The Unconventional Soldier

CONTENTOur guest today is today is Nick Dunn.  One of six former British servicemen who spent 4 years imprisoned in India for a crime they didn’t commit. Each day they lived in appalling conditions with poor food and the ever present threat of violence.  They were providing security against Somali pirates for a merchant ship off the Indian coast in October 2013 when they were falsely accused of being illegally armed in Indian waters.  In this podcast we discuss his service with the Parachute Regiment and his arrest, trial, imprisonment in Chennai jail and the battle to secure his release for a crime he didn't commit.Nick is also a published author and his book “Surviving Hell” recounts his experience imprisoned in Chennai.  You can follow him on Twitter @NickDunn1986.DESERT ISLAND DITSOn Desert Island Dits our guest's choice of book was anything by Lee Child an author whose books he read while in prison.  The teams' book choices this week was Ron Kovic's Born on The Fourth of July .SOCIAL MEDIACheck out our blog site on word press Unconventional SoldierFollow us on social media and don't forget to like, share and leave a review.Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download on these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CONTENTOur guest today is Brian Short a former member of the Royal Marines and author of “The Band That Went To War: The Royal Marines Band In The Falklands War”.  On this episode we are going to be discussing his career in the band, their part in the Falklands campaign, the Provisional IRA bombing of Deal barracks and his book which is available on Amazon and in a number of book stores.  Follow him on Twitter @FalklandsMusic1.DESERT ISLAND DITSOn Desert Island Dits the teams choice of books were Company K by William March and Saving Justice: Truth, Transparency, and Trust by James Comey  our guest's choice of book was Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.SOCIAL MEDIACheck out our blog site on word press Unconventional SoldierFollow us on social media and don't forget to like, share and leave a review.Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download on these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CONTENTOur guest today is John Holden a former British Army Officer who attended the Indian Army Staff College course over the period May 2002 to May 2003.  The course is designed to prepare officers by giving them the skills they need to address future security and defence challenges at home and abroad.  We cover why John wanted to study in India, course content, mountain warfare, legacy of Empire, cultural differences and the Indian Army in WW2.DESERT ISLAND DITSOn Desert Island Dits our guest's choice of book was The Operators: Inside 14 Intelligence Company - The Army's Top Secret Elite.  The teams' book choices this week were Robert J McMahon's The Cold War: A Very Short Introduction and James Holland's Burma '44: The Battle That Turned Britain's War in the East.SOCIAL MEDIACheck out our blog site on word press Unconventional SoldierFollow us on social media and don't forget to like, share and leave a review.Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download on these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CONTENTOur guest today is retired Command Sergeant Major Tom Satterly, a former Special Operations soldier, who served 25 years in the US Army the last 20 of those in Delta Force referred to as “the unit” by those who pass its arduous selection course.  As an Operator and CSM, Tom fought and led countless military missions across the world. Tom is also a published author and his book “All Secure”, which we discuss in the pod, is a blunt and honest look at life as a unit operator and the toll it took on him both professionally and personally.  On this podcast we cover the creation of the unit and how soldiers are selected, Operation GOTHIC SERPENT in Mogadishu in October 1993, operations in Afghanistan/Iraq and dealing with PTS.   Tom and his wife Jen established "All Secure Foundation" in August 2017 initially as a resource for helping special operations soldiers and their relatives deal with PTS. They have gone on to assist hundreds of service people and their families through education, awareness, and programs for healing.  Tom and Jen also host the "All Secure" podcast.DESERT ISLAND DITSOn Desert Island Dits our guest's choice of film was Castaway and his book choice was The Dake Annotated Reference Bible  The teams book choice this week is Tom's book All Secure: One Delta Force Operator's Fight From the Battlefield to the Homefront.SOCIAL MEDIACheck out our blog site on word press Unconventional SoldierFollow us on social media and don't forget to like, share and leave a review.Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download on these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CONTENTOur guest today is the Cognitive Marine a serving USMC officer.  On this episode we are going to be discussing the future structure of the USMC, why we fail to learn from past conflicts, leadership responsibilities, advice for young marines, service self harm and suicide, war in Ukraine and use of social media to educate your command.  All opinions expressed on the podcast are those of our guest and not the USMC.  Follow him on Instagram at The Cognitive Marine.   DESERT ISLAND DITSOn Desert Island Dits our guest's choice of film was Shawshank Redemption and his book choice was Gates Of Fire by Steven Pressfield.  The teams book choices this week are Letters From America by Alistair Cooke and A Private Spy: The Letters of John Le Carré by Tim Cornwell.SOCIAL MEDIACheck out our blog site on word press Unconventional SoldierFollow us on social media and don't forget to like, share and leave a review.Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download on these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company.    