do this,
21:43
SPEAKER_00: and I really am excited about where this show might end up going and how many
21:47
SPEAKER_00: people it might actually end up helping.
21:58
SPEAKER_00: On the first US news story, let's begin with a positive, upbeat one.
22:05
SPEAKER_00: A quite famous destroyer,
22:08
SPEAKER_00: at least now,
22:09
SPEAKER_00: has returned to the USS Kearney,
22:13
SPEAKER_00: which is a destroyer that had been in heavy engagements against the Houthi missiles
22:19
SPEAKER_00: and drones.
22:20
SPEAKER_00: has returned home after what is being called a historic deployment.
22:25
SPEAKER_00: So I definitely wanted to honor the men and women who are serving on that ship and
22:31
SPEAKER_00: just share a few words from the Chief of Naval Operations.
22:35
SPEAKER_00: who obviously is over the Navy,
22:38
SPEAKER_00: she had this to say,
22:40
SPEAKER_00: that the USS Kearney is,
22:41
SPEAKER_00: quote,
22:42
SPEAKER_00: arguably now the world's most battle-hardened surface combatant ship.
22:50
SPEAKER_00: And she called the Kearney,
22:53
SPEAKER_00: she reflected on the fact that the Kearney had conducted 51 engagements in six months.
23:01
SPEAKER_00: So 51 engagements in six months.
23:04
SPEAKER_00: and she said the last time our Navy directly engaged the enemy to the degree that
23:09
SPEAKER_00: the USS Kearney had was way back in World War II,
23:13
SPEAKER_00: and that was the USS Hugh Hadley,
23:16
SPEAKER_00: which had an engagement record of 23.
23:19
SPEAKER_00: So the USS Kearney had 51 engagements compared to 23, which was the previous record.
23:26
SPEAKER_00: So of
23:27
SPEAKER_00: quite an accomplishment for sure.
23:29
SPEAKER_00: And I definitely wanted to give a shout out to those men and women who have been
23:34
SPEAKER_00: doing dangerous work for the U.S.
23:37
SPEAKER_00: Navy and for all of us who are living under the safety that all the men and women
23:43
SPEAKER_00: out there serving in the armed forces provide for us.
23:46
SPEAKER_00: Actually, before I move on, let me say one more thing to celebrate what this ship was able to pull off.
23:53
SPEAKER_00: The Defense Newsletter slash website Task and Purpose wrote about the USS Corny
24:00
SPEAKER_00: that when it had to shoot down the anti-ballistic missiles that were shot at it,
24:08
SPEAKER_00: They had between 9 and 20 seconds to engage.
24:13
SPEAKER_00: 9 to 20 seconds to engage.
24:17
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's nothing.
24:20
SPEAKER_00: And so in some of the interviews...
24:23
SPEAKER_00: It was discussed how you had to rely on the watch officer and some of the lower
24:29
SPEAKER_00: ranking folks because when these attacks happened,
24:32
SPEAKER_00: which of course they're on patrol 24 hours a day,
24:34
SPEAKER_00: you had 9 to 20 seconds.
24:36
SPEAKER_00: And depending on the time of day,
24:38
SPEAKER_00: they talked about that you had to try to figure out is the missile inbound?
24:43
SPEAKER_00: Is it within an envelope that you could even engage?
24:46
SPEAKER_00: You know, is it going to even come close enough or was it targeting some commercial ship further away?
24:51
SPEAKER_00: And then you've got to make sure that there are no sailors topside.
24:54
SPEAKER_00: So if the ship's not in general quarters,
24:56
SPEAKER_00: I mean,
24:57
SPEAKER_00: you've got milliseconds to make sure no one is topside since you didn't want anyone
25:01
SPEAKER_00: to get hurt,
25:03
SPEAKER_00: one of the officers was saying.
25:04
SPEAKER_00: And so start to finish about 9 to 20 seconds to make a decision.
25:11
SPEAKER_00: I mean,
25:11
SPEAKER_00: that is some serious stress,
25:14
SPEAKER_00: and it was probably being done in many instances by lower-ranking officers.
25:19
SPEAKER_00: So...
25:20
SPEAKER_00: These are folks that if you make a mistake on something, you know, your entire career could be over.
25:25
SPEAKER_00: So this,
25:26
SPEAKER_00: just again,
25:26
SPEAKER_00: a big shout out to those men and women and the enlisted and the officers,
25:31
SPEAKER_00: all of those who took part,
25:32
SPEAKER_00: because this is definitely a historic accomplishment with a ship pulled off.
25:38
SPEAKER_00: The final news story that I wanted to go over was the U.S.
25:42
SPEAKER_00: has completed building the floating pier off the coast of Gaza.
25:47
SPEAKER_00: Of course, just a reminder, Israel is currently in a war against Hamas, which is based out of Gaza.
25:57
SPEAKER_00: And so there's a lot of fighting happening there, and there's been a humanitarian crisis.
26:03
SPEAKER_00: And so the U.S.
26:04
SPEAKER_00: and many folks in the West have been dropping supplies by plane into the civilian
26:13
SPEAKER_00: sectors of Gaza to try to feed and provide water to these folks who are in need,
26:20
SPEAKER_00: clearly.
26:21
SPEAKER_00: But the airdrops have not been enough, and they're not sustainable enough.
26:26
SPEAKER_00: And so the U.S.
26:27
SPEAKER_00: many weeks ago launched a mission to build a floating pier.
26:33
SPEAKER_00: They have been working on that for the past week or so,
26:36
SPEAKER_00: and they've gotten the construction of it complete.
26:40
SPEAKER_00: And they've also begun the first bit of supplies being moved off of that,
26:45
SPEAKER_00: or off of the ships waiting to unload going into Gaza.
26:51
SPEAKER_00: But this is where it gets a bit complicated.
26:54
SPEAKER_00: As this aid has been loaded onto trucks and sent out for delivery,
27:00
SPEAKER_00: it has been mobbed by Palestinian people.
