Behind The Shield

Tori Gonzalez was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas when a former student murdered 17 schoolchildren and staff in 2018, including her boyfriend Joaquin Oliver. Anthony Gonzalez is Tori's father and was one of the responding firefighters to the attack. We discuss their early lives, Tori and Joaquin's romance, the aftermath of the massacre, grief, tactical medicine, the media, mental health and so much more.

Jeff McGreevy is a Marine veteran and retired law enforcement officer, serving in both gang and SWAT units. We discuss his journey into the military, entering law enforcement, his officer involved shooting, training under stress, mental health, Echelon Front, 911 at Ease and much more.

Anthony ‘Harry’ Moffitt spent almost three decades in the Australian Defense Force most of which in the Special Air Service (SAS). We discuss his journey into the military, rock music, cricket, mental health, writing his new book "Eleven Bats", psychology and so much more.

Dustin Hawkins is a veteran firefighter, the creator of Red Line Rescue and co-founder of Safer Straps. Dustin told his powerful story on Episode 39 and he now walks us through the last four years to bringing Red Line Rescue to our profession. We discuss mental health, suicide, creating culturally competent clinicians, connecting peer support and so much more.

Sebastian Junger is the filmmaker behind Restrepo and the New York Times best selling author of Tribe, War and his new book Freedom. We discuss becoming a father, his near death experience, the last patrol, leadership, unions, the concept of freedom and so much more.

Aubrey Lehman is a firefighter/EMT in Pennsylvania. She is currently the only interior qualified deaf female firefighter/EMT in the Mid-Atlantic region. We discuss her challenging childhood, the incredible innovation in medical technology, her journey into the fire service, challenging the status quo, mentorship, harassment, training, growth and so much more.

Nick Merrick is a member of 10th Special Forces Group and the Executive Director of Green Beret Racing. We discuss his journey into the military, the exorbitant casualty rate in his community, mental health, addiction, adrenaline sports, helping veterans transition out of the military and so much more.

Jason Wolfe was a civilian contractor for the DOD and is now a counter terrorism and security contracting expert. We discuss tracking down bomb makers, edged weapons training, the FAST rescue board and much more.

Emily McCarthy is a former CIA case officer and co-founder of GORUCK. We discuss collegiate athletics, her journey into the agency, mediating African warlords, the power of language, transitioning out, the importance of tribe and so much more.

Greg Kelley was a promising high school football player when he was falsely accused of sexual abuse of a child and wrongfully imprisoned. He spent the next six years proving his innocence, three of which in prison. We discuss his early life, his parent's medical issues that led to him staying with a friend, the outcry, the horrendous cascade of unethical practices in both the investigation and trial, overturning the decision, the power of love, reclaiming his football career and so much more.

Mike Taylor and Alex Roodhouse are Navy Riverine Veterans and co-founders of BeaverFit USA. We discuss their journeys into the military, standing up an elite unit from scratch, training for the unknown, equipping the tactical athlete, training under stress and so much more.

Luc Roberts is an Australian Rural Fire Service firefighter and mental health advocate. We discuss moving to Australia from the UK, his journey into firefighting, the "Black Summer" fires, PTSD and so much more.

Rich Graham is a Navy SEAL veteran and the creator of the Full Spectrum Warrior (FSW) System. We discuss his challenging childhood, martial arts, hunting war criminals in Europe, transitioning out of the military, weapons and combatives training, government overreach and so much more.

Dr. John Delony is a bestselling author, mental health expert and host of The Dr. John Delony Show. We discuss mental health in our schools and colleges, addiction, his own mental health journey, his book "Redefining Anxiety" and much more.

Casey is a law enforcement veteran, canine handler and SWAT operator. We discuss her journey into law enforcement, canine training, training the tactical athlete, sexual harassment, forging a new path, losing a law enforcement brother and so much more.

Roger Sparks has spent over 25 years in both Marine Recon and Pararescue. We discuss his military journey, the importance of training under stress, having to save his own son, mental health, the catharsis of tattooing and so much more.

Peter Conroy is an Irish firefighter, surfer, lifeguard and waterman. We discuss Dublin's pioneering Fire/EMS system, water rescue, physical fitness, staffing, water immobilisation, paramedicine, travelling and much more.

Major James Capers is one of the most decorated Marine Recon veterans who operated on over 50 classified missions in Vietnam. We discuss his challenging childhood, racism in the South, his indominable marriage, the impact of losing men, coming home, PTSD and so much more.

Dr Ryan Stanton is an Emergency Medicine Physician and the travelling physician for NASCAR. We discuss childhood obesity, fitness in racing, 911 abuse, trauma, COVID and much more.

Troy Warshel is a Marine Veteran serving in a host of positions including F/A - 18 fighter pilot and forward air controller. Troy is also the president of the non-profit Operation Enduring Warrior. We discuss his journey into the military, mental and physical lessons from aviation, the proximity of combat, mental health, nuclear power, OEW's incredible work and so much more.