by Travis Partington | Jul 27, 2018 | Podcast
Episode 104 – The Wall that Heals
Dennis Donahue Riding
“Travis, get with Dennis Donahue, he escorted the Vietnam Wall that Heals to Weymouth.” Sometimes it goes just like that with my producer Keith Hayes aka Sinista1;) I knew the mobile Vietnam Veterans Wall was coming the Union Point, or what is locally known as South Weymouth Naval Air Station. I had already set Episode 103, so if I followed the schedule this podcast would have come out long after The Wall that Heals left Weymouth, MA. This was a problem because it could 10 or more years before this Wall came back. So Episode 103 and 104 dropped on the same day. The Wall that Heals is a mobile scaled down version of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. and Dennis was part of a motorcycle escort from Canton, MA to Union Point in South Weymouth, MA.
Dennis served over two decades in the U.S. Army. He was deployed to Iraq and when he got out of the Army he had to adjust to civilian life. He missed the brotherhood and camaraderie of being in the Army and felt alone.
Around that time, Dennis got with the VA and 22Kill Boston to help him deal with his PTSD. He got help and started feeling better, and he was around people who cared about him. One of the ways Dennis gives back now is riding with the Patriot Guard Riders. The Patriot Guard Riders is an organization that does escorts, honor guard and funeral ceremonies for Veterans. We talked about how families and people in the community appreciate seeing the Patriot Guard Riders.
We both want everyone to go to The Wall That Heals while it is here. It is open 24 hours a day right now until Sunday, July 29th. I can’t wait to ride with Dennis and it is amazing how something like a motorcycle can help someone help someone else. Thank you for your service.
The Wall That Heals
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica & Mobile Education Center
Visits Union Point (South Weymouth Naval Air Stations) – Weymouth, MA
Wednesday, July 25th – Sunday, July 29th, 2018
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
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by Travis Partington | Jul 27, 2018 | Podcast
Episode 103 – Burnouts 4 Veterans 2018
I did a podcast on this last year. Episode 54 was about the 4th Annual Burnouts 4 Veterans at the Brockton VFW Post 1046 – Oscar Mike Radio Episode 54 – Burnouts for Veternans . Well long story short, Albie, Tiny and Victor are back at it again this year for the 5th Annual Burnouts 4 Veterans, and it is going to better than ever.
What is Burnouts 4 Veterans? This is where people in all kinds of vehicles have fun burning rubber to raise money for Veterans’ causes. Last year a couple thousand people show up to watch tires literally burst into fire. All money raised goes to support local Veterans in the Brockton Area.
This year the crew setup shuttle buses for people to help out with parking. It is still $20.00 per car load. If you have van and can fill it full of people it is $20.00. Got a motorcycle, still $20.00, but better than any movie showing right now. There is bocce ball in the back of the VFW, and the DJ kept the crowd’s energy up last year. This was hopping so much that the VFW ran out of beer!!! I am told that problem has been solved, so while I am supposed to tell you to stay hydrated, all I can say is everything in moderation.
Watching cars burning rubber is fun. There wasn’t one problem in the crowd and this is definitely a family event. Just looking at the cars and talking to the drivers, is worth the price of admission. Albie, Tiny and Victor have created something that is fun but helps others. Check it out
#That_Pushup_Guy Tough
I wanted to give a real shout out to Jim Tough’s YouTube Channel. Jim does 22 Pushups five days a week to raise awareness about Veterans Suicide and PTSD. I really like the daily message before he does pushups. If you want to see what a real person is doing, then look no further and get Pushup Guy Tough.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWddeATX9sE[/embedyt]
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by Travis Partington | Jul 20, 2018 | Podcast
Episode 102 – Jody Part 5 – Military One Source
I started by talking about a Veteran who committed suicide recently because of a spouse messing around with Jody. I want to be clear. No human being on this planet worth suicide. There is a better way. This promo video that kind of summed up how I felt this week about it. (Episode 102 Promo and Rant) .
No one wins in divorce. You can double that for a military divorce. There are situations you will face in a military that the majority of civilians will never encounter. Preparation and understanding of what your need to do is key to working toward the best possible outcome for you and your family.
Notice, I said best possible outcome. Again, there are no winners in divorce, so what you are working for is to complete the process and move on with your life without making the problem worse.
During this series on Jody and Jodie, I have worked to avoid hearsay, anecdotal evidence, or sea stories as a basis for discussion. Every episode has either a real story or solution offered so you can be informed and make that five paragraph order before going into battle. I found this great website called Military One Source.