27:05
SPEAKER_00: And so they had to stop the aid, and they're trying to figure out a...
27:11
SPEAKER_00: way to deal with this.
27:12
SPEAKER_00: Right now,
27:13
SPEAKER_00: the military is saying they're looking for alternate routes,
27:16
SPEAKER_00: but ultimately,
27:17
SPEAKER_00: this could be a problem that's going to be a bit of a challenge,
27:21
SPEAKER_00: because at some point,
27:22
SPEAKER_00: you can see these trucks,
27:23
SPEAKER_00: they're just driven by civilians,
27:25
SPEAKER_00: they're not protected.
27:27
SPEAKER_00: And so I'm not sure of an easy solution.
27:31
SPEAKER_00: Because even with alternate routes, there are a lot of people there.
27:34
SPEAKER_00: Many of them are desperate.
27:36
SPEAKER_00: And I'm sure some of the effort is probably driven by Hamas fighters that have been left behind.
27:43
SPEAKER_00: So I'm not sure if at some point some of these trucks may need some type of a security element.
27:49
SPEAKER_00: I'm not saying that's something that U.S.
27:51
SPEAKER_00: forces would do.
27:53
SPEAKER_00: But I am saying...
27:54
SPEAKER_00: someone,
27:56
SPEAKER_00: at least it would seem to me,
27:58
SPEAKER_00: will have to try to provide some type of security to these trucks.
28:03
SPEAKER_00: The second thing I wanted to mention,
28:05
SPEAKER_00: and some analysts are talking about this already,
28:08
SPEAKER_00: is that as a part of building this floating pier,
28:11
SPEAKER_00: you obviously have to protect it from attacks.
28:13
SPEAKER_00: There are U.S.
28:14
SPEAKER_00: troops around this thing,
28:16
SPEAKER_00: and they have already,
28:18
SPEAKER_00: there's video,
28:18
SPEAKER_00: in fact,
28:19
SPEAKER_00: online of a weapon system,
28:21
SPEAKER_00: what's called a CWIS,
28:24
SPEAKER_00: but it's a close-in weapon system test firing the Navy has put on ground inside
28:31
SPEAKER_00: Israel or Gaza.
28:33
SPEAKER_00: one of these weapon systems to shoot down rockets and drones or anything that might
28:37
SPEAKER_00: attack the pier and they've there's video of it test firing and you could see a few
28:42
SPEAKER_00: maybe marines or soldiers it's not real clear which standing near it with weapons
28:50
SPEAKER_00: so there are definitely some u.s troops that are inside gaza
28:55
SPEAKER_00: And so anytime you have that, you have the potential.
28:58
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, there's some danger of being there, period.
29:02
SPEAKER_00: But there's also the potential of mission creep.
29:05
SPEAKER_00: And so between the trucks needing to be protected,
29:08
SPEAKER_00: between having some troops on the ground,
29:10
SPEAKER_00: I'm just putting all that out there because this is sometimes how it starts.
29:14
SPEAKER_00: You know,
29:15
SPEAKER_00: if you need a memory refresher,
29:18
SPEAKER_00: back in the 90s when Somalia was dealing with a terrible famine...
29:23
SPEAKER_00: and a humanitarian catastrophe itself,
29:27
SPEAKER_00: Initially, the U.N.
29:30
SPEAKER_00: began sending food supplies there.
29:34
SPEAKER_00: If you recall, those supplies were also being confiscated.
29:40
SPEAKER_00: And so the U.N.
29:41
SPEAKER_00: decided to protect the supplies.
29:43
SPEAKER_00: And so U.N.
29:44
SPEAKER_00: troops were sent to protect these supplies.
29:48
SPEAKER_00: So again, initially, no U.S.
29:49
SPEAKER_00: troops.
29:50
SPEAKER_00: We're talking United Nations troops.
29:53
SPEAKER_00: They were eventually ambushed.
29:57
SPEAKER_00: And so that is when U.S.
29:58
SPEAKER_00: forces were sent.
30:00
SPEAKER_00: In fact,
30:01
SPEAKER_00: the United States sent some rangers over there to try to get the warlord who had
30:06
SPEAKER_00: attacked the U.N.
30:08
SPEAKER_00: troops.
30:08
SPEAKER_00: I believe it was Pakistani troops that were killed.
30:11
SPEAKER_00: And thus begins the saga that would eventually end up being the movie Black Hawk Down.
30:17
SPEAKER_00: But it would lead to some very terrible fighting there.
30:22
SPEAKER_00: and some decent number of casualties in the process.
30:25
SPEAKER_00: So these are the things you got to kind of keep an eye on and make sure that you
30:29
SPEAKER_00: don't have that kind of mission creep.
30:32
SPEAKER_00: In my opinion,
30:33
SPEAKER_00: mission creep is one of the most dangerous things that can happen in any type of
30:38
SPEAKER_00: military deployment anywhere.
30:40
SPEAKER_00: A good example, another good example, obviously the Somalia is, you know, a prime example.
30:45
SPEAKER_00: But mission creep happened in Afghanistan.
30:48
SPEAKER_00: Initially, after 9-11, the towers fall.
30:51
SPEAKER_00: We go after Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.
30:54
SPEAKER_00: We very quickly sent in special forces and Green Berets to help the Northern
31:00
SPEAKER_00: Alliance overthrow the Taliban.
31:04
SPEAKER_00: And initially, the plan was, we'll let local leaders, part of the Northern Alliance, run the country.
31:13
SPEAKER_00: We're just here to get al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.
31:17
SPEAKER_00: But what happened was, as you know very well, mission creep.
31:22
SPEAKER_00: We decided we would turn Afghanistan into a democracy.
31:28
SPEAKER_00: We decided we would take a country that had one of the highest illiteracy rates in
31:32
SPEAKER_00: the world,
31:33
SPEAKER_00: that by many estimations was a very...
