Encore Episode: What Do Batman and Ruben Rivers Have in Common?

When he originally enlisted in the Army, now-CPT Michael Villahermosa not only didn’t even consider becoming an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Soldier—he didn’t even know what it was. But he quickly realized he had the right skills to succeed at it, and has become a leading EOD commander, instructor, and now social media influencer (under the name “EOD Happy Captain”). Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with CPT Villahermosa to discuss the life and community of EOD Soldiers, how his social media prowess has helped out his fellow Soldiers, and how a gift of hot honey made everyone at his base laugh.   Guest: CPT Michael Villahermosa, U.S Army, EOD Happy Captain   Central Michigan General and Flag Officer Event Links: General and Flag Officer Leadership Symposium Webpage: https://go.cmualum.com/GOFOPanel25   General and Flag Officer Leadership Symposium Livestream Link: https://chipcast.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=fdee1ca5-880d-4121-931b-b32f00fae0b9   Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast! AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath.  Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. Feedback: How are we doing? Email us 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.

Comic book writer Chuck Dixon has written more issues of comic books than any other living writer today, most notably telling the stories of superheroes Batman, Robin, The Punisher and John Rambo. But his work on AUSA’s Medal of Honor comic series has allowed him to bring historical heroes to life to incredible effect. In this very special encore episode, hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with Dixon to discuss his 2024 comic Medal of Honor: Ruben Rivers, how a comic book is actually created, and they agree that a visit from the taxman can be the best form of artistic inspiration.   Note: This episode also features an update with the latest Medal of Honor comic from Dixon and the AUSA team.   Guest: Chuck Dixon, Fictioneer & Comic Book Writer   Central Michigan General and Flag Officer Event Links: General and Flag Officer Leadership Symposium Webpage: https://go.cmualum.com/GOFOPanel25   General and Flag Officer Leadership Symposium Livestream Link: https://chipcast.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=fdee1ca5-880d-4121-931b-b32f00fae0b9   Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast! AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath.  Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. Feedback: How are we doing? Email us 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 1975, at the age of two years old, Captain France Hoang and his family fled the violence surrounding their home in Vietnam. Years later, he decided to serve his adopted country by attending West Point—against the wishes of his parents—but that decision has led to two impactful commissions as a Special Forces officer, a hugely successful law career and now a life as an entrepreneur and practitioner of Artificial Intelligence in the realm of education. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with CPT Hoang to discuss lessons learned in the White House, how his life came full circle with his work saving Afghan refugees, and what’s harder to pass: Ranger School, or the bar exam? Guest: Captain France Hoang, U.S. Army Veteran and BoodleBox Co-Founder and CEO Film Credit: American Refugee, directed by Rebecca Murga (2018), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maFi7OMfg7A. Clips used in the episode are courtesy of the film's writer, Jack Kennedy. Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast! AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath.  Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. Feedback: How are we doing? Email us 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.  

During their Army careers, Captain Kim Liszka and Captain Dakota Olson-Harris experienced both the highs and lows of service. But it was their relationships with fellow female Soldiers that provided some of their greatest memories and inspired them to create Dog Tag Diaries, a podcast series that provides a forum for females serving to share their stories and advice for the next generation. Captain Liszka served in the Army as a combat medic, combat nurse, flight nurse instructor, and top athlete. Captain Olson-Harris currently serves in the National Guard and is a counselor in her civilian life. Host LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith sits down with Captains Liszka and Olson-Harris to discuss their Army stories, how the podcast has helped out other female servicemembers (as well as themselves) and to discuss the finer cuisine of...bugs.   Guests:  CPT Kimberly Liszka, U.S. Army Veteran, and CPT Dakota Olson-Harris, U.S. Army National Guard, Co-Hosts, Dog Tag Diaries Podcast  Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast! AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath.  Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. Feedback: How are we doing? Email us 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.

