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Book review: The Boys in the Boat

March 27, 2017 By Thad Forester

the boys in the boat book Just finished this book and have already recommend it to several people. That’s how you know it’s a good book, right? I found myself rooting for the boys many times as they raced. What they accomplished really is remarkable.

The book focused on one particular boy, Joe Rantz. The poor guy was abandoned several times. How could a father do what he did and allow that to happen? It’s hard to imagine. Joe overcame great odds to come out a winner. As a father myself, I felt so bad for him as his step-mom made him live elsewhere, more than once. He was always left questioning what he ever did to be so unwanted. A 10 year-old shouldn’t have to feel that way.

In the end, it’s a story of overcoming all odds and winning gold in the 1936 olympics, right in front of Hitler. The Fuhrer tried to give his German team any advantage he could, even if it meant cheating; but the good guys came out on top.

It’s an uplifting book for just about all ages, especially pre-teen to adult. Inspiring, captivating, and yes, even a little emotional. Read more about the book and the author Daniel James Brown here:

http://www.danieljamesbrown.com/

Episode 024 – Wayne Norrad, Godfather of Combat Control

March 20, 2017 By Thad Forester

CMsgt Wayne Norrad Today we have the privilege to hear from one of the legends in the Combat Control field, Mr. Wayne Norrad. Many listeners probably never heard of Combat Control (CCT) before Patriot to the Core. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but you’ll learn from Wayne that they are an integral part in most, if not all, of the major conflicts with which the US is involved.

First There

We talk about his participation in the Tegucigalpa Honduras hijackings in the early ’80’s, deploying to Panama with Delta Force, and the Air Force’s role in counterterrorism. In addition: Operation Just Cause in Panama, being the first CCT with the advance party in Operation Desert Shield, and opening King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia. His team was in Cambodia in 1975 with no weapons or uniforms, therefore no way to defend themselves. Norrad also shares the creation of Detachment 1 at Pope Air Force Base after the failed Iranian Rescue Mission.

Among the changes made since Norrad joined CCT: PT test is much harder, and Combat Dive and Freefall schools are now required. And a little trivia: they used to wear navy blue berets. Now they’re red.

He has been instrumental in developing HAHO (high altitude, high opening) parachute tactics and integrating air/ground assets to safely and successfully employ joint special operations forces onto the battlefield.

Wayne Norrad also controlled the first fixed wing aircraft to land at Kuwait City International Airport. And through some simple thinking, figured out how to keep his and his teammates fingers from going numb while parachuting. This involved using their feet to steer.

Thanks to his efforts, today’s CCT’s can go in by any means to do their jobs (air, land, water). They are a premier elite fighting force.

We definitely will have Wayne back to further discuss his experience in CCT, Combat Control Association and the Air Force Demo Team.

For more information, read this article written by Wayne Norrad, CMSgt, USAF (Ret) (beginning on page 19):

Special Tactics in Desert Storm

Music courtesy of Soundroad – Believe.
Copyright 2017 Thad Forester
www.patriottothecore.com
email questions to thad@patriottothecore.com

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Episode 023 – Frank Jones, B-17 Bombardier, POW

March 6, 2017 By Thad Forester

frank w. jones -WWII Frank Jones married his high school sweetheart two weeks before WWII broke out. He felt he should do his part to serve our country, so he joined the Air Force.

After washing out of pilot school for making six spins instead of two with his instructor, he became a bombardier.

One year after being married, and about three months after his first child was born, he was flying to England for his first deployment.

On his 23^rd mission, with Hamburg, Germany as the target, Frank’s plane was shot down. The crew got out first, then just as he exited the plane, it exploded. However, he parachuted to his safety; temporarily.

He was alone on the ground, until he saw several locals. Even though he hid behind a bush, some kids saw him and reported to the adults. 20-year-old Frank Jones was then taken prisoner on December 31, 1942.

The explosion made him deaf which ended up causing him to be thrown in solitary confinement. Once removed, the bang from a slammed door miraculously brought his hearing back.

Life as a prisoner

Frank tells of their walk to another POW camp in Munich in the middle of winter. What it was like to sleep in a pig pen, be a prisoner for four months, and then the sweet reunion with his wife and son in spring of 1943. Plus, he learned boll weevils look like beans in soup, but he ate them anyway – hunger does that to you.