31:38
SPEAKER_00: Just a fundamentalist religious country.
31:42
SPEAKER_00: Many of the men there are and were fanatics.
31:47
SPEAKER_00: But we decided that we would create a democracy,
31:50
SPEAKER_00: and we would even create an Islamic country that had rights for women.
31:56
SPEAKER_00: Which is,
31:56
SPEAKER_00: you know,
31:56
SPEAKER_00: when you think about where Saudi Arabia is in that historical picture,
32:02
SPEAKER_00: to go to one of the most...
32:05
SPEAKER_00: poorest,
32:06
SPEAKER_00: illiterate,
32:07
SPEAKER_00: and religious fundamentalist countries in the world and say,
32:12
SPEAKER_00: we're going to not only create democracy,
32:15
SPEAKER_00: but,
32:15
SPEAKER_00: you know,
32:15
SPEAKER_00: give women rights,
32:17
SPEAKER_00: just unbelievably,
32:20
SPEAKER_00: almost
32:21
SPEAKER_00: impossible mission from the beginning and we actually kind of sort of pulled it off
32:27
SPEAKER_00: for a while before we abandoned them but mission creep i don't want to get off
32:33
SPEAKER_00: point too much but mission creep is something you got to watch and so i'm just
32:36
SPEAKER_00: putting out there that the pier has been built it's a complicated situation and so
32:43
SPEAKER_00: we'll keep an eye on this as the days and weeks go by
32:47
SPEAKER_00: Alright, let's get to the best part of the show.
32:50
SPEAKER_00: I call this the Never Ever Give Up segment.
32:54
SPEAKER_00: And I call it the Never Ever Give Up segment because we must never ever give up as a country.
33:01
SPEAKER_00: Though we face great division,
33:02
SPEAKER_00: a massive debt burden,
33:05
SPEAKER_00: and probably future problems that none of us could even predict.
33:09
SPEAKER_00: But we must never give up as a country.
33:11
SPEAKER_00: And I believe we must stay united.
33:14
SPEAKER_00: And also, as individuals, we must never, ever give up.
33:17
SPEAKER_00: We've got family and friends counting on us.
33:20
SPEAKER_00: So in this section, I'm going to share some motivation to help encourage you.
33:24
SPEAKER_00: I'd like to begin by honoring a Medal of Honor recipient.
33:28
SPEAKER_00: If you don't know,
33:29
SPEAKER_00: the Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration you can possibly earn in the military.
33:35
SPEAKER_00: and it's awarded to service members who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor.
33:41
SPEAKER_00: The medal is typically awarded by the President of the United States upon the
33:46
SPEAKER_00: recommendation of the armed services.
33:49
SPEAKER_00: One final footnote before I read this week's.
33:52
SPEAKER_00: As I said when I first began this back in April...
33:56
SPEAKER_00: I am just going in alphabetical order because I could not possibly decide which
34:00
SPEAKER_00: wars to begin with,
34:02
SPEAKER_00: which services,
34:03
SPEAKER_00: etc.
34:04
SPEAKER_00: And since there's more than 3,000 of these, it was just too much.
34:08
SPEAKER_00: So I'm just going very simplistic alphabetical order.
34:13
SPEAKER_00: This week,
34:14
SPEAKER_00: both of the Medal of Honor recipients served in World War I,
34:19
SPEAKER_00: which of course featured a lot of attacking of trenches and small unit tactics.
34:26
SPEAKER_00: both of the citations are actually somewhat similar and they're both pretty
34:30
SPEAKER_00: incredible first gentleman that i want to honor by reading his citation is corporal
34:38
SPEAKER_00: jake alex
34:41
SPEAKER_00: Corporal Alex served in World War I in the United States Army,
34:46
SPEAKER_00: and his citation reads as such,
34:50
SPEAKER_00: At a critical point in the action,
34:53
SPEAKER_00: when all the officers with his platoon had become casualties,
34:58
SPEAKER_00: Corporal Alex took command of the platoon and led it forward until the advance was
35:03
SPEAKER_00: stopped by fire from a machine gun nest.
35:07
SPEAKER_00: Corporal Alex then advanced alone for about 30 yards in the face of intense fire
35:15
SPEAKER_00: and attacked the machine gun nest.
35:18
SPEAKER_00: Using his bayonet,
35:20
SPEAKER_00: he killed five enemy soldiers,
35:24
SPEAKER_00: and when the bayonet broke,
35:26
SPEAKER_00: he used the buttstock of his rifle to attack others,
35:30
SPEAKER_00: capturing 15 prisoners.
35:34
SPEAKER_00: Again,
35:34
SPEAKER_00: those were the actions of Corporal Jake Alex,
35:38
SPEAKER_00: who earned the Medal of Honor for that attack,
35:42
SPEAKER_00: for taking command,
35:43
SPEAKER_00: for putting his life on the line.
35:47
SPEAKER_00: Second gentleman I want to honor.
35:50
SPEAKER_00: Again, World War I, United States Army.
35:52
SPEAKER_00: This is Captain Edward Allworth.
35:56
SPEAKER_00: Captain Edward Allworth.
35:59
SPEAKER_00: Here is the citation for his actions.
36:04
SPEAKER_00: While his company was crossing the Meuse River and Canal at a bridgehead opposite Clary-le-Petit,
36:13
SPEAKER_00: the bridge over the canal was destroyed by artillery fire,
36:18
SPEAKER_00: and Captain Alworth's command became separated,
36:22
SPEAKER_00: with half of it on the east bank of the canal and the remainder on the west bank.
36:28
SPEAKER_00: Seeing his advance units making slow headway up a steep slope ahead,
36:34
SPEAKER_00: Captain Allworth mounted the canal bank and called for his men to follow.
36:41
SPEAKER_00: Plunging into the river, he swam across the canal under fire from the enemy, followed by his men.
