The Scuttlebutt: Understanding Military Culture

S5 Ep. 4: What are Military Fraternities?

“For the Brothers, By the Brothers, Forged in Arms.” Mu Beta Phi is a Greek letter military fraternity founded in 2017 by three Active Duty and Retired military men, across three branches of service. Their aspirations to serve, support, and defend the men and women in the local and veteran communities amplified their passion to give back. Built off the principle of Mission, Brotherhood, and Professionalism, the brothers of Mu Beta Phi, have taken a sworn oath to STRENGTHEN the veteran community, restore FAITH in the community, and broaden KNOWLEDGE to our Veterans. Join us on The Scuttlebutt this week to hear from Co-Founder and retired Navy veteran, Gary Ammons and MBP National Media Coordinator and Army veteran, Gregory Williams. And be sure to listen to their podcast the PHIner Life Show. 

 

Watch the video version, listen to previous episodes and find show notes and additional reading at https://veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt/

 

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S5 Ep. 3: Faith and War

One of these things is not like the other but somehow they have been intertwined throughout history. This week's Scuttlebutt episode welcomes three Air Force Veterans who are also ordained ministers. Eric Fenton, Ben Wright, and Michael Wurschmidt join us to talk about their service and where along their path they felt called to serve a higher purpose. But when it comes to the military , how do these two worlds co-exist? What is the responsibility of the chaplains on base? Is a veteran's faith any different than a civilians? And do chaplains carry weapons? All this and more in this week's episode. And be sure to check out Military Times for a report on the number of Catholics versus Protestants in the Army. 

A big thank you to our sponsors, D&D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health! 

What is Operation Christmas Drop? The Scuttlebutt Holiday Special!

Joining the Scuttlebutt for a short and sweet Christmas special are Air Force Veteran Ben Wright to talk about the 70th Anniversary of Operation Christmas Drop and the one and only SANTA CLAUS! What is the correlation between Santa and the Military? Only Chris Kringle knows. Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Follow this link if you are interested in donating to Toys for Tots

Subscribe to the Veterans Breakfast Club on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRWUeRU670VYK1skn4Azz5A?sub_confirmation=1

Listen to previous episodes, find show notes and additional reading at https://veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0buguqfl1jpRdSvCdwZZDw?si=jIK0iswcT-m77WTHWr-SNQ

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S5 Ep. 2: Guess What?! The Marine Corp Cares About You

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David H. Berger recently released his 2030 Talent Management Plan and needless to say it has raised some eyebrows. One of the takeaways is how for the past 36 years the Marine Corp has been happy to let roughly 75% of first-term Marines walk out the door after their initial four years are up. The plan proposes shifting from a "recruit and replace" model to a "invest and retain" model - a significant break from tradition. But will this shift be beneficial for future conflicts? And how do Marines feel about it? Joining Ryan and Shaun to talk about it are Retired Marine Corp veterans Brad Washabaugh and Todd Kemper. You can read more about the TMP at Task and Purpose. Watch the video version at https://veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt/. 

 

 

S5 Ep. 1: Tracers through a Camera Lens

Season Five of The Scuttlebutt kicks off with freelance photojournalist, Justin Merriman. Merriman’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Time, USA Today, Sports Illustrated and publications across the globe. Join us to hear Justin talk about how he got his start in a small community newspaper in Western PA and eventually found himself embedded with the 101st Airborne in Afghanistan. For our audio listeners, be sure to check out the video version as we showcase several of Justin's images and ask him to break down how he has grown his talent to find the quiet moments in chaos.

 

http://www.justinmerriman.com/biography

https://americanreportage.com/

S4 Bonus Episode: Vet-A-Thon Highlights

The Scuttlebutt was created to serve the mission of the Veterans Breakfast Club by creating communities of listening around veterans and their stories to connect, educate, heal, and inspire. Recently, VBC held a 24-hour Zoom marathon to honor veterans on Veterans Day called VET-A-THON! If you were unable to join us on Veterans Day, this week's episode of The Scuttlebutt is a highlight reel of stories from veterans Mike Cherock, Chris Hutchins, Robbie Stock, James Brundage, Mittie Smith, and Scuttlebutt co-host Ryan Ahl. To find out more information about Veterans Breakfast Club - visit us on our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org.

