Lifegiver- Military Marriage & Leadership

S6 E26: Finale Breathing Life Back into YOU.

What a year.  Didn't we say that about 2020?  Here we are ending 2021 and some of us are still feeling like we are crawling along.  After a year of deployment, reintegration, some tough circumstances, and the world opening back up, I really had to take a look at whether I had enough "life" in me to truly breathe life into others.  The more I traveled, the more I realized so many other service families were feeling the same.  In fact, very few could tell me what "self-care" actually looked like for them (if they had time to do it).  

So... for this finale, I cover what you said in the end-of-year survey (you can still take it here).  There are some very interesting things going on for serving spouses vs supporting spouses.  There are also hints at how the last two years have impact you and our service culture. I also share how I turned my life around and learned to implement some key self-care strategies in my life. Don't know where to start??  I'll walk you through how to find activities that breathe life into you and then how to fit it into your daily life in a way that will make sure it happens.  

Looking for a clinician that understands your lifestyle!  Search the Lifegiver Directory: www.lifegiverdirectory.com

Check out www.life-giver.org for more content, resources, digital resources, the Lifegiver Directory, and more!

Increase your communication and intimacy in less than 5 minutes with my Lifegiver "5 Minute Check-In" 

 

S6 E27 Caregiver & Didn‘t Know it

Did you know that many spouses are considered caregivers and don't know it? I'm sure you are feeling it and maybe you just needed a name for it. Whether you are taking care of the medical and physical needs of those around you or just feeling the weight of this life on. your shoulders, this episode is important.

November is National Caregiver's Month, so Conwell Smith and Deidre Blascyk from the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, join me to share some of the surprising findings they found on military spouses and the impact of the military lifestyle. RCI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the health, strength, and resilience of caregivers throughout the United States. Listen in to be validated, inspired, and encouraged to take care of you in a whole new way.

Find out about the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers here: https://www.rosalynncarter.org/

Learn more about Operation Family Caregiver and sign up for one-on-one coaching here: http://operationfamilycaregiver.org/signup

Learn more about RCI’s virtual peer support group, Operation Caregiver Support, and sign up here: https://www.operationfamilycaregiver.org/ocs

On social media:

http://facebook.com/opfamcaregiver

https://www.instagram.com/operationfamilycaregiver

Looking for a clinician that understands your lifestyle!  Search the Lifegiver Directory: www.lifegiverdirectory.com

Check out www.life-giver.org for more content, resources, digital resources, the Lifegiver Directory, and more!

Increase your communication and intimacy in less than 5 minutes with my Lifegiver "5 Minute Check-In" 

 

S6 E27 FR Series, Friends Make All The Difference

In this episode, Sarah sits down with good friend and fellow LEO spouse Shauna for an authentic conversation on what it is really like to do life with a chaotic first responder schedule. Shauna shares how she and her husband navigate anniversaries and childrens' schedules while she also juggles a full-time job.  Most important, Sarah and Shauna discuss the power of friendship and how even long-distance friends who understand can make all the difference.

Catch the entire series here, including previous first responder content: https://www.life-giver.org/the-first-responder-series-with-sarah-foster/

Looking for a clinician that understands your lifestyle!  Search the Lifegiver Directory: www.lifegiverdirectory.com

Check out www.life-giver.org for more content, resources, digital resources, the Lifegiver Directory, and more!

Increase your communication and intimacy in less than 5 minutes with my Lifegiver "5 Minute Check-In" 

 

S6 E26: FR Series Sarah & Kenny

Sarah Foster, host of the FR Series sits down with her husband to talk about what led him to join law enforcement, drives him to be his best for his teammates, and whether she forced him into homesteading.  You might catch their dog Bullet in the background! Listen in as the couple talks about the pros and cons of the lifestyle and hopefully encourages more open conversations with your spouse.  

Catch the entire series here, including previous first responder content: https://www.life-giver.org/the-first-responder-series-with-sarah-foster/

Looking for a clinician that understands your lifestyle!  Search the Lifegiver Directory: www.lifegiverdirectory.com

Check out www.life-giver.org for more content, resources, digital resources, the Lifegiver Directory, and more!

Increase your communication and intimacy in less than 5 minutes with my Lifegiver "5 Minute Check-In" 

 

S6 E25 FR Series- So You‘re New Here

Sarah Foster, SWAT wife, joins the podcast with her positivity and humor to share lifegiving content to first responder marriages.  Military, this one is for you, too! We have so much we can learn from each other.   

In this episode, Sarah goes back to the beginning to share what she wish she would have known when her service life first started.

Catch the entire series here, including previous first responder content: https://www.life-giver.org/the-first-responder-series-with-sarah-foster/

 

Looking for a clinician that understands your lifestyle!  Search the Lifegiver Directory: www.lifegiverdirectory.com

 

Check out www.life-giver.org for more content, resources, digital resources, the Lifegiver Directory, and more!

Increase your communication and intimacy in less than 5 minutes with my Lifegiver "5 Minute Check-In" 

 

S6 Ep24 Introducing Sarah Foster

Introducing the latest series- the First Responder Series!!  Sarah Foster, SWAT wife, joins the podcast with her positivity and humor to share lifegiving content to first responder marriages.  Military, this one is for you, too! We have so much we can learn from each other.   

WATCH this episode here: https://youtu.be/z7Ckvc1dEMA

Catch the entire series here, including previous first responder content: https://www.life-giver.org/the-first-responder-series-with-sarah-foster/

 

Looking for a clinician that understands your lifestyle!  Search the Lifegiver Directory: www.lifegiverdirectory.com

 

Check out www.life-giver.org for more content, resources, digital resources, the Lifegiver Directory, and more!