36:48
SPEAKER_00: Inspiring his men by his example of courage,
36:51
SPEAKER_00: captain allworth led them up the slope joining his hard-pressed troops in front by
36:58
SPEAKER_00: his personal leadership he forced the enemy back for more than a kilometer
37:03
SPEAKER_00: overcoming machine-gun nests and capturing more than one hundred prisoners
37:09
SPEAKER_00: a number which exceeded that of the men in his command the exceptional courage and
37:15
SPEAKER_00: leadership displayed by captain allworth made possible the re-establishment of a
37:21
SPEAKER_00: bridgehead over the canal and the successful advance of other troops again that was
37:28
SPEAKER_00: the citation for captain edward allworth and if you know anything about military
37:34
SPEAKER_00: tactics
37:35
SPEAKER_00: it is hard to put into proper perspective how big a deal those actions were not
37:44
SPEAKER_00: just the personal bravery but anytime you are conducting an attack and you're in
37:49
SPEAKER_00: the offense and you
37:51
SPEAKER_00: move past a bridge or move to a bridge and it's blown up.
37:56
SPEAKER_00: If you don't move quickly, the enemy digs in much deeper.
38:00
SPEAKER_00: They move reinforcements into the area.
38:03
SPEAKER_00: You can completely stall out an attack.
38:06
SPEAKER_00: So by...
38:07
SPEAKER_00: Pushing his unit across after the bridge had been shelled by artillery and collapsed,
38:13
SPEAKER_00: and then pushing another thousand meters,
38:15
SPEAKER_00: creating the bridgehead where additional reinforcements could come through.
38:21
SPEAKER_00: You can't really put...
38:23
SPEAKER_00: a proper price or proper value on what that type of initiative and speed of action
38:32
SPEAKER_00: does in an actual battle or even in a larger standpoint in an actual war itself.
38:40
SPEAKER_00: Those things really add up as you get momentum and as you push.
38:45
SPEAKER_00: So Captain Edward Allworth received the Medal of Honor for his actions.
38:52
SPEAKER_00: As I say every week,
38:54
SPEAKER_00: I share these Medal of Honor stories to remind us of the sacrifices that have been
38:58
SPEAKER_00: made through the nearly 250 years of American history.
39:03
SPEAKER_00: Through so many major wars,
39:06
SPEAKER_00: more than one million Americans have sacrificed their lives and died getting us to
39:11
SPEAKER_00: this time and place in our history.
39:13
SPEAKER_00: In wars such as the American Revolution, the War of 1812,
39:18
SPEAKER_00: the Civil War,
39:19
SPEAKER_00: World War I,
39:21
SPEAKER_00: World War II,
39:22
SPEAKER_00: the Korean War,
39:24
SPEAKER_00: the Vietnam War,
39:26
SPEAKER_00: Desert Shield,
39:27
SPEAKER_00: Desert Storm,
39:28
SPEAKER_00: then following September 11th,
39:31
SPEAKER_00: Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan,
39:34
SPEAKER_00: Operation Iraqi Freedom,
39:37
SPEAKER_00: And these were only the major wars that I've listed.
39:39
SPEAKER_00: And I know I overlooked so many smaller conflicts.
39:43
SPEAKER_00: In all, more than 41 million Americans have served over the course of our nation's history.
39:50
SPEAKER_00: And as I said earlier, more than a million have died.
39:53
SPEAKER_00: Tens of millions have been wounded or had their lives shattered.
39:58
SPEAKER_00: So I think it's always important that we remember these facts,
40:02
SPEAKER_00: particularly when we have people regularly saying that we face a potential civil
40:07
SPEAKER_00: war or that we should split up our country because of whatever the latest culture
40:11
SPEAKER_00: war is.
40:12
SPEAKER_00: or any other number of silly reasons.
40:15
SPEAKER_00: I think our grandparents and our great-grandparents and those who came before them
40:20
SPEAKER_00: would be dumbfounded to think we could rip apart this great nation over such
40:25
SPEAKER_00: trifling issues.
40:27
SPEAKER_00: Now, let's share some motivation to make sure that we never, ever give up in our own personal lives.
40:32
SPEAKER_00: And, of course, if you're a regular listener...
40:35
SPEAKER_00: You know, I also speak about never giving up when I discuss PTSD at the end of the show.
40:40
SPEAKER_00: But for now, let's just talk about some motivation.
40:43
SPEAKER_00: And we've got some great ones this week.
40:45
SPEAKER_00: Here is the first one.
40:47
SPEAKER_00: And this first one isn't just motivation.
40:49
SPEAKER_00: This is ways to improve our communication, which I had come across and which I thought was pretty good.
40:55
SPEAKER_00: And so I want to just share these.
40:58
SPEAKER_00: So these are ways of saying things in a more effective way.
41:02
SPEAKER_00: So instead of saying, you'll be fine.
41:06
SPEAKER_00: Try saying, I understand.
41:09
SPEAKER_00: Again, instead of saying, you'll be fine, try saying, I understand.
41:14
SPEAKER_00: Instead of saying, you should, replace that with, what makes you feel supported?
41:22
SPEAKER_00: Again, don't just say, you should.
41:23
SPEAKER_00: What makes you feel supported is a better way of saying that.
41:27
SPEAKER_00: Instead of saying, it's okay, try saying, I'm listening.
41:34
SPEAKER_00: I'm pretty bad on you should and it's okay.
41:36
SPEAKER_00: I gotta be honest.
41:37
SPEAKER_00: But again, instead of saying it's okay, try saying I'm listening.
41:42
SPEAKER_00: Instead of saying I once,
41:44
SPEAKER_00: we all know some people are horrible about this,
41:47
SPEAKER_00: but you tell them a story and then they have to up you.
41:50
SPEAKER_00: And they say, well, I once did this and their story's always better than yours.
41:55
SPEAKER_00: At least in their words, but, or their minds, I should say.
41:58
SPEAKER_00: So instead of I once, something we can all do is just say, well, tell me more.
