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What if the way we select and promote military leaders is wired to produce the very failures we say we want to avoid? That’s the challenge we take on with Don Vandergriff, a retired Marine and Army officer, defense analyst, and one of the most persistent voices for personnel reform in the U.S. military. Don pulls back the curtain on a system shaped by industrial-age thinking—zero-defects culture, inflated evaluations, and top-heavy headquarters—that rewards process and optics over performance and character.

We trace hard lessons from the National Training Center, where free-play exercises exposed how “fast-track” leaders falter under stress, and we connect those insights to Afghanistan, where statistical goals often replaced ground truth. Don contrasts that with historical models from Helmuth von Moltke’s Prussia, where outcomes-based training and rigorous war games forged decision-makers capable of acting under uncertainty. Along the way, we unpack why centralized boards miss nuance, how faint-praise evaluations can silently derail promising careers, and why due process failures erode trust.

Then we get practical. Don outlines three fixes with real bite: shift from up-or-out to up-or-perform so mastery is rewarded, slim a bloated officer corps that pulls attention inward, and rebuild professional military education around outcomes—free-play war games, honest after-action reviews, and mission command that pushes authority down. We also map where veterans still hold leverage: mentoring, writing, podcasts, and thoughtful public debate that prioritizes receipts over rhetoric. If culture eats strategy for breakfast, incentives set the menu—and changing them is how we get better leaders.

Subscribe, share this episode with a teammate who cares about real reform, and leave a review with the one change you’d make to fix promotions. Your voice helps push outcomes over optics.

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The story opens at a dinner party and ends with a near-unheard-of legal result: dismissal with prejudice. In between is retired Colonel Dan Wilson’s toughest battle—how a decorated Marine became the target of a false allegation, why the case grew despite exculpatory DNA, and what happens when command climate, politics, and process collide.

We trace Dan’s life from childhood in Africa through four decades of Marine command, the accusation, and months under a gag order as headlines spread. He recounts being sent to the brig, choosing general population, and finding purpose there, then explains a military justice system civilians rarely see—small panels, nonunanimous verdicts, command influence, and pressure that drives overcharging.

Even after an appellate court dismissed the key conviction with prejudice, the fight continued through administrative penalties and retirement disputes. Dan lays out needed reforms—ending command influence, requiring unanimous verdicts, opening voir dire, raising evidence standards, and providing real post-exoneration relief—while sharing how faith, sobriety, routine, and writing rebuilt his life.

If you care about military justice, due process, and the gap between headlines and truth, this conversation doesn’t pull punches. Listen, share, tell us which reform you’d start with—and if it hits home, subscribe, review, and pass it on.

Stories of Service presents guests’ stories and opinions in their own words, reflecting their personal experiences and perspectives. While shared respectfully and authentically, the podcast does not independently verify all statements. Views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the host, producers, government agencies, or podcast affiliates.

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Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
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A hard conversation worth having: we sit down with retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Gade to examine how the VA disability system, built with noble intent, can trap veterans in dependency and distort how America sees its warriors. Drawing on his combat wounds, hospital experience, academic work, and policy roles, Daniel makes a clear distinction between having a condition and becoming that condition—and shows how incentives, ratings, and advocacy ecosystems can push veterans toward the latter.

We trace why claimed conditions increased across generations even as sustained direct combat remained limited for most. Daniel explains the politics behind expanding the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities and why ratings like sleep apnea at 50% undermine public trust when compared to losing an eye or a below-knee amputation. He challenges the emotional “1% served” shield, arguing that service is a voluntary civic duty already compensated with pay and benefits, not a lifetime blank check on taxpayers.

Most importantly, we focus on fixes. Daniel proposes linking mental health compensation to active treatment so care drives recovery rather than pay driving identity. He urges redefining disability to align with activities of daily living and high standards like SSDI, while shifting resources from marginal payouts to high-impact transition: SkillBridge access without command vetoes, employer pipelines, reskilling, and entrepreneurship. We discuss how work sustains identity, how Individual Unemployability can backfire, and why every dubious claim delays care for those with amputations, TBI, sexual assault trauma, and acute PTSD.

If you care about veterans’ dignity, purpose, and long-term outcomes, this conversation offers a roadmap that prioritizes treatment, transition, and true service-connected disability. Listen, share it with someone who needs to hear it, and leave a review with the reform you’d implement first.

