AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast

Brigadier General (Ret.) Anne Macdonald is an Army trailblazer in all senses of the word: part of the first gender-integrated class at West Point Academy, the first active-duty combat arms (aviator) female to be promoted to General Officer, and the current President of the Army Women’s Foundation. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie. C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with BG Macdonald to talk about the glass ceilings she’s busted, her powerful experience visiting an Afghan women’s prison and what she misses most about the U.S. while living in Abu Dhabi.   Guest: BG (Ret.) Anne F. Macdonald, President, Army Women's Foundation   If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at [email protected] Disclaimer: AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

When people think about the stressful and difficult parts of Army service, home life isn’t always given a great deal of thought. And yet, finding a balance between your unit and family is perhaps the most important part of a Soldier’s life. Host LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and his very special guest co-host—his wife, Vanedra Smith—talk with California Army National Guard LTC Chris Elson and his wife, Gina Viscusi-Elson, on how to make an Army marriage strong, provide tips on ways to survive the difficult moments, and challenge each other with a round or two of “The Not-so-Newlywed Game.” Guests:  LTC Christopher Elson, Director of Discovery Challenge Academy and Public Affairs Officer, 40th Infantry Division, California National Guard Gina Viscusi-Elson, Owner, Viscusi Elson Interior Design and Spouse, California National Guardsman If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at [email protected] Disclaimer: AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

In 2012, former USMC Sergeant Paul Szoldra started a website satirizing the military. Over the last eleven years that site – The Duffel Blog – has entertained hundreds of thousands of people both within and outside the military. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with Szoldra to talk about the effectiveness of satire, some of their favorite Duffel Blog articles, and a certain SMA ranking story from years ago…   Guest:  Former Sgt. Paul Szoldra (USMC), Duffel Blog, Founder and Editor in Chief   If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.   Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at [email protected]   Disclaimer: AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

After thirty years of heroic service, Colonel (Ret.) Kenny Mintz decided to undertake an epic adventure in 2022 – a walk across the United States, going from Washington, D.C. to southern California. The path allowed him to retrace the route he and his single mother drove when he was a child moving across the country. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie. C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with COL Mintz to talk about how football led to his career in the Army, what drew him closer to his mother, and how it’s in our DNA as humans to walk and move.   Guest:  COL (Ret.) Kenny Mintz, Independent Entrepreneur, Kenny Walks, LLC   If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.   Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at [email protected]   Disclaimer: AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

For the past forty years, Daryl Davis has befriended members of the Ku Klux Klan and convinced (directly and indirectly) over 200 to quit the organization. How has he accomplished this? And how can everyone apply this technique to their own life? Hosts LTG (Ret.) Les Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with Mr. Davis - along with Chaplain (MG) Thomas Solhjem - to chat about the power of conversation, the beauty of music, and how the Army uses Mr. Davis' experience to help soldiers take care of their health, fitness and well-being.   Guests: CH (MG) Thomas L. Solhjem, Chief of Chaplains, United States Army Daryl Davis, Race Relations Expert and Musician, Actor and Author, Lyrad Productions   Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at [email protected]   If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.   Music Credits: Going Back To The Country, Karen Lee, and One Foot In The Graveyard; Written and performed by Daryl Davis; Courtesy of Lyrad Music and BMI Publishing.   Disclaimer: AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

MSG Tim Kennedy was living a life without purpose until he joined the U.S. Army and then became an MMA fighter. Those two organizations allowed him to channel his aggression and led to a career as a top-ranked fighter, Army Special Forces sniper, television host, human trafficker hunter and entrepreneur. Series co-hosts LTG (Ret.) Les Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with  MSG Tim Kennedy to talk about how failure continues to drive him, how to take punches, and how a Captain’s dry humor changed his life.   Guest: MSG Tim Kennedy, co-author of Scars and Stripes: An Unapologetically American Story of Fighting the Taliban, UFC Warriors, and Myself   Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at [email protected]    Disclaimer: AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

From the battlefields to the barracks to the boardrooms, Army Matters will find the best individuals and stories to entertain and inspire you. Produced by the Association of the United States Army. Subscribe and follow now.   Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at [email protected]    Disclaimer: AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

Johnny Morris, founder and CEO of the ever-present Bass Pro Shops, one of the world’s largest outdoor retail chains, makes his very first podcast appearance in today’s episode. New series co-hosts LTG (Ret.) Les Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with Johnny to chat about how his father’s involvement in WW2’s Battle of the Bulge inspired him to make veterans and the military a priority for the business (and in life), how a love of fishing (and a mail catalog) led to the company’s success, and how one patriotic song (and its singer) has also inspired Johnny to give back to the country.   Guest: Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops founder and CEO   Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at [email protected]    Disclaimer: AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

Military spouse. Mother. Behavioral therapist. And AUSA Volunteer Family of the Year. Amanda Tomasura has spent the last fourteen years aiding her communities; she sits down with host Holly Dailey to discuss the importance of giving back to the community, how putting teens through boot camp can be an incredibly positive experience, and perhaps her most terrifying moment – jumping out of a plane.   Guest: Amanda Tomasura, 2022 AUSA Volunteer Family of the Year Recipient   Host: Holly Dailey   Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at [email protected] 

Lt. Colonel Jacob Helgestad was fast asleep in Kuwait when someone knocked at his door in mid-August, 2021. “Hey, Sir, we gotta go to Afghanistan.” Within 24 hours Helgestad’s 625 troops were landing at Hamid Karzai International Airport and in the thick of a mass evacuation. Host Colonel (Ret.) Scott Halstead speaks with Helgestad about how he had his team prepared for that very moment, the role the unit played in evacuating 124,000 people, and how science fiction military novels are a great escape (and also a tutorial). Note: At the time, Lt. Col. Helgestad was Battalion Commander for the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 194th Armor Regiment, but has since changed roles. Guest: LTC Jacob Helgestad, Executive Officer, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota Army National Guard Host: COL (Ret.) Scott Halstead Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at [email protected]