S5E180 “War Junkie” Kirk Spradley

Send us Fan MailThe answer is always no unless you ask. Years ago, I asked if I could get in the backseat of an F-4 Phantom fighter jet with a guy who turned out to be a secret military astronaut named Col Richard "Dick" Lawyer. He was part of the MOL program which was Top Secret and only declassified in the 90's before he died.  this is how Mike Aldrich and myself got to hit 53K feet up in the atmosphere, doing Mach 1.3, so for all the flat earth people, I can say that I have seen the curvature of the earth and it's real. just fast forward through the intro music...you'll get to the good stuff. EnjoySemper Fi Taco

Send us Fan MailA good friend Dom recommended this book to me and told me it is a must read. I bought a copy off Amazon and no kidding; this is a page turner! Kirk has had a Hollywood movie type life in and out of the Military as a Recon Marine and as a Private Military Contractor which led to a three letter “ABC” agency job. Just when you couldn’t get more interesting, he changes careers and becoming an Army Dust-off pilot in combat and finally to the Apache where he is an instructor now. I know his stories have more depth to them and after reading the book you will walk away wishing there was more… I promise you all will enjoy this one, he is intense!Semper Fi Taco

Send us Fan MailFor those Gen Xer’s who remember the TV show CHiPs on Sat nights, it was the buddy cop motorcycle duo and one of my favorite shows in the late 70’s. In honor of the Marine Corps 250th anniversary I am sitting down with Larry Wilcox who played Officer Jon Baker. Crazy question, did you know that he was an Artillery Marine in Vietnam during Tet in ’68 and was honorably discharged in 1973 as a Staff Sergeant? Probably not.There are lots of podcasts with Larry talking about that one show, but what I really want to do is dig into his time in the Corps, how it shaped him, his experiences in VN, how those years made him into the man he is today. This is a real honor to have him on and I hope you enjoy this Marine Corps Birthday Special! Semper Fi TacoPS, for all my aviator folks out there, he is also a pilot…

Send us Fan MailIf you do not know CJ or “Heater” as we call him, please join us to tonight as we talk about Top Gun and the how it all started with him back in the day. We will hit on his time as an instructor, the Movie in 1986 and perhaps…UFOs at Area 51 when he was at Constant Peg as a secret MiG pilot. No matter, it will be a blast! Do not worry if you miss any shows live, they are all on there for life and you can catch them later.  If you like the content, please leave a comment, like, subscribe and share. No commercial ads, just great stuff.Semper Fi Taco

Send us Fan MailAs Marine Corps reservists, we are sort of free agents sometimes when it comes to filling holes on the active-duty forces side over in the war.  Hundreds of thousands over the years have volunteered for numerous tours in Iraq and Afghanistan taking the pressure off of some guy who maybe just finished his 3rd tour.  It’s actually pretty cool to pick the job you want vice being told what job you will be doing! Tuesday night at 7pm CST, we will be talking with Tim “Sluggo” Bleidistel, a former Marine AV-8tor and current Airline pilot about his interesting tour in Iraq and the ultimate question we inevitability ask ourselves “What the hell am I doing? I don’t even have to be here…” Standby for a great conversation with an outstanding Marine!Semper Fi Taco

Send us Fan MailSwede, Swede, Swede, Swede!!!! For my 50th Podcast Tuesday the 14th at 7pm CST (1900), it’s a real honor to have Pete Koch join me on Tall Tales with Taco!  He is going to talk about his time on a little movie that Marines love to quote, Heartbreak Ridge with Clint Eastwood.  At the time, Pete was a defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs when he made his first venture into Hollywood.  He’ll tell us about his time on set and his short stint as a “Recon Marine” and how this morphed into the classic character that we all love, Swede Johanson!!Please share this with your fellow Marine as I’ll take some questions at the end of this live show for Pete.  If you don’t catch it live, it’s recorded on Facebook and YouTube, just google Tall Tales with Taco, hit subscribe for updates on future shows and hit the bell on Youtube as well.  Look forward to having you join on Tuesday!Semper Fi Taco