S4 Ep. 15: Military Families with Krista Anderson

Joining The Scuttlebutt for our season four finale is Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson. After losing her husband, Green Beret, Staff Sgt. Michael Simpson in 2013, Krista committed herself to helping military families fill their "life binders" and prepare for anything. One of her many roles is as a Military Spouse Ambassador for Army Emergency Relief. AER, the official non-profit of the U.S. Army recently teamed up with the National Military Family Association to provide funding for child care for military families through their joint Child Care Fee Relief Program. Krista joins us to tell her story, honor Michael, and talk about the incredible work being done by AER and NMFA. An inspiring story not to be missed.  

To read more about Michael's service visit GreenBeretFoundation.org and to read Krista's story visit We Are The Mighty. 

 

Subscribe to the Veterans Breakfast Club on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRWUeRU670VYK1skn4Azz5A?sub_confirmation=1

 

Listen to previous episodes, find show notes and additional reading at https://veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt/

 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0buguqfl1jpRdSvCdwZZDw?si=jIK0iswcT-m77WTHWr-SNQ

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-scuttlebutt-understanding-military-culture/id1530694578

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9tZWRpYS5yc3MuY29tL3RoZXNjdXR0bGVidXR0L2ZlZWQueG1s?sa=X&ved=0CAIQ4aUDahcKEwjggpTAtfPrAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBA

S4 Ep. 14: Learning About Leadership with Pine Richland JROTC

Due to the popularity of our first JROTC field trip, The Scuttlebutt travels to Pine Richland High School (Pennsylvania) to talk with Air Force JROTC instructor and Air Force veteran, Michael Gasparetto about his service and what awaits students in JROTC. He is joined by Cadet/Colonel Caitlin Howard and Cadet/Staff Sgt Connor McHugh who offer insightful first hand accounts of their time in Junior ROTC and how it has prepared them for successful careers after high school. You can find out more about JROTC at Air University or if you are interested in joining a Junior ROTC program, you can read more at Mefa.org. Watch the full episode at veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt. Thank you to Millerstown Pic-A-Part for sponsoring this episode!

S4 Ep. 13: An Afghan Interpreter Tells His Story

Join The Scuttlebutt this week as we wrap up our series on the Forever Wars with Afghan interpreter, Murtaza Honarpoor. After the US ousted the Taliban in 2001, Murtaza applied to be an interpreter and worked on an American Military base in Kandahar. Eventually Murtaza decided to leave Afghanistan and was granted admission to the US through the SIV program. Now he joins The Scuttlebutt to tell his story.  

 

Many interpreters and refugees are still attempting to leave Afghanistan safely and both Task and Purpose and Military Times are great resources to hear stories like Murtaza's. And for more details about how American citizens are donating flight miles to help Afghan refugees visit Military Times. 

S4 Ep. 12: An Iraq Interpreter Tells His Story

An Iraq Interpreter Tells His Story

Joining The Scuttlebutt this week is former Iraqi Interpreter Ehab Al Akrawi. Ehab was born in Nasiriyah in 1986 and clearly remembers watching cruise missiles cross the sky during Desert Storm. But it wasn't until the 2003 invasion of Iraq that he saw his first American soldier. Mesmerized by their appearance and stature, Ehab got up the courage to speak to one and soon after began interpreting for a unit --- at the age of 15! With all the news regarding Afghan interpreters, it's easy to forget that there are still Iraqi interpreters making their way through the SIV program to gain admittance to the US. Ehab was one of the lucky ones. For more information about our duty to Iraq and Afghan interpreters see Modern War Institute. To understand more about the SIV program visit Travel.State.gov and WashingtonPost.com.