This 94-year-old stays active and is a joy to speak with. Jones is one of the few left living from the Greatest Generation.

Music courtesy of Soundroad – Believe.
Copyright 2017 Thad Forester
www.patriottothecore.com
email questions to thad@patriottothecore.com

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Episode 022 – Dan Sheehan, Marine, Cobra Pilot, author of After Action

February 20, 2017 By Thad Forester

Dan Sheehan author Dan Sheehan was fully prepared for combat. He’d been an officer in the Marines for six years. His father was a Navy pilot; his brother was a Marine. This is what he was meant to do. When it came to killing the enemy; no problem. If they pose a threat, kill them. If they try to kill him or his team, kill them. It was that simple…. or so he thought.

He learned it wasn’t that cut and dry during his first deployment to Iraq in 2003. When teammates eliminated terrorists, he had no problem with it–it was necessary. But for some reason when Dan killed, it impacted him like he never imagined. His attitude became worse and his emails home turned more negative.

He not only struggled with actually killing, but how could he be 100% certain those he was firing at were legit enemy combatants? There was no way to be completely certain. He also learned the results of inaction could cause death to him and his teammates.

Welcome Home

Dan returned home in 2002 to a welcoming nation. Strangers bought him drinks and shook his hand. But when things quieted down, he was a wreck. He couldn’t sit still. Even surfing wasn’t the therapy he thought it’d be. How was he supposed to immediately adapt from an active battlefield to home life? He turned to alcohol, which allowed him to calm down some.

Fortunately, he had an understanding and patient wife, plus he began spearfishing. His wife helped him in a way that no one else could. The spearfishing provided a rush and “high” that he needed to feel normal.

His journey has been long, but he told me he’s in a really good place now. He’s a stay-at-home dad who vowed to not screw up his kids. Writing provided therapeutic healing in a way nothing else did. Now, his books help veterans and those close to them understand they aren’t alone.

To learn more about Dan, his books, and to see pics and videos from his deployments, check out his web site below:

www.dansheehanauthor.com

You can purchase his awarding winning books here:

After Action

Continuing Actions

Music courtesy of Soundroad – Believe.
Copyright 2017 Thad Forester
www.patriottothecore.com
email questions to thad@patriottothecore.com

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Episode 021 – Stan Staheli, Patton’s Third Army, WWII POW

February 6, 2017 By Thad Forester

Stan Staheli High school diploma — Photo courtesy of The Commercial Appeal

J. Stanford (Stan) Staheli was only 18 years old when drafted. One year later he was a member of Patton’s Third Army, 4^th Armored Division, liberating France from the Nazi’s. It was here that he was captured in 1944 during a German counter-attack near Rimsdorf, France. The Germans immediately said “The war’s over for you.” Stan thought surely, they were going to be killed; but that wasn’t the case.

He and the other prisoners walked three days to the camp in Frankfurt. They then traveled by rail in a standing-room only conditions to East Germany. Then eventually to another location where they were held for five months. Even though he said he was treated humanely, he was stripped of his clothes each night and only had a small throw blanket for cover, during the coldest recorded winter in German history at the time.

Stan said life in the prison camp wasn’t that bad. The guards told them “if you don’t work, you don’t eat.” Having grown up in the depression, this wasn’t a new concept to him. He learned to love to work long before the Army. They built bomb shelters and repaired railroads for the German Army. However, many of the guards were disabled from the front lines and would show the prisoners pictures of their captors’ families when their superiors weren’t around.

Staheli said his mom never lost faith that her son was alive. Even though he was officially “missing in action”, many presumed he was dead. After being released, he was finally able to write his family and then surprised them on a Sunday morning in Cedar City, UT.

Today, Staheli is 91 years old and has a noble posterity – 10 children (2 have passed), 53 grandchildren, and 60+ great-grandchildren. Quoting Will Rogers, he said “I never met a man I didn’t like.”

This hero, with only an 8^th grade education, was presented an honorary diploma from Enterprise High School in May 2016.

Music courtesy of Soundroad – Believe.
Copyright 2017 Thad Forester
www.patriottothecore.com
email questions to thad@patriottothecore.com

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