42:03
SPEAKER_00: Tell me more about whatever that thing is they're telling you.
42:06
SPEAKER_00: And then this last one,
42:07
SPEAKER_00: instead of just a how are you,
42:08
SPEAKER_00: after you do a brief hello,
42:09
SPEAKER_00: you can say,
42:10
SPEAKER_00: what made you smile today?
42:12
SPEAKER_00: Tell me something good that's happened in the past week.
42:14
SPEAKER_00: So those are some good communication ones.
42:16
SPEAKER_00: I thought I'd share those.
42:17
SPEAKER_00: Let's move to some regular just motivation ones.
42:21
SPEAKER_00: Here's the first one of those.
42:23
SPEAKER_00: Success takes time.
42:25
SPEAKER_00: Keep grinding.
42:28
SPEAKER_00: Next one.
42:29
SPEAKER_00: Live your life in such a way that when your name is mentioned, people will smile.
42:34
SPEAKER_00: That's a good one.
42:37
SPEAKER_00: Next one's a quote from an unknown person.
42:41
SPEAKER_00: Don't limit your challenges.
42:44
SPEAKER_00: Challenge your limits.
42:46
SPEAKER_00: Again, don't limit your challenges.
42:48
SPEAKER_00: Challenge your limits.
42:52
SPEAKER_00: Next one.
42:53
SPEAKER_00: You have the power to become anything you dream of.
42:57
SPEAKER_00: Not only today, but every day.
42:59
SPEAKER_00: This is not done by luck, but through your actions and mindset.
43:05
SPEAKER_00: Actions and mindset.
43:06
SPEAKER_00: Those are two good ones, right?
43:08
SPEAKER_00: What are you doing?
43:09
SPEAKER_00: How are you keeping yourself mentally motivated and mentally strong to keep going?
43:15
SPEAKER_00: Actions and mindset.
43:16
SPEAKER_00: Those are good ones.
43:18
SPEAKER_00: Next one actually mentions mindset,
43:20
SPEAKER_00: coincidentally,
43:21
SPEAKER_00: but create a mindset where you think everything is happening in your favor.
43:27
SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's a good one.
43:28
SPEAKER_00: Create a mindset where you think everything is happening in your favor.
43:33
SPEAKER_00: Just imagine if you had to make a sales call or something,
43:36
SPEAKER_00: or you're going for that interview,
43:38
SPEAKER_00: and in your mind,
43:39
SPEAKER_00: you're going into it not nervous,
43:41
SPEAKER_00: but you're saying,
43:42
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to make this call,
43:44
SPEAKER_00: and they want to hear from me.
43:45
SPEAKER_00: Or, I'm going into this interview, they haven't had good interviews, they want me there.
43:51
SPEAKER_00: Such a different attitude, isn't it?
43:54
SPEAKER_00: This next one is kind of a tricky quote.
43:57
SPEAKER_00: It's from the great Russian author Leo Tolstoy,
44:01
SPEAKER_00: but I'm going to read it a couple of times because it's so good.
44:05
SPEAKER_00: And I've definitely found this to be true in my short life of 46 years, but the quote is this.
44:12
SPEAKER_00: No matter how old or how sick you are,
44:15
SPEAKER_00: how much or little you have done,
44:19
SPEAKER_00: your business and life not only isn't finished,
44:23
SPEAKER_00: but hasn't yet received its final,
44:26
SPEAKER_00: decisive meaning until your very last breath.
44:33
SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's a good one, isn't it?
44:34
SPEAKER_00: You got to chew on it.
44:35
SPEAKER_00: But no matter how old or how sick you are,
44:38
SPEAKER_00: how much or little you have done,
44:41
SPEAKER_00: your business and life not only isn't finished,
44:45
SPEAKER_00: but hasn't yet received its final decisive meaning until your very last breath.
44:54
SPEAKER_00: That one is deep.
44:57
SPEAKER_00: I know in my short life,
44:59
SPEAKER_00: as I was saying,
45:00
SPEAKER_00: I have definitely had those moments where,
45:03
SPEAKER_00: you know,
45:03
SPEAKER_00: if you'd asked me while I was in the Marine Corps,
45:06
SPEAKER_00: what's your goal,
45:07
SPEAKER_00: what's your life all about,
45:08
SPEAKER_00: it was all about the military and I had these really ambitious dreams and then
45:14
SPEAKER_00: And later it was, oh, I'm going to get out.
45:16
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to go to college.
45:17
SPEAKER_00: And then later it was some family stuff.
45:19
SPEAKER_00: And then later it was, oh, I'm running this business, this weekly newspaper.
45:23
SPEAKER_00: This is so important to the community.
45:24
SPEAKER_00: And maybe I'm going to eventually grow it into launching other newspapers.
45:28
SPEAKER_00: I had these just crazy dreams.
45:30
SPEAKER_00: I did that for nine years and then it was gone.
45:33
SPEAKER_00: And I was like, man, like what was the point of all that?
45:35
SPEAKER_00: And then it was writing books and
45:38
SPEAKER_00: I'm sure in your own life,
45:39
SPEAKER_00: you've gone through just different stages where if you'd been asked,
45:42
SPEAKER_00: if you'd been put on a lie detector test,
45:45
SPEAKER_00: what is the point of your life?
45:46
SPEAKER_00: What's the most important thing in your life?
45:48
SPEAKER_00: You would absolutely just tell the truth.
45:52
SPEAKER_00: It is A, B, C, D. It is this.
45:55
SPEAKER_00: It is absolutely this. 100%.
45:59
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, it ain't always that.
46:02
SPEAKER_00: It is at that point.
46:03
SPEAKER_00: But you hit curves in the road.
46:07
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the road forks.
46:08
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes life takes a turn you don't expect.
46:12
SPEAKER_00: And I certainly know that my life has been that way, and I'm betting yours has too.