Military One Source (https://www.militaryonesource.mil is hosted and managed by the U.S. Department of Defense. Look for the section Categories and there you will find Financial and Legal. Drill down in this section to find Legal and Family Legal Issues. Then you can review the section I used for this podcast, “Managing the Divorce Process”. Content was laid out in an easy to read, and follow format. The process had sections with tools and resources needed to be effective during this time of emotional trauma in one’s life. There even a number to call to get help finding an attorney for your case.
There will days that you stare into the abyss as my friend Jim Tough says during his daily pushup videos. Please do not step off the cliff. OMR Sends
Jody and Jodie Podcast Links
I will add the episode links so you can get caught up. This is a year long series, so buckle up
Links to Jody/Jodie Past Podcasts
- Episode 81 – Jody Part 1
- Episode 85 – Jodie Part 2
- Episode 89 – Jody Part 3
- Episode 94 – Jody Part 4
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by Travis Partington | Jul 13, 2018 | Podcast
In Memory of Petty Officer Saman Gunan
Today is my birthday so it is kind of cool that Episode 101 dropped when it did. This episode is about Thai Navy Seal Petty Officer Saman Gunan. I watched the story unfold about the rescue mission for the Wild Boars Soccer club.
Petty Officer Gunan, had been out of the Thai Navy Seals for six years. He was working in airport security when the call went out for the cave rescue and he loaded up and went to Chiang Rai to join his fellow Thai Navy Seals.
I don’t know what exactly happened that led to Petty Officer Gunan that caused his death. He was there working in dangerous conditions to save the lives of these children. Also, we wasn’t even active duty.
I was struck by how these Thai Navy Seals worked through the pain of losing a fellow brother to rescue all the kids and coach of the Wild Boars Soccer Team. One the challenges of doing this episode was that there was not a lot of information about Petty Officer Gunan or the Thai Navy Seals. Even Wikipedia was limited in the information about Thailand’s Navy.
All I know is that cave diving is dangerous at best, and it requires someone of superior skill and training to do safely. These rescuers were fighting against time and weather to get all these kids out. When a problem happens in cave diving there is no way to do an emergency surface. There simply is no margin for error or an equipment malfunction.
I hope Petty Officer Gunan’s memory lives on and inspires other across the world. Rest in Peace Brother, and Semper Fidelis.
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by Travis Partington | Jul 5, 2018 | Podcast
Episode 100 – Mistress Carrie
100. 100 Episodes equals about 60 hours of content that have been produced in the last two years. I first want to thanks family, friends, co-workers and those unknown who have taken time to listen to me work on this. What is this? What is Oscar Mike Radio? Oscar Mike Radio is my way raising awareness for Veteran and Military by giving a voice to stories that would otherwise not be told. 94 episodes ago I met Kip Clark, host of the podcast Stride and Saunter (https://www.strideandsaunter.com/) and he told me I could do this.
Before the first episode was even created, Keith Hayes and Anthony Arnold got behind me to get this idea off the ground. I am happy and proud to be part of the Whoobazoo Network (https://whoobazoo.com/). This team continues to move me in the right direction, and the podcast has only gotten better.
So Episode 100 it seemed fitting to ask Mistress Carrie to come back on the show. Her first time on Oscar Mike Radio was Episode 62 – Click link here for entire show – Mistress Carrie – Episode 62 This episode was eye opener for me. I thought I was getting good at interviewing people and talking about Veterans’ Issues. Mistress Carrie was gracious and engaging and I learned a lot about content production. She is a total pro with decades of experience and I had a blast talking with her.
I worked to get better. We met up again for Episode 84 – Mistress Carrie Part 1 and she talked about working to be embedded with an unnamed Special Forces Unit. To hear how she had to prepare and what happened around that was a great story. This kind of story doesn’t happen that often, and it was cool getting the behind the scenes info.
Having Mistress Carrie back on for 100 seemed fitting. Yes she is a public figure and celebrity, but no one can argue that she walks that the talk when it comes to Veterans. I enjoyed talking with her about Richard Fitts Jr.’s documentary, 21 Years a Folded Flag. Both us of have interviewed and talked with Richard Fitts Jr. and are looking forward to seeing the finished film.
If you look at the picture below, the story behind this image made the entire experience for episode 100 worth it. I am not going to spoil it here. I will end by saying that I hope to see what is going in with 22 Kill Boston at Jump Town, and I am looking forward to seeing what Mistress Carrie is going to do next. Thanks for celebrating 100 with me Mistress, Semper Fidelis.
American AF – Great Story behind this picture
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