Increase your communication and intimacy in less than 5 minutes with my Lifegiver "5 Minute Check-In" 

 

Special Edition Afghanistan: Through the Eyes of a Leader

In May of 2009, 3^rd Squadron 61^st Cavalry Regiment deployed to Nuristan, Afghanistan a small eastern province bordering Pakistan. When they arrived, they occupied the most fringe outposts of Regional Command East, several of which were only accessible by helicopter, and then only during the cover of the darkest nights of each month, in order to avoid rocket propelled grenade attacks against the airframe.

 

The squadron commander for the deployment was then-lieutenant Robert “Brad” Brown. In preparation for that deployment, he, along with then-Colonel Randy George, went on the pre-deployment site survey to better understand the terrain and complex environment of which they were only months away from assuming responsibility. During that trip, they arrived at Combat Outpost Keating, a remote outpost named for Ben Keating, who had died attempting to drive one of the lumbering resupply vehicles down the treacherous road back to the forward operating base. Standing in that base built in a valley at the base of three mountains and backed up to two rivers, both men understood that there could be no delay in closing that base for the safety of their Troopers. Anyone who visited COP Keating knew full well that it was the tactically indefensible position in which you could ever place yourself.

 

But that wasn’t the only conundrum. COP Keating wasn’t alone. In order to close it, you would have to close the other two outposts in the surrounding area, almost simultaneously to ensure that they could provide reinforcing fires for one another. Concurrently, south of the forward operating base, one the observation posts that LTC Brown would be assuming responsibility for had recently been completely overrun by the Taliban, who attacked up a mountain as the Afghan National Army abandoned their post, forcing the remaining US Troopers to call for a broken arrow, requesting fire on their position as they were being overrun. And to complicate all of that, the going-in position of relieving the outgoing unit would have them arrayed across a vast swath of land, terribly difficult to resupply, with barely enough Troopers to simply pull security on their own position.

 

For multiple reasons they were unable to close COP Keating, OP Fritsche, and COP Lowell as quickly as they needed to. Unknown to the base closure planners of 3-61CAV, as they were simultaneously planning to close the three outposts in Kamdesh, the Taliban was planning a massive complex attack to prevent them from ever leaving.

 

On the morning of October 3^rd, 2009 more than 400 insurgents attacked OP Fritsche and COP Keating simultaneously. A force of only 52 Troopers defended COP Keating, even after Afghan National Army abandoned their post and the insurgents broke through the perimeter, causing a small group of Troopers, led by Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha, to engage the enemy in close-quarters combat, retaking the COP. However, at the end of the day, the Troopers of Black Knight troop, 3^rd squadron 61^st cavalry regiment would be saying their final goodbyes to eight of their friends who had given their lives during that battle.

 

The diligent devotion of their squadron commander, however, ensured that this moment would not be easily erased from history. LTC Brown and his staff worked to guarantee the recognition of the heroic efforts of those who went above and beyond to place themselves in harm’s way to protect each other, destroy the enemy, and bring the remains of their friends home. Those efforts to ensure recognition succeeded.

 

What has since become known as the “Battle of Kamdesh,” resulted in the following awards:

 

Two Medals of Honor for SSG Clint Romesha and SSG Ty Carter

Two Distinguished Service Crosses for 1LT Andrew Bundermann and SSG Justin Gellagos (posthumously awarded)

Nine Silver Stars

18 bronze stars with “V” device for valor

37 Army Commendation Medals with “V” device for valor

And 27 Purple hearts for wounds sustained in combat

 

SSG Romesha authored the book “Red Platoon” and Jake Tapper authored “The Outpost,” which has since been turned into a major motion picture.

 

The fall-out of the battle, including the loss of life, took it’s toll on everyone involved and amongst others within the squadron, however. The subsequent investigation held both COL George and LTC Brown responsible, even though the ISAF-commander at the time, GEN Stanley McChrystal, agreed there was nothing more they could have tactically done to prevent the disaster. Many of the Troopers completed their obligation and left the army, preferring lives of quiet and peace, away from the constant reminder of the toughest day of their life.

 

LTC Brown however, still had eight months left to command his squadron through a deployment in one of the most kinetic provinces in all of Afghanistan. The two artillery guns on his forward operating base fired over 6000 rounds total during their year-long deployment. He had lost two beloved Troopers before Keating, while sending back home dozens of wounded Troopers before and after the Battle for Kamdesh. To put it in context, in the first four months of his deployment, LTC Brown’s squadron of rag-tag cavalrymen were attacked more than 238 times across seven separate locations. And yet, he persevered with courage, humility, devotion, and determination.

It is why those of us who served with him as the commander of 3^rd squadron 61^st cavalry regiment unabashedly and unquestionably remember him, to this day, as the best leader we ever served with. As his former chaplain, I can guarantee that he’s the real deal and I am humbled to know him. So without further ado, here is the one and only, Brad Brown.

Special Edition Afghanistan: Through the Eyes of One Who‘s Been There- Part2

In Part 2, Matt continues to share his thoughts about the Afghanistan withdrawal and the ending of a two decade war that he was a part of. After two difficult deployments there, he processes the emotions he has had and revisits the memories it brings up. He also shares what he believe will help him and others take the next healthy step.

WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/Rts4CWDK_54

Catch up on all the other episodes of the Afghanistan Series here: https://www.life-giver.org/the-afghanistan-series/