Hello, Scuttlebutt listeners. This week we welcome Amy Forsythe, the author of the book, Heroes Live Here: A Tribute to Camp Pendleton Marines Since 9/11, to the show. Amy is a veteran Marine and award-winning military journalist who served five combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and has been on assignment for several other overseas…

Hello, Scuttlebutt listeners. This week on MCA Scuttlebutt we had the distinct pleasure of welcoming Terry Salman. Terry is the author of the book, What We Give, and the Chairman of New Pacific Metals Corp, and President & CEO of Salman Capital Inc. As President, CEO and Co-Director of Research he helped raise over $20…

Hello, Scuttlebutt listeners. This week on MCA Scuttlebutt, the World of Wargaming Series continues with author, Marine, and prolific wargamer Major Ian T. Brown. Ian is the operations officer at the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Future Warfare, Marine Corps University. He is also the author of the book, “A New Conception of War:…

Hello, Scuttlebutt listeners. There’s a common  misconception that there are only two types of people that work at NASA: astronauts and scientists. If Hollywood has it right, the only buildings are the control center and the launching pad. And everyone in the control center is sweating profusely and chain smoking. But in reality, it takes…

Hello Scuttlebutt listeners! This week we are truly honored to have the President and CEO of the MCA, LtGen Charles Chiarotti, USMC (Ret), back on the show. March was the logistics-themed edition of the Marine Corps Gazette, so we thought there couldn’t be any logistician better (or closer to our sound studio) than the former…

Hello Scuttlebutt listeners! This week Vic and Nancy have a conversation with New York Times bestselling author Adam Makos about his book, “Devotion,” about naval aviators LT Tom Hudner and ENS Jesse Brown. Now a major motion picture, starring Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell, Devotion is a powerful story of Hudner’s unsuccessful attempt to save…

Hello again Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining. On this World of Wargaming episode of MCA Scuttlebutt, William speaks with the CEO and Founder of Nemertes, Johna Till Johnson, on the application of wargaming in the cyber realm. Nemertes is a research-based advisory and consulting firm that analyzes the business value of emerging technologies—which involves…

Hello again Scuttlebutt listeners. Hope Daylight Savings Time is treating you all well and that the one-hour change isn’t messing with your sleep patterns too much. If it is, go take a nap because you definitely don’t want to fall asleep on this week’s episode as we welcome Col Greg Jones and CWO5 John Costa…

Hello Scuttlebutt listeners! Today William and Nancy sit down with Marine veteran Andrew Biggio, author of the book “The Rifle: Combat Stories from America’s Last World War II Veterans, Told Through an M1 Garand.” We had a great conversation with Andrew about the real cost of war and the lessons he has learned from talking…

Hey Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for tuning in. We at the MCA really appreciate all your continued support. This week, we welcome Col Chris Woodbridge, USMC (Ret) and Editor of the Marine Corps Gazette to the studio to talk the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine. It’s funny to say “welcome” because his office…

Hello again Scuttlebutt listeners. This week we welcome Chris Pavlak, Marine ground intelligence officer and author of the book, From Lawyer to Warrior, to the show. Chris’ journey to the yellow footprints is best captured by the term, persistence, which is a theme I think resonates for all of us. We joke that failure is…

William sits down with one of his wargaming opponents, the author, historian, former Marine, and Army officer, Donald Vandergriff. The two discuss Donald’s wargaming experience and expertise and give an overview of their current wargame scenario: Wargame Design Studio’s Overland Campaign,  Crossing the James (an American Civil War scenario). Can Donald’s Confederate Army of Northern…

In this episode of Scuttlebutt, Vic sits down with LtCol David Kelly USMC (ret), Marine Corps historian and the author of the book, Hell in the Streets of Husaybah. In April 2004, while fighting in Iraq raged throughout Al Anbar Province, most of the attention was focused on Fallujah. However, at the same time, out…

This week on MCA Scuttlebutt, William meets with John Currie. John is a retired Marine who served as a helicopter pilot in the Balkans as well as several combat tours in the Middle East. John, who was working in Iraq at the time of the recording, also offers some insight on recent developments in the…

Happy Lunar New Year, Scuttlebutt listeners. I hope the Year of the Cat is off to a start for everyone. This week, we welcome Dr. Michael Hunzeker for first ever segment crossover – Strait Talk and World of Wargaming (Strait Wargaming? War Talk?) – discussing the recent CSIS wargame of a potential conflict in the…

Welcome to MCA Scuttlebutt’s new series: World of Wargaming. In this series, we will discuss the application of wargaming as a teaching tool. For our first episode in this series, William sits down with the Director of Wargaming at the Krulak Center for Innovation & Future Warfare, Marine Corps University, Tim Barrick. They discuss how…

Hello again, Scuttlebutt listeners. This week we are joined by Kacy Tellessen, veteran Marine infantryman and author of the book, Freaks of a Feather. He comes to us from Spokane, WA where is attending Gonzaga Law School. Kacy joined the infantry directly out of high school and deployed twice to Iraq as a machine gunner…

Miles Vining returns to recount his experiences working as a historical consultant for the 2021 Chinese film, “The Battle at Lake Changjin.”  Grossing over $900 million, “The Battle at Lake Changjin” offers a historically dubious account of the Korean War from the Chinese perspective, including depictions of the Battle of Inchon, the Chinese counteroffensive, the…

This week we welcome to the show, Navy Cross recipient and author of the book, Shadow of the Sword, Jeremiah Workman to talk to us about his amazing journey from Ohio native, to his time with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, to writing his book, to being on the GOP ticket for deputy governor of Ohio….