46:17
SPEAKER_00: But again,
46:18
SPEAKER_00: the quote is,
46:18
SPEAKER_00: no matter how old or how sick you are,
46:20
SPEAKER_00: how much or little you have done,
46:22
SPEAKER_00: your business and life is not over yet.
46:24
SPEAKER_00: It not only isn't finished, it hasn't received its final decisive meaning until your very last breath.
46:30
SPEAKER_00: Alright, here's the next one.
46:33
SPEAKER_00: This is just a regular quote.
46:37
SPEAKER_00: Wise men are not always silent, but they know when to be.
46:40
SPEAKER_00: That's pretty good.
46:42
SPEAKER_00: Wise men are not always silent, but they know when to be.
46:46
SPEAKER_00: This next one's a quote from Confucius.
46:49
SPEAKER_00: Here it is.
46:49
SPEAKER_00: It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.
46:54
SPEAKER_00: I feel like every week I read one that's somewhat similar to that because so much
46:59
SPEAKER_00: about achieving your goals is about never giving up.
47:02
SPEAKER_00: But again, the quote is, it does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.
47:09
SPEAKER_00: This next one's kind of a deep quote.
47:12
SPEAKER_00: Some of life's best lessons are learned at the worst time.
47:17
SPEAKER_00: Again, some of life's best lessons are learned at the worst times.
47:22
SPEAKER_00: We all know that is very true.
47:24
SPEAKER_00: Not a good thing.
47:25
SPEAKER_00: It's just how it is sometimes.
47:28
SPEAKER_00: Here's the next one.
47:30
SPEAKER_00: Don't give up when things get rough.
47:32
SPEAKER_00: Fight harder.
47:34
SPEAKER_00: Remember, it always works out in due time.
47:38
SPEAKER_00: Don't give up when things get rough or I would have said tough.
47:42
SPEAKER_00: Fight harder.
47:44
SPEAKER_00: It always works out in due time.
47:48
SPEAKER_00: This last one is about endurance.
47:50
SPEAKER_00: It's a good one.
47:51
SPEAKER_00: The quote is,
48:06
SPEAKER_00: Do your thing.
48:08
SPEAKER_00: Focus on the process.
48:10
SPEAKER_00: Work hard.
48:11
SPEAKER_00: Don't quit.
48:13
SPEAKER_00: Results will take care of themselves.
48:17
SPEAKER_00: That's pretty good.
48:20
SPEAKER_00: I feel like that would be one that was good 50 years ago or 100 years ago.
48:24
SPEAKER_00: But in 2024,
48:26
SPEAKER_00: when we live in such an impatient society with phones and apps and instant order
48:34
SPEAKER_00: and delivery within a day or so,
48:36
SPEAKER_00: it just is so hard to be patient.
48:40
SPEAKER_00: And so I think that's one of those deeper questions.
48:44
SPEAKER_00: parts of wisdom that we just struggle with these days.
48:47
SPEAKER_00: We do not know how to be patient, and we all give up on our goals and dreams way too soon.
48:54
SPEAKER_00: We are impatient.
48:56
SPEAKER_00: It's just almost humorous to me how we can all name people who are successful who just...
49:03
SPEAKER_00: basically outlasted those around them they just didn't give up they were just bull
49:09
SPEAKER_00: stubborn keep pounding the wall keep going ignore the people telling you to stop
49:16
SPEAKER_00: you just keep going and you stay patient
49:20
SPEAKER_00: That's like probably 80 or 90 percent of the formula of success.
49:24
SPEAKER_00: But we don't want to do that.
49:25
SPEAKER_00: We want to find like the easy way, the shortcut, the hack, the app that will tell you how to do this.
49:32
SPEAKER_00: We just don't want to do the work and we don't want to be patient.
49:36
SPEAKER_00: And so we take shortcuts, we get frustrated and resentful, and eventually we get impatient and we quit.
49:45
SPEAKER_00: Patience.
49:46
SPEAKER_00: Such a simple concept, but so hard to do, especially in the time that we live in.
49:53
SPEAKER_00: I always like to share a few from the Bible because this book has become such a
49:58
SPEAKER_00: source of strength and wisdom and calm for me during the past year.
50:03
SPEAKER_00: And I hope by sharing a few verses,
50:06
SPEAKER_00: it might help encourage you to get into the Bible yourself because I think it will
50:11
SPEAKER_00: really help you.
50:12
SPEAKER_00: And honestly,
50:13
SPEAKER_00: if you were like me,
50:14
SPEAKER_00: and you'd spent years and years reading self-help books,
50:17
SPEAKER_00: meditating,
50:18
SPEAKER_00: Buddhism,
50:19
SPEAKER_00: whatever it was that you've been doing,
50:22
SPEAKER_00: and it's still not working,
50:23
SPEAKER_00: then I say why not try something else?
50:26
SPEAKER_00: We know that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over,
50:30
SPEAKER_00: expecting a different result.
50:31
SPEAKER_00: So if you've never cracked open the Bible, I invite you to try it.
50:36
SPEAKER_00: In fact,
50:36
SPEAKER_00: I almost double-dog dare you to try it,
50:39
SPEAKER_00: because if it's all fake,
50:40
SPEAKER_00: if it's all not real,
50:42
SPEAKER_00: then it should have absolutely no effect on you.
50:44
SPEAKER_00: If it's just another lame self-help book, then you have nothing to worry about.
50:50
SPEAKER_00: You've tried everything else, so why not try this?
50:53
SPEAKER_00: And I think if you do, you'll see that the Bible is the handbook for your life.
50:57
SPEAKER_00: I think you'll find it speaking to you, because it's not just ancient words, it's the wisdom of God.
51:03
SPEAKER_00: And if you need hope...
51:05
SPEAKER_00: and purpose.
51:06
SPEAKER_00: If you're really drowning and feeling lost, then you need more than the self-help quotes I shared above.
51:12
SPEAKER_00: You need God, and one of the best ways to find Him is in the Bible.
