The Lead Wasps Podcast

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Ssgt Jay Amra 047 | 1st Battalion, 6th Marines | United States Marine Corps

2021-06-0601:59:52

Ssgt. Jay Amra served in the United States Marine Corps from 2008 - 2017. He served two combat tours in Afghanistan and a third on the 22nd MEU while assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marines as a machine gunner. During these deployments, he progressed from the rank of Lcpl. - Sgt serving in the billets of team leader, squad leader and eventually section leader. In 2015 He was assigned to The Basic School as a dugout instructor where he advanced to the rank of Ssgt and Senior enlisted instructor. After separating from the military Jay began to serve his community as a firefighter and as a personal trainer. Follow along on INSTAGRAM The Lead Wasps Podcast @leadwasps Jay Amra @lttlebrd87 GOOGLE PODCASTS https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yNGIwNzI2OC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw== APPLE PODCASTS https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lead-wasps-podcast/id1517422174 SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/show/2GrWtmf0Xu76aziN4KGFKY

CSM Donald McAlister 046 | 82nd Airborne | US Army

2021-05-2302:51:04

CSM RET. Donald (Mac) McAlister served over 24 years in the US Army. He has multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he deployed from Squad Leader through SGM. He spent the majority of his career with the 82nd ABN DIV. While deployed with the 82nd ABN Div in the 2003 Iraq Invasion he was severely wounded. He recovered from his injuries and stayed in the fight and continued to deploy until he retired in 2017. Since retiring He continues to stay involved in the Veteran community, devoting most of his time to his brothers through various non-profit efforts. He is currently the Business Development Manager for @Gatorzeyewear. He is also a Family Man, Actor, Metal Head and now host’s his own podcast “Mac’s Man Cave Chats“. Follow along on INSTAGRAM \ The Lead Wasps Podcast @leadwasps Donald McAlister @macs_mancavechats GOOGLE PODCASTS https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yNGIwNzI2OC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw== APPLE PODCASTS https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lead-wasps-podcast/id1517422174 SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/show/2GrWtmf0Xu76aziN4KGFKY

David Brooks 045 | 40 Commando | Royal Marines

2021-05-1602:10:11

Dave Brooks is a former Royal Marines Commando who served in 40 Commando and the United Kingdom Landing Force Command Support Group RM. Dave was on a training exercise in the Mediterranean with 40 Commando as part of the Amphibious Ready Group during the September 11th attacks. His unit was involved in early operations in Afghanistan alongside C Sqn SBS and B Sqn SAS. Dave joined Landing Force Command Support Group in late 2002 and was part of a TACP team for the invasion of Iraq 2003. Dave left the Royal Marines in 2006 and has been with a major global bank for the last 14 years. He now lives in London and heads up physical security operations across the UK and Channel Islands. He was one of the founding members of his organisations Military Network, and actively supports recruitment and career development for service leavers looking for employment in the banking sector. Follow on INSTAGRAM Dave - @d.j.brooks83 Podcast - @leadwasps

Lt Col Perry Blackburn 044 | 5th Special Forces Group Airborne | US Army

2021-05-0901:59:12

Lt Col (retired) Perry Blackburn served in multiple roles throughout his time in the US Army. He spent a significant portion of his time with 5th SFG(A), deploying to multiple theatres including the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. Perry was an ODA team commander during Operation Anaconda which this episode focuses on. The movie '12 Strong' is the feature film that depicts the events of that operation and we discuss if the really assaulted tanks on horseback. Follow on Instagram The Lead Wasps Podcast @leadwasps

Chris VanSant 043 | 75th Ranger Regiment | 82nd Airborne | Delta Operator

2021-05-0202:26:591

Chris VanSant is a retired 20+ year Special Operations Veteran with service on four continents and in 17 countries. Chris's service includes time in the 75th Ranger Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, the 82nd Airborne Division, and 11 combat deployments as both a Team Member and Team Leader in 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta (Delta Force). Since leaving the military he has been working with Tyr Tactical and currently holds the position of COO with the company. Follow along on INSTAGRAM Chris - @vansanttyrtactical The Lead Wasps Podcast - @leadwasps TYR Tactical http://www.tyrtactical.com/ All Secure Foundation https://allsecurefoundation.org/

Capt Lars Hove-Olesen 042 | Danish Army, Jutland Dragoon Regiment | Journalist

2021-04-2502:12:30

Episode 42 is with Lars Hove-Olesen (Captain, retired) who served in the Danish Army from the early nineties until 2019 and in his time, he deployed both as a private and officer. His deployments have taken him to the Balkans and Afghanistan His military background is both infantry and combat support arms, and he has served in various people-centric roles ranging from information gathering and civil affairs, as well as PSYOPS and press liaison duties. At the age of 45, he left the Danish military to study journalism, in order to follow other people-centric trails and find new adventures. He has a keen interest in (re)connecting with some of the Croatian and Serbian combatants he experienced during his first deployment to Croatia, hoping to turn the experience into a documentary. Lars can be found on: LINKEDIN:https://www.linkedin.com/in/lars-hove-olesen/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/LHOJOUR