Writer Geoff Roecker joined us in studio recently to talk about how the search for information about a family member’s death on Saipan in 1944 led him to become a volunteer MIA researcher. We also talked about his book, “Leaving Mac Behind,” his website, MissingMarines.com and his articles for Leatherneck. As an added bonus, there…

Ben Kesling—journalist, author, and Marine combat veteran—joined us to discuss his newly released book, “Bravo Company: An Afghanistan Deployment and Its Aftermath.” “Bravo Company” recounts the experiences of a company from the 82nd Airborne Division as they grappled with the enemy in the Arghandab Valley of Afghanistan before then returning and readjusting to civilian life….

Join us for the 39th anniversary of the devastating bombing of the Marine Corps Barracks in Beirut as we talk to Elisa Camera and Michael Ivey about their documentary project “We Came In Peace” which chronicles the stories of those who were there in 1983. Elisa, who lost her brother, Mecot, in the bombing and…

Dr. Theresa Schulz (LtCol Air Force Ret.) and Dr. Amy Boudin-George are some of the most preeminent hearing experts in the country and they have devoted their pursuits to helping combat hearing damage in our warfighters. Naturally, we really needed a science lesson to get Nick and Vic up to speed on how hearing works…

Andy Hesterman and his lifelong friend Rob Einaudi joined us on Scuttlebutt to chat it up about Andy’s broad-reaching experiences from 25 years in the Marine Corps and some of the effort it took turn those experiences into the excellent book “Radioman.” Andy served as a Radioman with ANGLICO in the Gulf War, became a…

It is hard to believe that in 8 short months, Ukraine has gone from having a lightly armed and trained Territorial Defense Force, to defending its capital city from one of the world’s most powerful militaries, to now possessing one of the best trained and equipped armies in the world. The turnaround in Ukraine is…

Hello everyone. Recently we welcomed to the studio Amy Rupertus Peacock and Don Brown, authors of “Old Breed General: How Marine Corps General William H. Rupertus Broke the Back of the Japanese in World War II from Guadalcanal to Peleliu” for an awesome and informative conversation. Among many things, General William H. Rupertus is the author of the…

National Museum of the Marine Corps Aviation Curator Dr. Larry Burke joined us on Scuttlebutt this week to talk about Marine Corps Aviation. Dive into the very birth of aviation from the invention of the airplane, through the birth of armed forces aviation, then World War I and into the Caribbean and Central America as…

This week on Scuttlebutt Vic and Nancy lift the veil on the American Legion with Elizabeth Hartman, formerly a Cryptologic Linguist in the Corps, and now the Commander AL Post 539. Elizabeth’s journey began became a Marine to break out of New Cairo, Ohio, and has led to her current job as a financial advisor…

This week on Scuttlebutt Vic and William sit down with best selling author Nick Reynolds, writer of the sterling “Need to Know” which covers the rise of American Intelligence during World War II. From his experience in 1975 when he was told “You don’t want to be in Intel,” through his USMC and CIA career,…

Sara Bock joins us for a special 50th episode of Scuttlebutt! From her interview with Charles Bolden at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia, to her stories about John Warner, to her story about Randy Norfleet, a survivor of the Oklahoma City Bombing, to her work cover PTSD and more, Sara’s Leatherneck articles represent a “Greatest…

Learn about Marine Corps Mustangs and their national association this week with William and Vic as they chat with Ronald Cookson, a retired CWO-5 who serves as the national secretary of the Marine Corps Mustangs Association. Beyond chatting about what Mustangs are, and how enlisted Marines become Chief Warrant Officers or 2nd Lieutenants, they dive…

In light of the recent trip to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the subsequent saber-rattling by China, now seems as good of a time as any to start keeping regular tabs on the Taiwan Strait. Dr. Hunzeker, who has studied the military, political, social, economic, and historical factors that have created one…

Friend of the show Maj Tom Schueman and his Afghan interpreter, friend, and brother Zainullah “Zak” Zaki have written “Always Faithful”, which describes their parallel lives, converging paths, and unbreakable bond in the face of overwhelming danger, culminating in Zak and his family’s harrowing escape from Kabul.  After getting our hands on an early copy of…