Stories of Service presents guests’ stories and opinions in their own words, reflecting their personal experiences and perspectives. While shared respectfully and authentically, the podcast does not independently verify all statements. Views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the host, producers, government agencies, or

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Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
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A forgotten reformer changed how we think about military education, then got written out of the story. We dig into Alden Partridge’s bold vision for the citizen-soldier, why his mastery-based model threatened entrenched interests, and how his practical ideas—shorter paths for proven mastery, rigorous field training, and decentralized leadership—can still fix what’s broken in today’s force.

Franklin Annis walks us through Partridge’s rise at West Point during the War of 1812, the political crossfire that led to his court-martial, and his pivot to building militia-focused academies that influenced Norwich and VMI. We connect the dots to modern pain points: time-in-seat schooling that bores high performers, career assembly lines that miss real talent, and a headquarters culture that mistakes long hours for results. You’ll hear how competency-based progression, pretesting, and mission command can restore merit, accelerate excellence, and respect the only irreplaceable resource—time.

We also ground the conversation in philosophy and practice. Stoicism offers a leader’s toolkit for fair discipline, self-accountability, and resilience under pressure. A constitutional view of defense argues for a lean active force backed by a trained, capable militia—an approach that can lower costs and improve readiness by leveraging real-world civilian skills found across the Guard and Reserve. And we wrestle candidly with standards and inclusion: equal dignity, equal rules, transparent consequences, and selection by performance.

If you care about military education, talent management, or building better leaders faster, this conversation gives you a roadmap rooted in history and tested by experience. Subscribe, share with a teammate, and leave a review with the one change you’d make first—what would you accelerate, and what would you cut?

Stories of Service presents guests’ stories and opinions in their own words, reflecting their personal experiences and perspectives. While shared respectfully and authentically, the podcast does not independently verify all statements. Views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the host, producers, government agencies, or podcast affiliates.

Support the show

Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76

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Imagine trading a wall of meetings for a calendar with white stripes where thinking, planning, and decisive action actually happen. That’s the shift we explore with Juliet Funt—keynote speaker, author, and founder of the Juliet Funt Group—whose work helps teams cut busy work and create the bandwidth to do their best thinking.

We dig into why white space isn’t idleness; it’s a performance tool. Juliet shows how modern work confuses motion with progress, burying judgment under email, back-to-back calls, and task churn. She shares simple, sticky tools that change behavior fast: the wedge (short breaks between commitments that let you digest and decide), the yellow list (batching non-urgent asks to slash message sprawl), and the re-entry day (protecting the first day back from leave so real disconnection is possible). The throughline is practical: waste less, think more, and reinvest saved time into the work that moves the mission.

We also examine a striking divide in the military: absolute precision outside the office versus sprawling inefficiency inside it. Juliet connects the dots between sleep, judgment, and readiness, arguing that saved hours only matter when they’re translated into training, rehearsal, and strategic thought. She makes a case for intact-unit change, embedding skills in PME and ROTC, and building norms that outlast leadership rotations. The goal isn’t fewer meetings for their own sake; it’s better decisions, stronger teams, and outcomes people are proud to ship.

If you’ve ever felt trapped by your calendar, this conversation offers a way out—and a way forward. Listen, steal a tool, and start small. Then tell us: which meeting will you shorten, and what will you do with the time you win back? Subscribe, share with a teammate who needs breathing room, and leave a review to help others find the show.

The stories and opinions shared on Stories of Service are told in each guest’s own words. They reflect personal experiences, memories, and perspectives. While every effort is made to present these stories respectfully and authentically, Stories of Service does not verify the accuracy or completeness of every statement. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the host, producers, or affiliates.

Support the show

Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
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What does it really cost to lead with integrity when the system leans the other way? We sit down with Forrest, a former naval flight officer and mission commander, whose career bends from high school dropout to strike planner for Kosovo—and later into the crosshairs after he refused to hide a serious security breach on a remote island base. The stories move fast: carrier decks and air tasking orders, isolated duty stations that no one wanted, and the everyday creativity required to keep crews motivated and safe.

Forrest opens up about the moment a civilian smuggled a pistol and ammo onto San Nicolas Island to kill feral cats, how his CO ordered him to bury the report, and why he said no. That choice triggered nineteen charges, an NCIS probe, a revoked clearance, and threats of prison and pension loss. With a sharp JAG at his side and a website full of documents, he fought back, demanded a court-martial, and watched the case crumble. Along the way, we talk Desert Storm’s waning days, the grind of multinational targeting in Kosovo, and the hard truth that institutions can honor your work on Monday and disown you by Friday.

