Veterans Radio

Our guest today is Rick Briggs, Veterans Program DirectorJoin host Dale Throneberry and his guest, Rick Briggs, Veterans Program Director for the Brain Injury Association of Michigan, to learn about some of the challenges faced by individuals who have experienced Traumatic Brain Injuries and what is being done to help our returning veterans recover. We will also be talking with some survivors of TBI and hear their stories about how they are coping with this devastating and mostly “Invisible Wound”.

Bob Feller / Baseball Hall of Famer & WWII Navy VeteranJoin host Gary Lillie and guest Bob Feller, the only retired Navy Chief who is a member of a major sports Hall of Fame. Nicknamed “The Heater from Van Meter,” Bob Feller’s 1936 debut in the major leagues was explosive, when, as a 17-year old rookie he struck out eight St. Louis Cardinals in three innings. He struck out 15 St Louis Brown batters later that year and then 17 Philadelphia Athletics. Before he left his teens his 100-MPH fastball sent 18 Detroit Tigers back to the dugout.Feller lost 3 1/2 years in the prime of his career when, after the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he was the first major leaguer to enlist in the military. Still, by the time he retired in 1956 he had played 18 years, won 266 games, hurled 3 no-hitters, struck out 2,581 batters and earned a place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Joseph Galloway (born November 13, 1941), is an American newspaper correspondent and columnist. Galloway is a native of Refugio, Texas.He is the former Military Affairs consultant for the Knight-Ridder chain of newspapers and was a columnist with McClatchy Newspapers. During the Vietnam War, Galloway worked as a reporter for UPI, beginning in early 1965. Thirty-five years later, he was decorated with the Bronze Star for helping to rescue wounded American soldiers under fire during the battle at Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley.Joe Galloway retired as a weekly columnist for McClatchy Newspapers in January 2010, writing, “I have loved being a reporter; loved it when we got it right; understood it when we got it wrong…In the end, it all comes down to the people, both those you cover and those you work for, with or alongside during 50 years.Along with Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore, Galloway co-authored a detailed account of those experiences in the best-selling 1992 book, “We Were Soldiers Once… And Young.” A sequel was released in 2008: “We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam.”

War is hell…that’s why we have the “DOC”.The grunts will tell you the “Docs” were the bravest men they ever knew, and this Saturday you will learn why. Join host Gary Lillie as he interviews Army Medic Ray Essenmacher and Navy Corpsman Rick Whitson; both of them combat ‘docs’ of the Vietnam War. Their stories will be graphic; and may wring out raw emotion. One thing is for sure; once you hear the stories they tell, you will thank every military person and veteran you meet for your freedom.Learn more about Army Medic Ray Essenmacher.

Why did warriors leave “home” to serve in the Vietnam War, but “came back” when their tour was over? Why didn’t they go “home?” Perhaps the main reason was the treatment they received from citizens who reviled our warriors, while praising those of other countries. What brought about that attitude? Did the protestors and our country hear the truth about our warriors? Join Gary Lillie as he hosts lively interviews on a very controversial subject. Did John Kerry receive funding from Jane Fonda to gather lies about our troops in Vietnam? The notarized statements he presented were entered into the Congressional Record. If they are lies, does that constitute perjury to congress? And just what is Jimmy Carter up to these days? Is he connected with Winter Soldier II? Why is his picture posted on one of their web sites?

These Scars Are Sacred, Part II. These Scars are Sacred was written to heal, and inform to give the American public some idea of what it was like to come home to a place where one was not wanted nor welcome. This story will take you from an extreme place of combat and fear, so realistic you will feel yourself there, to an ending that never finishes.Elliott Storm is a 100% combat-disabled veteran and a decorated Vietnam combat veteran who served with the 1st Marine Division. Since we last talked with Elliott, These Scars Are Sacred has been picked up by Borders and is being marketed around the World. Storm has lectured at Yale University, the Navy War College, and just about every Veterans organization in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Colonel Bud Day / American PatriotColonel Bud Day holds every combat medal available to military personnel, including the Medal of Honor. Shot down over North Vietnam, Col Day spent five and a half years as a POW of the North Vietnamese. During his incarceration, he was tortured daily for nearly the entire time. He carries the scars of that torture to this day.Learn more about the book detailing his military service, American Patriot.

Marine Lieutenant Colonel Jeffery Chessani has been charged with “Dereliction of Duty” and “Orders” violations in connection with the much politicized and often misreported tragic events surrounding a fierce battle between U. S. Marines and Iraqi terrorists on 19 November, 2005 in the town of Haditha, Al Anbar, Iraq—a place described as an “insurgent citadel.” The gist of the charges against Chessani is that he failed to properly investigate and brief higher commanders on the November 19 incident. The evidence, according to some, indicates otherwise. Our guest is Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.Learn more about President Richard Thompson.

According to the POW Network, “In a resurgence of patriotism following September 11, 2001, coupled with a heightened awareness and appreciation for our military, the wannabee heroes began to proliferate like never before.” Join Veterans Radio as we talk with the authors of the Stolen Valor Act of 2005 and learn about some of the most outrageous impostors. You won’t believe these stories!

Join Veterans Radio and author John Wukovits and Dan Holt, of the Eisenhower Museum, as we talk about one of the 20th century’s great heroes, Dwight D. Eisenhower, American general and 34th president of the United States.

Hosts Gary Lillie and Bob Gould welcome Vietnam Veterans of America’s PTSD National Committee chairman, Dr. Tom Berger and Marsha Four, who served as a nurse in Vietnam. They define and discuss PTSD, how it relates to substance abuse and what can be done about it. If you know a member of the military, a veteran or member of their families, let them know about this program. Most active duty military personnel and veterans try to “tough it out,” or even deny their stress trauma. This is a safe, first step to recognizing and hopefully discussing what they have experienced.

We’re Back!To paraphrase General Douglas MacArthur “We have returned.” Veterans Radio returns to the airwaves. Our new home is Ave Maria Radio in Ann Arbor, Michigan (WDEO 990AM); Saginaw, Michigan (WMAX 1440AM); Naples, Florida, (WDEO 98.5FM); and on your computer at www.veteransradio.org/