Miles Vining returns to Scuttlebutt to chat with us about the immediate fallout after the US pullout in Afghanistan. He and some of his fellow Free Burma Rangers spent time in the mountainous regions on the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border, helping refugees where and how they could. Its an eye-opening discussion about a region of the world…

General Langley is the first Black four-star general in Marine Corps history and we celebrate the occasion by chatting a little bit about the history of USMC generals and the challenges General Langley will face in his new job leading American Forces in Africa. We also dive into the recent ACV rollover in Camp Pendleton…

The team is trying something new this week, segments! Catch up with Gazette, Leatherneck, Friends of the Show and a bit of history as we dive into the MEB, Modern Day Marine, Saipan, and catch up with a bunch of our previous guests! Thanks to Service Credit Union for supporting us, check them out! https://servicecu.org/…

This week on Scuttlebutt we dive into the recently published MCDP-8: Information and talk about this 7th function of warfighting. We also chime in on Marinus’ arguments about Russians employing maneuver warfare in Ukraine, whether or not China is benefitting from the state of the globe, and we even touch on a post Nazarbayev Kazakhstan…

Happy Independence Day! Jon Bernstein and Sam Lichtman join Nick, William, and Nancy to chat about one of the most iconic weapons of war, the M1 Garand. Mr. Bernstein, who works at the National Museum of the Marine Corps is part of the team that is restoring and bringing a unique rifle from the Makin…

Dr. Adam Hunzeker, who served as an Army Psychiatrist prior to his work in private practice, joined Vic to peel back the layers of PTSD causes, awareness and treatment. They investigate the biological causes of PTSD, the history of our understanding of it, and the resistance many feel about getting treated for it. Our understanding…

Vic sat down with Nick Kalt to dig deep into his career, first as a combat engineer in the Marines and then as a firefighter in Long Beach, California. Listen to this great episode that covers a lot of ground, from talking about how Marines in the Middle East were doing good things, regardless of…

Aeron Sullivan, who, during his eight years in the Marine Corps, tested the ACV prototypes and developed a wide toolbelt of leadership and decision making skills and has been able to parley that into a successful career of “democratizing” various industries, allowed Vic into his home to talk about all of it. Listen in as…

GySgt Benjie Manibog, USMC (Ret), was an anti-authoritarian youth turned MARSOC Raider and is the CEO of Thrash-N-Raid, a Southern California skateboard company and Operations Officer of Six Feet Above, a veteran outreach foundation that uses skateboarding to build veteran community. From the fateful day he met a Marine Recruiter who helped him clean up…

GySgt Raymond Branham, USMC (Ret), is a Quality Engineering Program Manager for the ATACMS system at Lockheed Martin. Anxious to join the Corps, he enlisted at 16, celebrated his 18th birthday at boot camp, spent 21 years in the Marines where he worked on Harriers and Sabreliners, before taking advantage of educational resources to continue…

SgtMaj Justin LeHew has stopped by the studio this week to talk about his upcoming adventure, The Long Road, to walk across America along our county’s longest road, US Hwy 20. He’ll be joined by fellow retired SgtMaj Coleman “Rocky” Kinzer, and they are departing from the USS Constitution in Boston on June 6 and…

This week Vic sits down with Paul Greive, a former ground intelligence officer turned SoCal sustainable, certified wildlife friendly pasture-raised chicken farmer. His company, Pasturebird, is a wholesale pasture poultry operation located just a few miles east of Camp Pendleton, where Paul spent much of his fleet time. Paul talks to us about how his…

Col Tim Hough fills in for Vic this week behind the big microphone at Scuttlebutt, and joins Nick and Nancy as they explore the practical effects of Force Design and Talent Management. As one of the key Marines facilitating Amphibious Combat Vehicles to units, Col Hough talks about working with contractors, both at home and…

Scuttlebutt loves good stories and Kris Battles, the Artist in Residence of the Marine Corps, and combat artist Elize McKelvey join us in studio to talk about capturing the Corps through combat art. We learned a lot, from their Marine Corps journeys, to what art captures that photography doesn’t, why the Marine Corps has an…

Stephen Canty sat down with William to talk about his stunning documentary “Once A Marine” available on Amazon Prime. Canty, who served two tours in Afghanistan, including Marjah, spent seven years on the documentary and takes us on the journey of what it meant to make the film, how to listen to veterans, and the…

Dr. Marc DeVore, a Senior Lecturer at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, is an expert on the political economy of defense, the international arms trade, military innovation, and more joined Vic and William to help us understand Russia’s military and how we were so far off the target when it came to the…

In this edition of Scuttlebutt Col Woodbridge joins Vic and William to discuss military writing for professional defense journals such as Marine Corps Gazette. Learn the broad strokes from argumentative, fact-supported positioning, to knowing the publication’s audience, to avoiding plagiarism. If you or someone you know is contemplating writing for a military journal, listen in…