Operation Insight

Zach and Salina Mann share their experiences in the Army, both as a couple and individually. They discuss serving in combat and how they readjusted to civilian life once they returned home. Salina and Zach met in 2008 and have been married since March 2012. They have two daughters.
Salina served as a Psychological Operations Specialist with the 307th reserve unit out of Jefferson Barracks. She completed one tour in the Logar Province of Afghanistan from 2010-2011.
Zach served as a Tank Mechanic with the 3HBCT, part of 1/2 CAV out of Fort Hood. Zach served one tour in Iraq in February 2011 and was part of the pullout as his Battalion left Iraq in December 2011.

SSG Chris Lenington signed an early entry for the Army in 1998. Chris would serve twenty years and was deployed in Kosovo, one tour in Iraq, and three tours in Afghanistan, including one stop at Camp Seray, an outpost high in the mountains, which was attacked by Taliban fighters almost daily. Chris finished his Army career at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, with the 101st Airborne. Tonight, Chris joins us to discuss his time in the military and the tough transition to civilian life after serving twenty years, including four combat zone deployments.

Colonel Robert Leeker started his military career as a one-striper in the Air Force in 1971 and went to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base. After working as a mechanic on planes, Bob decided he wanted to fly them. He earned his associate's degree at Meramec Community College and took flying lessons on his own dime to ready himself to become an Air Force pilot. Bob trained on the T37 and T38 and earned his wings. Flying fighters was thirty-three years of his Air Force career, including flying F-4s, F-15s, and later the B-2 bomber. Bob attained the rank of Colonel and Commander of the air base in Kirkuk, Iraq. Bob's most vivid memories are from his time stationed there. Listen as Bob shares his story and rise through the ranks of the Air Force, and what it was like to be a base commander at an air base in Iraq during the war, and the tough transition from military to retirement.

Service dogs enrich and improve the lives of their veterans every day. At Dogs For Our Brave, their mission is to provide professionally trained service dogs at no cost to veterans who have suffered debilitating injury or illness while in service to our country. Their goal is to use rescue dogs at every opportunity, thus saving two lives at once. To fully realize our mission without adding a financial burden, we also provide a continuum of free support that covers all food, veterinary care, and pharmaceuticals for the dog's lifetime. Our guests tonight are April Haskins, Shannon Durington, and Bridget McAuley.

Beginning in 1973, America went to an all-volunteer military service. An All-volunteer military isn't without challenges. Today, the branches of service are struggling to find able-bodied recruits. According to the CDC, an estimated 70% of young Americans are unfit for military service. Historically, family life has not always worked for military families, and roughly 20% of the military are women. Others say the combination of low unemployment and the ease of finding private sector jobs means fewer young people join the service. The Marines are likely the only branch of service to make their quota in 2022. Tonight's guest is Army Recruiter SSG Seamus O'Neel.

Beginning in 1973, America went to an all-volunteer military service. An all-volunteer military isn't without challenges. Today, the branches of services are struggling to find able-bodied recruits. According to the CDC, an estimated 70% of young Americans are unfit for military service. Historically, family life has not always worked for military families, and roughly 20% of the military are women. Others say the combination of low unemployment and the ease of finding private sector jobs means fewer young people join the service. The Marines are likely the only branch of service to make their quota in 2022. Tonight's guest is Marine Recruiter Sergeant Ben Demoulin.

The City of St. Louis and the nearby counties of St. Louis and St. Charles became known as the "Gateway to the West" because it was an ideal spot for tradesmen, adventurers, and traders to transact because it’s connected to the Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri rivers. The story of O'Fallon, MO features many of the same storylines. American Revolutionary War veterans were the early settlers, and many are buried nearby. During the War of 1812, there were several forts, including nearby Fort Zumwalt, built to defend the settlers against Indian attacks. During the Civil War, the metropolitan area was very conflicted and had both Northern and Southern sympathizers. Our guest tonight is Pat Swinger. While Pat knows O'Fallon and St. Charles best, the same struggles were experienced throughout the area.

Sailing on a U.S. nuclear submarine is a trip into a cramped, timeless, and windowless undersea world. Today's submarines will often spend up to ninety percent of their time underwater, making night and day indistinguishable. While on patrol, the crew is largely cut off from the outside world, including their families, for long periods of time. There are regular launch drills that challenge the physical and psychological stamina of the crew. More so than on a surface ship, the submarine commander and officers face additional challenges because of the stress, tight living, and working environment. Here tonight, CDR Lagemann will share his story about life aboard, commanding a nuclear submarine.

The many missions of Chief Petty Officer James "Jim" Feltz aboard the Gleaves-class destroyer, USS Plunkett, culminated in a heated battle for the crew and a fight for their lives when a Junkers Ju-88 released its payload and all hell broke loose. Jim's quick thinking and disobedience of orders saved his life and the lives of others. Jim is a legend and a true hero!

Tonight, we bring you the heroic story of B-24 Crewman SGT Robert Garvey. After flying 29 missions with his regular crew, he was "volunteered" to be a substitute gunner with another crew. During this mission, Robert was forced to bail out when his plane was damaged and was going to crash after being jumped by German planes. Once on the ground, Robert was hit multiple times by enemy fire, then captured and became a POW. This story is one of courage, resilience, and the American spirit!
 

Misty Blum's husband, Michael, served his country as a Marine for twenty years, including four tours of duty in Iraq. While U.S. servicemen and women were deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq, veterans were fighting their own war at home. Every day, twenty-two veterans lose their battle to post-traumatic stress on American soil. That is one veteran every sixty-five minutes. For most combat veterans, the toughest battle begins when they come home. Misty's husband, Michael, lost his battle on September 15, 2013. While he will never be listed as a casualty of war, he is a casualty caused by the war. Misty has become a writer and advocate dedicated to veteran PTSD suicide prevention and awareness. Misty hopes that telling her story will help others.

After earning a degree in criminal justice, serving as an O'Fallon Police Officer and a deputy in Lincoln County, Sierra Koester is now a private practice counselor who specializes in counseling survivors of trauma. She is EMDR trained, which is a proven approach to help survivors of trauma. Men and women in service positions are still at risk when they are not in harm's way. Even when the uniform is hung up and the boots tucked away, there is still a possibility of silent but deadly dangers such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, or other mental health issues. Sometimes the signs and symptoms appear silent, but sometimes they are hiding in plain sight. It is important to recognize the signs and symptoms in yourself and others and know where to turn for help.
Note: Sierra Koester practices under the supervision of Dona Schaefer.