Beyond the uniform, Forrest built a thriving charter operation in California, rescued people at sea, and eventually traded the coast for Idaho, where a wolf encounter became a courtroom headline. The through line is steady: tell the truth, document everything, and keep showing up for the people who count on you. If you care about military leadership, whistleblower courage, and practical strategies for advocacy when the process turns against you, you’ll find real tools here—plus candid advice on writing a memorable military memoir that sticks to facts and reads like lived experience.

If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a lift, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find these stories. Your support helps us bring forward voices that remind us why service, courage, and clarity still matter.

The stories and opinions shared on Stories of Service are told in each guest’s own words. They reflect personal experiences, memories, and perspectives. While every effort is made to present these stories respectfully and authentically, Stories of Service does not verify the accuracy or completenes

Support the show

Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76

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Power reveals character, and nowhere is that more visible than inside military sexual assault response. We sit down with Jeff Goris—career aviator, senior SHARP advocate at Fort Hood, and later a Department of the Army civilian—to unpack how a program meant to protect survivors gets kneecapped by backlogs, weak command emphasis, and investigations run by the very people with skin in the game. From the McQueen scandal to the wake-up after Vanessa Guillén, Jeff traces the specific mechanisms that fail victims and also crush the falsely accused: preliminary inquiries used to pre-shape outcomes, administrative actions that sidestep due process, and clearance removals that quietly end careers.

Across an unflinching conversation, Jeff explains the ethics of real advocacy: know the policies cold, focus on the victim’s needs, and document every step. He shares hard-won tactics for anyone at risk of retaliation—professional liability insurance, early legal counsel, and meticulous records—while making the case that true reform depends on independent investigations outside command influence. We talk about culture honestly: why achievement often trumps character at senior levels, how retaliation silences truth-tellers, and why the “court of public opinion” sometimes becomes the only path to accountability when internal systems stall.

This episode offers a practical roadmap and a challenge. If leaders want safer formations, they must separate adjudication from command interests, empower IGs to investigate retaliation, and give both accusers and accused the right to present evidence and witnesses. Until then, advocates and allies can still win small, meaningful battles—supporting survivors, protecting whistleblowers, and telling verified stories that make indifference costly. Listen, share, and help push for due process, independent investigations, and culture that rewards courage over convenience. If this resonates, subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what reform would you mandate first?

The stories and opinions shared on Stories of Service are told in each guest’s own words. They reflect personal experiences, memories, and perspectives. While every effort is made to present these stories respectfully and authentically, Stories of Service does not verify the accuracy o

Support the show

Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76

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A 62-mile race that lets you sleep at night and still pushes you to your edge? We’re bringing a new kind of endurance event to the Colorado backcountry to honor Navy SEAL Ryan Larkin and fund life-changing sleep recovery through 62 Romeo. Over three days from Montrose to Telluride, ten fire teams face rugged terrain, military-style navigation, and surprise challenges that reward strategy and teamwork—not just speed.

Rob Sweetman, a former SEAL and founder of 62 Romeo, shares how Ryan’s legacy fueled nearly a decade of work in sleep science and why sleep performance sits at the core of mental health, hormones, energy, relationships, and long-term success. We walk through the race format—bronze, silver, and gold medals for day-by-day finishes and a platinum winner crowned by points—plus a design choice that flips the endurance script: planned overnight rest to model healthy recovery while still testing grit. It’s built to be hard, safe, and meaningful.

We also dig into the technology bringing the story to life. Our media team engineered custom LoRaWAN trackers and 3D maps so friends and family can follow teams in real time, watch live check-ins from aid stations, and experience the landscape from afar. With up to 80 volunteer roles—from registration and gear issue to camp operations and hydration points—there are countless ways to join the mission. Prefer to compete? Applications open for four-person fire teams and solo candidates who want to be placed, with a fair, safety-minded selection process.

More than a race, this is a movement that turns grief into action, connects people through the outdoors, and funds sleep scholarships and nature retreats at Happy Canyon Ranch. If you believe in the power of nature, teamwork, and real rest to heal, you’ll feel at home here.

Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a purpose-filled challenge, and leave a review to help more listeners find the mission. Ready to volunteer, watch live, or apply to race? Your move.

Race details - https://www.rliar.org/

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Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76