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CONTENTOur guest today is James Lee who served 24 years in the Royal Logistics Corps and is the author of “Licking The Taliban’s Flip Flop” about his 6 month tour of Afghanistan at Kandahar airfield where he worked as a movements controller.  He left the Army in 2013 and now runs his own flying business.  On this podcast we will be discussing his military career, what inspired him to write a book, where that title came from and how he ended up from dealing with passengers at air heads to teaching people how to fly.     DESERT ISLAND DITSOn Desert Island Dits our guest's choice of film is Gone With The Wind and his book choice was "anything" by Spike Milligan.  The teams book choices this week are Picking Up The Brass by Eddy Nugent and Taking On Gravity  by Richard Browning.SOCIAL MEDIACheck out our blog site on word press Unconventional SoldierFollow us on social media and don't forget to like, share and leave a review.Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download on these and other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CONTENTOur guest today is a former Sapper who joined as a boy soldier and finished his service as a Late Entry officer.  The Royal Engineers help the Army to live, move and fight by increasing survivability, mobility and counter-mobility.  On this pod we will discuss each of these topics but the main focus will be on REST and EOD as this is where he spent the majority of his career.    DESERT ISLAND DITSOn Desert Island Dits our guest's choice of film is Ice Cold Alex and his book choice is Arrows Of Fortune  by Tony Deane - Drummond.  The teams book choice this week is The SS: A Warning From History by Guido Knopp.SOCIAL MEDIACheck out or blog site on word press Unconventional SoldierFollow us on social media and don't forget to like, share and leave a review.Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download on other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CONTENTOur guest today is  Liz McConaghy who spent 17 years flying as a crewman with the RAF Chinook fleet.  She was the youngest aircrew member to deploy to Iraq and the only female on the Chinook wing for 4 years.  Liz completed 2 tours of Iraq and 10 deployments to Afghanistan. On this podcast we discuss flying on operations in both those theatres and what it was like to be on the Medical Emergency Response Teams (MERT) that recovered wounded soldiers from the battle space back to Camp Bastion. Liz talks about the problems she encountered post tour including PTS and being medically discharged from the RAF.  Finally we discuss her book "Chinook Crew "Chick"", why she wrote it and how it helped her recovery.  You can follow Liz on her social media accounts on Instagram chinookcrewchick and on Twitter @chinnychick.  Her book can be bought via her publisher Pen and Sword books or on Amazon.DESERT ISLAND DITSOn Desert Island Dits Liz's choice of film is Forest Gump and her book choice a dictionary.  The teams book choices this week are Chickenhawk by Robert Mason and Blackhawk Down by Mark Bowden.SOCIAL MEDIACheck out or blog site on word press Unconventional SoldierFollow us on social media and don't forget to like, share and leave a review.Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download on other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company.        Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CONTENTOur guest today is Zach Allred a former US Army Ranger who served with the 75th Ranger Regiment.  This Regiment is a lethal, agile and flexible force, capable of conducting many complex, joint special operations missions. They are the US Army's premier direct-action raid capability. Each of the Ranger battalions is always combat ready, mentally and physically tough, and prepared to fight globally.  Their capabilities include conducting airborne and air assault operations, seizing key terrain such as airfields, destroying strategic facilities, capturing or killing enemy combatants and reconnaissance. On this episode we will cover the unit’s history from the revolutionary war to the present day.  We also cover its current role, selection process  and discuss some of its operational deployments.  Finally we discuss Zach's transition to the civilian world and his company Rockwell Designs. Check out Zach's YouTube channel here.DESERT ISLAND DITSOn Desert Island Dits Zach's choice of film is Heat and his book is Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy.  The teams book choices this week are Roberts Ridge: A Story of Courage and Sacrifice on Takur Ghar Mountain, Afghanistan by Malcolm MacPherson and Letters Home by Fergal Keane.SOCIAL MEDIACheck out or blog site on word press Unconventional SoldierFollow us on social media and don't forget to like, share and leave a review.Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download on other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company.        Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CONTENTOur guest today is Jim a former Royal Navy Clearance diver.  On this episode we will cover the unit’s history from inception in WW2, its current role, selection process, diving technology and operational deployments. DESERT ISLAND DITSOn Desert Island Dits Jim's choice of film is Grosse Pointe Blank and his book is Death of a Hero: Captain Robert Nairac, GC and the Undercover War in Northern Ireland by John Parker.  The teams book choice this week is The Last Dive: A Father and Son's Fatal Descent into the Ocean's Depths by Bernie Chowdhury and film choice The Silent EnemySOCIAL MEDIACheck out or blog site on word press Unconventional SoldierFollow us on social media and don't forget to like, share and leave a review.Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download on other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.com. This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company.          Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.