51:17
SPEAKER_00: You don't have to go to some church you're nervous to visit.
51:20
SPEAKER_00: You can start learning about Him from the safety of your home by simply reading the Bible,
51:25
SPEAKER_00: either in print or on your phone through a Bible app.
51:30
SPEAKER_00: We are going to do two small readings from the Bible in this podcast episode.
51:36
SPEAKER_00: This first one is from Psalms 36, and it starts at verse 9.
51:42
SPEAKER_00: For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.
51:49
SPEAKER_00: Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you.
51:52
SPEAKER_00: Give justice to those with honest hearts.
51:56
SPEAKER_00: Don't let the proud...
51:58
SPEAKER_00: Trample me or the wicked push me around.
52:02
SPEAKER_00: The second one I wanted to read is from Colossians chapter 3, starts at verse 12.
52:09
SPEAKER_00: Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves,
52:13
SPEAKER_00: you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy,
52:18
SPEAKER_00: kindness,
52:19
SPEAKER_00: humility,
52:21
SPEAKER_00: gentleness,
52:22
SPEAKER_00: and patience.
52:24
SPEAKER_00: Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.
52:29
SPEAKER_00: Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
52:34
SPEAKER_00: Above all,
52:35
SPEAKER_00: clothe yourselves with love,
52:37
SPEAKER_00: which binds us all together in perfect harmony,
52:41
SPEAKER_00: and let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.
52:46
SPEAKER_00: For as members of one body, you are called to live in peace and always be thankful.
52:52
SPEAKER_00: Let the message about Christ and all its richness fill your lives.
52:58
SPEAKER_00: Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives.
53:02
SPEAKER_00: Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
53:09
SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for joining us this week.
53:11
SPEAKER_00: I hope as you go through this week that you act a little nicer on social media and in the world as well.
53:17
SPEAKER_00: Smile at folks in the grocery store.
53:19
SPEAKER_00: Do small acts of kindness.
53:21
SPEAKER_00: And remember that most Americans are good, and they will help you in an emergency.
53:25
SPEAKER_00: even if you don't agree politically.
53:27
SPEAKER_00: Now, I have to finish with two things.
53:30
SPEAKER_00: I want to say a bit about myself and my books in case you're new to the show,
53:34
SPEAKER_00: and then I need to say some words for those struggling with PTSD or mental illness,
53:39
SPEAKER_00: especially since veterans are at a 57% higher risk of suicide.
53:44
SPEAKER_00: First, a bit about myself and my books.
53:46
SPEAKER_00: I am a military vet.
53:48
SPEAKER_00: I spent four years in the Marine Corps, all of that time in the infantry.
53:51
SPEAKER_00: And yes, that does matter.
53:53
SPEAKER_00: After my enlistment, I went to college at the University of Tennessee.
53:56
SPEAKER_00: I became a journalist.
53:57
SPEAKER_00: I spent more than 10 years in the news business.
54:00
SPEAKER_00: Besides all of that, I've also written 12 books.
54:03
SPEAKER_00: Those books include a series about a Marine Corps sniper.
54:06
SPEAKER_00: several novels about a police detective and a private investigator,
54:10
SPEAKER_00: and a few books about war,
54:11
SPEAKER_00: such as World War II and Afghanistan.
54:14
SPEAKER_00: Basically,
54:14
SPEAKER_00: these are all fast-moving books with lots of action and plot twists,
54:18
SPEAKER_00: because those are the kind of books I've always enjoyed reading.
54:21
SPEAKER_00: You can find all of those books in the link in the episode notes,
54:25
SPEAKER_00: or you can look on Amazon by just searching my name,
54:28
SPEAKER_00: Stan R.
54:29
SPEAKER_00: Mitchell.
54:30
SPEAKER_00: Buying a book,
54:31
SPEAKER_00: telling a friend about a book,
54:33
SPEAKER_00: or buying one as a gift for someone,
54:35
SPEAKER_00: friend or loved one,
54:36
SPEAKER_00: is a great way to help support the show.
54:39
SPEAKER_00: And in all seriousness,
54:40
SPEAKER_00: they're pretty highly rated,
54:42
SPEAKER_00: and I've been very fortunate to have sold 70,000 copies to date.
54:45
SPEAKER_00: And I promise you, even though I live in Tennessee, I do not have that many cousins.
54:50
SPEAKER_00: The second thing I need to talk about is PTSD and suicide for just a moment.
54:56
SPEAKER_00: This isn't just for our veterans,
54:58
SPEAKER_00: although I know PTSD does seem to affect veterans at a much higher rate.
55:02
SPEAKER_00: But it's for anyone.
55:04
SPEAKER_00: We can all get in a really low spot.
55:08
SPEAKER_00: But we have to remember that it's a season.
55:11
SPEAKER_00: It's a valley.
55:13
SPEAKER_00: If you're having serious issues, please call 988-SELECT-1.
55:17
SPEAKER_00: You can talk to a crisis line responder anytime, day or night.
55:21
SPEAKER_00: Whether you're a civilian or a veteran, it doesn't matter.
55:25
SPEAKER_00: But I do know this is hard to do, and I know most of you won't, so I have to be a little mean here.
55:29
SPEAKER_00: The fact is that when we had a drill instructor in boot camp pushing us,
55:35
SPEAKER_00: or maybe a tough coach back in high school,
55:37
SPEAKER_00: you know that you can go further than when it's just yourself pushing you.
55:42
SPEAKER_00: So I'm going to be that person.
55:43
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to be mean for just a moment.
55:45
SPEAKER_00: And I have to remind you that you cannot give up.
55:48
SPEAKER_00: Do not lose this fight.
55:50
SPEAKER_00: Do not make your parents or your family have to plan your funeral.
55:54
SPEAKER_00: Don't make them feel guilty that they did not check on you, that they could not reach you.
55:59
SPEAKER_00: You can hold on another day.
56:01
SPEAKER_00: And if you do, I promise the next day will be a little easier.