One of the hardest—if not the hardest—parts of an Army marriage are the deployments, during which a soldier and their family are separated not only physically, but oftentimes emotionally. LTC Brad Cooper and his wife, Heather, have gone through this many times (including a recent two-plus-year command tour in Korea) and in the process have created a set of rules that has allowed their marriage to stay strong. Host SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey and his special guest co-host Holly Dailey sit down with Heather and LTC Cooper to discuss their high school sweethearts-with-a-twist story, share the rules that they’ve created, and then test them with some questions from the “Not-So-Newlywed Game.” Guests: LTC Bradley Cooper, U.S. Army and Mrs. Heather Cooper Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast! AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath.  Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. Feedback: How are we doing? Email us 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 decades now, Army Soldiers and officers of all levels have been issued hardcover green notebooks to record notes and ideas. While serving, LTC (Ret.) Joe Byerly started to research not only the history of these notebooks but—more importantly—the extremely valuable lessons contained within. His writings inspired him to create the education platform and podcast series From the Green Notebook, on which he speaks to top Army leaders and generals. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with LTC Byerly to discuss some of the lessons he’s learned in his own Army career, the importance of reading and writing, and how journaling can help someone improve their life—but shouldn’t be used in arguments with a spouse... Guest: LTC Joe Byerly, U.S. Army Retired, Founder, From the Green Notebook Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast! AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath.  Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. Feedback: How are we doing? Email us 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 2020, the Army implemented the Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) program, which emphasizes five factors—physical, nutritional, mental, spiritual and sleep. It has been billed as “the largest investment in Soldier readiness” in Army history. BG Deydre Teyhen and SGT (Ret.) Spencer Posey are leading researchers on H2F and have overseen the implementation of numerous programs across the Army’s ranks. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with BG Teyhen and SGT (Ret.) Posey to discuss their personal health and fitness journeys, some of the lessons they’ve learned along the way and how carrying around an apple makes a huge difference.   Guests:  BG Deydre Teyhen, Commanding General, Medical Readiness Command, Pacific, and Director Defense Health Network Indo-Pacific, Defense Health Agency SGT (Ret.) Spencer Posey, U.S. Army, Booz Allen Hamilton Lead Scientist, Human Performance   Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast! AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath.  Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. Feedback: How are we doing? Email us 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 250 years (Happy Birthday, Army!), one thing that's united soldiers is mess hall food, and feeding our Army is about to get the celebrity treatment. Chef Robert Irvine has been brought on as a consultant in conjunction with LTG Chris Mohan, Deputy Commanding General and Acting Commander of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. Together, they’re implementing bold new systems to provide viable, healthy and cost-efficient options for all of the Army’s installations. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with Chef Irvine and LTG Mohan to discuss what exactly they’ve got cooking in the Army’s kitchens, and how they’ve drawn inspiration from culinary TV shows as well as Columbia University. Plus, we’ll come up with the perfect cake to celebrate the Army’s birthday this month. Guests:  LTG Christopher Mohan, Deputy Commanding General and Acting Commander, U.S. Army Materiel Command  Chef Robert Irvine Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast! AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath.  Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. Feedback: How are we doing? Email us 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 1968, Colonel Otis D. Evans landed in Vietnam and immediately started piloting 20-hour flights as a member of the Medical Service Corps helicopter DUSTOFF crew. It took him a while to win the respect of his fellow pilots, but one heroic mission captured their attention, and during his time in Vietnam he saved the lives of countless Soldiers. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with COL (Ret.) Evans to discuss his service during the Vietnam War, how that experience led to an incredible 27-year career in the Army and his thoughts on being celebrated at this year’s National Memorial Day Concert in Washington, DC. Guest: COL Otis D. Evans, U.S. Army Retired Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast! AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath.  Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. Feedback: How are we doing? Email us 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.

Three years ago, Virginia Army National Guard SFC Tyler Butterworth filmed a video replicating a scene from Parks and Recreation that included Army ration packs and locations. The video went viral, and now Butterworth is a social media superstar with millions of followers who uses his content to show the funny side of Army life and aid recruiting. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with SFC Butterworth to discuss why his videos are so effective, compare comedy influences (Will Ferrell, anyone?) and discuss whether there is any way to get out of a speeding ticket.   Guest: SFC Tyler Butterworth, Virginia Army National Guard and Digital Creator   Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast!   AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath.    Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. Feedback: How are we doing? Email us 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.