Cope Wilson 041 | Canadian Special Operations Regiment - CSOR

2021-04-1801:17:43

Cope Wilson served with the Canadian Army deploying to Kabul before he passed selection and joined Canadian Special Operations Regiment - CSOR. He spent a number of years working a gun before moving on to becoming a JTAC and then a JTAC instructor. Cope struggled with some mental health issues whilst serving which lead to his retirement from active duty, which he shares in the episode. He is a keen advocate of the individual and believes we all have a story to tell, good or bad. He is a singer-songwriter and you can follow along on his Youtube channel by searching Cope Wilson. Follow along on INSTAGRAM @cope_wilson Follow the podcast on INSTAGRAM @leadwasps GOOGLE PODCASTS https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yNGIwNzI2OC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw== APPLE PODCASTS https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lead-wasps-podcast/id1517422174 SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/show/2GrWtmf0Xu76aziN4KGFKY

WO2 Simon Hawken 040 | 2/4 RAR, Australian Army

2021-02-2802:17:06

Simon 'Hawks' Hawken served with 2/4 RAR (Royal Australian Regiment) and 2 RAR and spent 20 years running the gauntlet of mainstream Infantry roles from Section Commander, Recon Platoon Sergeant and more. He has a wealth of experience as well as some extremely unique and lesser-known deployments to include a UN mission to Rwanda during the ongoing Genocide which proved to be an extremely hostile environment described by those that were there as 'Hell on Earth'. Hawkes has his own podcast called H Hour with Hawkes and you can get all the information @h_hour_with_hawks on INSTAGRAM Follow the podcast on INSTAGRAM @leadwasps GOOGLE PODCASTS https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yNGIwNzI2OC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw== APPLE PODCASTS https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lead-wasps-podcast/id1517422174 SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/show/2GrWtmf0Xu76aziN4KGFKY

Neil Davis 039 | Queens Own Highlanders | HUMINT Agent Handler

2021-02-2102:42:10

Episode 039 is with Neil 'Neilly' Davis who served with the British Army in the Queens Own Highlanders and JSG. Neil was an instructor at the Infantry Battle School, Brecon and had an envious Infantry career before transitioning to a new unit. JSG was a HUMINT gathering unit working in the UK to gain a foothold against the IRA and Neil was an agent handler there for 6 years. His post-military career has seen him working all over the world in a multitude of exciting roles to include a long term US Government contract providing HUMINT in Southern Afghanistan. He now runs @Go.Noisy providing tactical training to those who require a professional competency. He has big plans for the future with the company so watch this space. Follow Neil @GoNoisy www.gonoisy.com GOOGLE PODCASTS https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yNGIwNzI2OC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw== APPLE PODCASTS https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lead-wasps-podcast/id1517422174 SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/show/2GrWtmf0Xu76aziN4KGFKY

Clark Impastato 038 | US Navy SEAL | Team 5

2021-02-1401:27:13

Clark Impastato is a former US Navy Seal, serving with Team 5. He served 8 years active duty and later spent 4 years with 19th Group Special Forces. His post-military career consisted of high level Contracting in the Middle East AO, in areas such as Isreal and Afghanistan. Clark moved into Policing on return to the US and served with the Phoenix Police Department working on some crazy undercover operations. Follow on INSTAGRAM @leadwasps Clark - @clark_impastato Clark runs a podcast called Good Vibes at www.goodvibesdudes.com Good Vibes Podcast on INSTAGRAM @goodvibes_podcast GOOGLE PODCASTS https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yNGIwNzI2OC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw== APPLE PODCASTS https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lead-wasps-podcast/id1517422174 SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/show/2GrWtmf0Xu76aziN4KGFKY

DESERT STORM | 30 Year Anniversary | SPECIAL

2021-02-0701:37:14

This episode is to commemorate the 30 Year Anniversary of the first Gulf War, Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Rick Hogg and Mark Kelley served in the same Platoon and they detail their involvement in the conflict, providing insight into what the grunts of the 1st BN 505th PIR, 82nd Airborne got up to. This was a full-scale conventional war between a brutal dictator, his Army and the World. The War started with a 41-day bombing campaign, over 250,000 coalition soldiers were involved with enemy losses between 30,000 and 50,000 troops. You can follow along on INSTAGRAM @leadwasps Rick - @warhoggtactical Mark - @kelleydefense On the Range Podcast - @ontherangepodcast

Maj Heston Russell 036 | 2nd Commando Regiment | Australian Army

2021-01-3102:28:52

Maj (retired) Heston Russel served with 2nd Commando Regiment in the Australian Army. He started his career as a Platoon Commander with 2 RAR before completing Special Forces selection and joining his Commando unit. Heston deployed on multiple combat deployments to Afghanistan and the middle east where he served in a multitude of senior command roles. He now runs 'Voice of a Veteran', an organisation supporting contemporary veterans issues such as mental health awareness and other societal stigmas. He hopes to highlight how veterans are extremely valuable members of their community through positive outreach. Follow Heston on INSTAGRAM @hestonrussell Follow Voice of a Veteran @voice_of_a_veteran Check the Voice of a Veteran website at www.voiceofaveteran.org

