What a Hell of a Way to Dad

Why did the Marines make a video that basically says you should join in order to be less online? Why did the Army arrest a chaplain in Kuwait for wearing headphones? Why do we think it's unlikely that anyone will ever fully withdraw troops from Iraq and Afghanistan? This week, we dive into all of these, and more. Here is the article about the Kuwait arrest: https://www.armytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2020/11/17/army-national-guard-chaplain-deployed-to-kuwait-detained-by-mps-for-wearing-headphones/?fbclid=IwAR0bF14CqriZpJ0qQD-271NPWderXAe1erHyTXk4FZvyhl41uCY2R_TqtRs For this week's bonus, Francis brought Joe and Shocks back on to discuss Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Despite being a sci-fi author, Joe had never watched it -- so now we get to talk all about it, to include the weird tropes that the Ferengi represent, Chief O'Brien's constant use of creative slurs for the Romulans, and much more. Get it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/43938028 *SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here: https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

Well, it seems Biden won and we're settling back into the usual run of being outraged at the Dems being bad (while never forgetting that the Republicans are basically comic book villains). However, since we recorded this episode on the most troop-respecting of days, we decided to discuss Veterans Day and its British counterpart, Armistice Day. We brought on friend of the show Milo Edwards (@milo_edwards) of the Trashfuture podcast to discuss it. This week's bonus features Francis, Shocks, and Joe Kassabian discussing the 2019 documentary TREAD, a long-form exploration of the Killdozer saga. What made a guy go crazy in Colorado and build an armored bulldozer that he used to destroy his home city? Find out by listening here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/43728821 *SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here: https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

No one knows what happened! We recorded this the morning after the election and we give our thoughts on what's next given the tentative results of the election. This will either be a preview of things to come or a snapshot of a more innocent era. Hope you enjoy! The video from the Intercept that we mentioned about Black organizers in Philadelphia is here: https://theintercept.com/2020/10/29/philadelphia-black-voters/ For this week's bonus, Francis speaks with Peter Lucier -- fellow St. Louisian, Marine veteran, and law student -- about his recent piece on the topic of angry veterans and veteran writing. What happens next as the world moves on? Do we all start podcasts? Where do we form our communities? Get it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/43476032 Peter's recent article that gets discussed in this episode is available here. *SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here: https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

It's hard riding a tiger. It's even harder if you're McHooyah the 'I Shot Bin Laden' guy and the Trump/QAnon people decide that actually Bin Laden is still alive because of a conspiracy theory. However, this does in fact dovetail into Francis' theory that--due to the preponderance of cop-worship in the Trump era--troops are playing second fiddle to cops in the eyes of bonkers Americans. We do a little bit of DadChat/BritainChat at the beginning, but the regular episode starts at 8:26. For this week's bonus got Carey Shockey on with Joe Kassabian to discuss the 2000 George Clooney film 'The Perfect Storm'. We don't talk enough about boats, or the coast guard, or New England, so we needed an expert in all three. There are some serious spoilers in this episode so please be advised. Get it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/43141041 *SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here: https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

Well, a lot of things are going away: the NYT's 'At War' section, the Bombshell podcast from War on the Rocks, and the previous editorial direction of Task and Purpose (where Nate and Francis both got their starts, in different ways). Is America simply tired of respecting the troops? Well, apparently Troy Aikman and Joe Buck are. To which we can only say: this is a good thing. For this week's bonus, Francis speaks with Marine veteran Di'Rico Baker (@rico_rants) on the topic of the poverty draft, why people can't escape the shadow of the Military Industrial Complex, why the military can sometimes seem like the only option for social advancement, and much more. Get it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/42798803 Check out Di'Rico's YouTube page here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXvG1LpSPYGp8GP-MnJi7aQ *SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here: https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

Francis wrote a radio play about the Kandahar Giant. It's deeply stupid, but that's what you signed up for. We brought on Joe Kassabian and Carey Shockey to read some of the parts, but before we get to the play, we just do a lot of war stories TroopChat. So, we hope you enjoy. If you want the whole thing, get it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/42455226

Maybe you've encountered GruntStyle. Maybe you've been vicariously embarrassed by it. This week we do a deep dive (courtesy of a great article from the San Antonio Express News) about GruntStyle's founder being an idiot. There is a big reveal that you will enjoy a lot! (source: https://www.expressnews.com/sa-inc/article/A-Reckoning-Grunt-Style-An-inside-look-at-San-15629615.php) This week's bonus massively expands the DadChat format to include Joe Kassabian and Carey Shockey, plus we do a fake radio play about the Kandahar Giant. You will love it. Get it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/42455226 *SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here: https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

What does the future hold? What can we say about this final month of the US Presidential election? Why does it feel weirdly appropriate that Trump got covid after basically pretending it isn't real and getting people to cough in his mouth to prove it? Well, we're assessing it. We're talking about him having the virus. We can't get enough of it. We do some Britain Chat at the beginning—the episode starts in earnest at 10:30. For this week's bonus, The TroopsChat circle has expanded again and features Francis, Joe, and Shocks on the topic of the 2008 film WAR, INC. Why was Bush-era political commentary so flat-footed? And why does it seem hopelessly optimistic compared to now? Find out in this special movie review episode at the $3 tier here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/42380745 *SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here: https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

The internet is a wonderful thing. It lets us podcast, lets us make friends, and lets us share the 100 percent true and verified story about how, in 2002, the US Army did battle with a biblical giant. Who was the Giant of Kandahar? Why do people seem to think this is real? Should we rebrand as a military crypto-zoology podcast? All this and more, in this week's episode. The absurd article we quote from is here: https://www.thexplan.net/article/378/The-Giant-of-Kandahar-And-The-Lost-Race-Of-The-Nephilim/it We do some garden chat at the beginning—the episode starts in earnest at 8:43. This week's bonus is another DadChat. It's available at the $1 tier and covers topics like: Nate's brother speaking German like a German redneck, residents of small states being like yappy dogs in Francis' opinion, the huge gulf of cultural differences between northern and southern Missouri, and much more. Get it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/dadchat-reloaded-42105076 *SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here: https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang

This week, Nate and Francis are joined by sci-fi author and technologist Cory Doctorow (@doctorow) to discuss his new book ATTACK SURFACE. Are you getting spied on by your smart washing machine? Is your out-of-date WiFi printer going to hack the Gibson? Learn more about it on this episode. You can pre-order ATTACK SURFACE from your local bookstore here: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250757531 This week's bonus features a solemn topic: Steve Bannon got arrested by the law enforcement arm of the US Postal Service. How is that even possible? To discuss the ill-understood aspect of the law, we brought on labor lawyer and Coast Guard vet Carey Shockey (@shocks) to discuss. He also talks a lot about Boston sports, Curt Schilling's video game company that bankrupted Rhode Island, and much more. Get it on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/41852582 *SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* We now have a storefront to sell the patches, buttons, and magnets that we also give out as flair for our $10 tier. Buy some sweet gear here: https://www.hellofawaytodie.com/shop We have a YouTube channel now -- subscribe here and get sweet videos from us in which we yell in our cars like true veterans: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlHZpNTz-h6aTeQiJrEDKw You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedeserts Follow Francis here: @ArmyStrang