56:04
SPEAKER_00: Now, again, if you're in a fight that you worry you may lose, call someone.
56:08
SPEAKER_00: Call a friend or a family member.
56:10
SPEAKER_00: Please, just do that.
56:12
SPEAKER_00: Or call 988-SELECT-1.
56:15
SPEAKER_00: But whatever you do, do not quit.
56:17
SPEAKER_00: You're in a valley, and this world needs you.
56:20
SPEAKER_00: Probably, your parents need you.
56:22
SPEAKER_00: I mean, seriously.
56:23
SPEAKER_00: Who's going to take care of your parents in 30 years?
56:25
SPEAKER_00: I'm being dead serious here.
56:28
SPEAKER_00: I just helped take care of my mom while she fought with cancer, before she passed.
56:32
SPEAKER_00: I'm helping take care of my dad now.
56:34
SPEAKER_00: But who's going to do it for you?
56:35
SPEAKER_00: Are you going to let the system take care of them?
56:38
SPEAKER_00: How horrible is that?
56:40
SPEAKER_00: So you cannot quit.
56:42
SPEAKER_00: And believe me, there's something you're meant to do.
56:45
SPEAKER_00: You just can't see it because you're in this immediate fog and pain.
56:48
SPEAKER_00: You can't see that end result.
56:50
SPEAKER_00: But there's a mission for you to do.
56:52
SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's to coach Little League.
56:54
SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's to help others with PTSD.
56:56
SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's to run for office.
56:58
SPEAKER_00: But there's some calling for you.
56:59
SPEAKER_00: You just haven't found it.
57:01
SPEAKER_00: But you need to get involved.
57:02
SPEAKER_00: You need to stop isolating yourself.
57:05
SPEAKER_00: Go visit a veterans group, the VFW.
57:08
SPEAKER_00: Visit a church near you.
57:10
SPEAKER_00: Talk to some family that you have lost touch with.
57:12
SPEAKER_00: Or maybe reach out to that friend that you've grown apart from.
57:15
SPEAKER_00: They're probably dying to talk to you.
57:18
SPEAKER_00: But seriously, if you're struggling...
57:20
SPEAKER_00: Call the hotline 988 and select 1.
57:23
SPEAKER_00: Or you can also start moving toward God.
57:26
SPEAKER_00: If you're not willing to make that phone call, read the Bible if you never have.
57:30
SPEAKER_00: I think it will help.
57:31
SPEAKER_00: Read some of Psalms or Proverbs or start with the New Testament.
57:36
SPEAKER_00: I would suggest the book of John.
57:38
SPEAKER_00: I think you'll find that the Bible will start drawing you in and changing your life.
57:43
SPEAKER_00: If you don't have a Bible, you can download a Bible app on your phone, or you can look it up online.
57:47
SPEAKER_00: There are dozens of sites with it.
57:50
SPEAKER_00: Even simpler, I have a link in the episode notes that I think can help you.
57:54
SPEAKER_00: I write a faith-based blog about the Bible and God,
57:57
SPEAKER_00: and I have a link in my episode notes to a pretty powerful story about my dog,
58:02
SPEAKER_00: who is a stray that we adopted from the shelter.
58:05
SPEAKER_00: The title of the article is Be Like Ozzie.
58:07
SPEAKER_00: Go Near Your Master.
58:09
SPEAKER_00: I've had a lot of people tell me that story really helped move them, that it was very impactful.
58:15
SPEAKER_00: So it's free to read.
58:17
SPEAKER_00: You got nothing to lose by going to read it.
58:19
SPEAKER_00: Now, I always like to end each show by reminding people that you can comment anytime.
58:23
SPEAKER_00: I try to monitor those.
58:25
SPEAKER_00: You can also reach out privately.
58:27
SPEAKER_00: by email to me at AuthorStanRMitchell at Yahoo.com.
58:31
SPEAKER_00: And that's in the episode notes, by the way.
58:33
SPEAKER_00: But again, it's AuthorStanRMitchell at Yahoo.com.
58:37
SPEAKER_00: Hey, here's one other thing.
58:39
SPEAKER_00: This podcast is about defense news, but I also do a political blog.
58:43
SPEAKER_00: So if you love my moderate, optimistic views, you might enjoy that.
58:48
SPEAKER_00: It's called Thoughts from a Southern Gentleman.
58:50
SPEAKER_00: You can find a link to the episode notes to that as well, or you can just search that on Google.
58:55
SPEAKER_00: Hey, thanks for hanging with me this week.
58:57
SPEAKER_00: It's truly an honor to talk with each of you and to know that there's a few of you
59:01
SPEAKER_00: out there who are listening and who care about our country and our military and all
59:06
SPEAKER_00: the issues that we face.
59:08
SPEAKER_00: I know there are a lot of scary issues out there,
59:11
SPEAKER_00: but we're going to get through them together,
59:13
SPEAKER_00: the same way America's gotten through everything before this.
59:16
SPEAKER_00: I love you all, but never forget that God loves you more than you can possibly imagine.
59:21
SPEAKER_00: He is our true Father, so I hope you spend some time with Him this week.
59:24
SPEAKER_00: If you want true peace and strength and wisdom, make sure you read your Bible some this week.
59:29
SPEAKER_00: It'll help you a lot.
59:31
SPEAKER_00: And also, reach out to a friend or anyone who you know is struggling, whether they are young or old.
59:36
SPEAKER_00: Life is truly hard.
59:38
SPEAKER_00: We know this.
59:39
SPEAKER_00: But the true strength of this country is its people,
59:42
SPEAKER_00: and that includes you folks listening to me right now.
59:44
SPEAKER_00: So be a leader, be a doer, be a servant to someone.
59:48
SPEAKER_00: With all of that being said, I'll catch you all next week.
59:51
SPEAKER_00: You have been listening to The View from the Front.
59:53
SPEAKER_00: I hope you enjoyed the show.