TSgt Robert Colliton 035 | 173rd Airborne BDE | US Army

2021-01-2403:30:33

Robert ' Bobby" Colliton served with the US Army, in various units before finding his home with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Bobby was involved in one of the largest combat jumps, since World War 2, into Northern Iraq in 2003, capturing an airfield and securing large swathes of the country utilising mobility platforms. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2005 as a Rifle Squad Leader before leaving the Army to pursue a new career in the USAF as a SERE Specialist working with AF Rescue and Personel Recovery during further deployments to Afghanistan. He now runs a Non-profit for Veteran Suicide prevention. It focuses on bringing veterans back into a team environment by giving them a mission to focus on again. Skate for the 22 use the sport of Ice Hockey to provide the team-based environment. Details of the Non-Profit are available via the link below. https://skateforthe22.org/

Sean Rogers 034 | US Army Special Forces | Green Beret | 18B

2021-01-1701:35:58

Sean 'Buck' Rogers is a former 18B, Weapons Sergeant, from the US Army's Special Forces Green Berets. He served with 10th group and deployed to Afghanistan working with host nation Commandos in the fight against Daesh (ISIS). He now spends his time running a YouTube channel called, FNG Academy helping guys get selected for special operations. He is the author of Rising Above, launching in February 2021. Checkout is YOUTUBE Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/FNGACADEMY Follow on INSTAGRAM @seanbuckrogers Follow the podcast on INSTAGRAM @leadwasps

Capt Jonny Mortimer-Hendry 033 | Platoon Commander | Parachute Regiment | British Army

2021-01-1002:16:39

Jonny Mortimer-Hendry is a retired Captain from the British Army. He served with the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment as a Platoon Commander, deploying to Afghanistan on Herrick XIII in 2010. He moved to UK SFSG [1 PARA] on promotion to Captain and returned back to Afghanistan with his new unit. He spent a brief period of time with 3 PARA as OC Mortor Pl before leaving the army to pursue other ventures. You can follow Jonny on INSTAGRAM @iamjonnymh Follow the podcast @leadwasps Check out IOSEC via the website https://iosec.uk/ Jonny is a proud advocate of BMF https://www.bemilitaryfit.com/ GOOGLE PODCASTS https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yNGIwNzI2OC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw== APPLE PODCASTS https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lead-wasps-podcast/id1517422174 SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/show/2GrWtmf0Xu76aziN4KGFKY

Neville Johnson 032 | 2RRF, British Army

2021-01-0301:25:18

Neville Johnson served with the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, British Army. Born and raised in South Africa, he joined the British Army in the early 2000s deploying multiple times throughout his service, to include Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a published poet and his piece on Sangin is featured in the episode intro. Find Neville on INSTAGRAM @Nevillejohnson01 YouTube (2) The Lead Wasps Podcast - YouTube

Jack Marshman 031 | 3 Para. British Army

2020-12-2701:20:14

.Jack Marshman served with the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment with the British Army for close to 12 years. He deployed to KAF, Afghanistan in 2008 and Helmand Province in 2010 but most of his career he spent representing the Army in Boxing and fighting professionally as in MMA. He now fights in the UFC at middleweight and is a former Cage Warriors and BAMMA Champion Follow Jack on Insta @Jack.marshman.ufc

Sgt Jared Prewitt 030 | 1/6 United States Marine Corps [Part 2] (2)

2020-12-2001:48:41

Episode 030 is with retired Sgt Jared Prewitt from the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, United States Marine Corps. Jared served as a squad leader whilst deployed to Garmsir, Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2008. He talks about the dumpster-fire that is rural Afghanistan and details the USMC push into that part of the country. This is part 2 of his story where we talk about his deployment to Afghanistan. Go back and listen to episode 030 to hear about his first deployment, to Iraq. Follow Jared in INSTAGRAM @deathwalkermarines Follow the Podcast @leadwasps Buy his Book Deathwalkers 'The Book" by contacting him directly.

Sgt Jared Prewitt 029 | 1/6 United States Marine Corps [Part 2] (1)

2020-12-2001:38:18

Sgt Jared Prewitt 029 | 1/6 United States Marine Corps [Part 1]

2020-12-1302:29:02

Episode 029 is with retired Sgt Jared Prewitt from the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, United States Marine Corps. Jared served as a designated marksman (DM) whilst deployed to Ramadi, Iraq in 2006. He was involved in a number of significant events on that deployment. This is part one of his story where we talk about his time joining the USMC and his first deployment, to Iraq. Follow along for Part 2 in the next episode for his Deployment to Garmsir, Afghanistan and his post-deployment struggles. Follow Jared in INSTAGRAM @deathwalkermarines Follow the Podcast @leadwasps Buy his Book Deathwalkers 'The Book" by contacting him directly.

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