The Veterans Take Charge Radio Show is dedicated to bringing our country’s warfighters, past, present, and future to you. We share strong stories and tell hard truths while exploring local, national, and international issues that affect our military and civilian families. Two US Army Veterans, a Ranger and a Medic #TakeChargeNow and navigate Battlefield America for two hours in this high speed, low drag radio broadcast show.
Justin Baker deployed twice to Afghanistan with the 75th Rangers and Dave Ramos deployed twice to Iraq with the 520th Area Support Medical Company.
This week we heard some amazing stories and experiences shared by USMC Veteran Chris DiMaio. Doc DiMaio was in the Medical Service Corps during Vietnam and gave us some up close and personal accounts
Doc DiMaio! Wild start regarding the judicial system, quality care, and immigration...! But we buckled down and talked strong shop regarding the recent hostage situation in Yountville.
Having OP Surf in studio is always a smooth ride and good time with lots of laughs. USMC Veterans and surfing warriors Bobby Lane and Brent Edwards came back to talk about this years OP Surf season, the Netflix documentary Resurface, and the baptism that the ocean provides. These men share their personal experiences with surf and the true healing that occurs. If you haven't already, scope it out!
We started this weeks show by discussing the “Forever GI Bill”, recapping some of the benefits the bill has to offer Veterans who were discharged after January 1, 2013. We took a call from an individual in the National Guard, who was about to fly out on deployment in Kosovo, who shared some some of his experiences with the GI Bill. We touched on the fragile and questionable investment our government officials have in public education, it’s affect on young minds in our country, the correlation with an increased incidence of school shootings in the past couple decades, and in-studio guest David Nixon shared some valuable insight on the accessibility of education for disabled children. Air Force Veteran and photography student Will Kraintz joined us in the second hour to discuss his photo-documentary project entitled “We Are Still Here”, and described his goal of capturing as many portraits of Veterans as possible, across all demographics. His project will culminate with a showing at the Veterans Memorial Building at the end of the school semester. If you are a Veteran interested in participating in this project, you can contact Will at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or connect with him at www.kraintzphotography.com to learn more.
This week we had 20 year Veteran and Navy SEAL Marvin Ropp on the show with us to discuss his military experience, authorship in preparation and survival, and the health of America's food supply. He shared some of his experiences in training and time with SEAL teams, talked about the savagery he saw in Kuwait and shed some bright light on crucial aspects of survival. Marvin also brought great talk about his work with our mentor LTC Wallach and their book "Prepare: The Preppers Survival Bible".
Former Army Infantry Veteran Jesse Silva is in studio with us to start the new year and celebrate our three year mark. Jesse deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and bring us a unique and brilliant perspective on warfare, transition, life and death, and the culture of the Warfighter. With degrees in both Philosophy and Political Science right around the corner, he shares his story and truth with some damn good insights into the self and reflection. His experience of hiking the Pacific Coast Trail is primal and relatable, the emotions recalled are tangible and real for so many of us. Start your year off right!
For the first time, we had Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and the Coast Guard in studio for an amazing show. Our guests each shared their stories of military experience, transition, hardship, the VA, and ideas moving forward. This is the epitome of Strong Stories and Hard Truths. We heard about sexual assault, homelessness, missed diagnoses, and unjust treatment in our own back yard. The importance of sharing these stories is palpable and represents the exact reason why this show was started in the first place.
Strong talk following last week's broadcast, this time trying to #HuntTheGoodStuff around the VA and a few new tools recently implemented to assist veterans and their access to care. Accountability is the theme throughout and bleeds over into our discussion about the local homeless populations and some of our community's public comments. Speaking of comments... we discussed the personal and professional impacts of El Rancho High School Teacher Gregory Salcido's controversial and anti-military/veteran rant that was caught on camera. We were joined by US Army Veteran Carmelo Rodriguez (www.ADeadMan.com) of VetDocSeries to hear about his new Vlog and why veterans should get into politics. #TakeChargeNow
Superbowl? What Superbowl? We were too busy discussing the importance of veterans in the workforce, overcoming barriers to employability, and how to encourage others to #TakeChargeNow. Having West Point Graduate and Army Veteran Jake Kemnec in studio was the perfect way to enjoy this Sunday. We talked with Jake about his military experience, transition, and time working in the arena of veteran employment. His passion and dedication to our warfighters has led him from corporate monotony to helping our brethren in a very important way. Scope it out and share the encouragement.
It's not every day you get to call your Commander by their first name. This week Ramos talked with one of his most influential Commanders, COL (ret.) George Patrin. Not only does Doctor Patrin have an extensive career in the medical field, both hands-on and as administrative leadership, his continued passion gained strength through adversity when his youngest son killed himself after seeking the exact care that George has been seeking to fortify. Through this, the Serendipity Alliance (www.SerendipityAlliance.org) was born and on mission to educate, advocate, and support not only our country's veterans, but their families as well. Ultimate goal - End Suicide. We talked about the healthcare model and the differences between "Sickcare" and "Healthcare", where to hold accountability, and the importance of #TakeChargeNow Share this with those you love!
This is the last live broadcast of 2017 on KSCO and we ended with an intelligent young man who represents the future in studio with us. Cyrus Kamkar has a unique and interesting passion for our country's Warfighters and has been presented the opportunity to utilize his passion for a school project. What started as a focus on WWII veterans has morphed into a cultural immersion into the veteran life. We recapped some of the highlights of 2017 and caught some great calls. This is a great way to end 2017 and prepare for 2018. #ProudAndSteadfast