Inspired by a family legacy of service, Ted Severn entered the Army during one of the most turbulent periods in American history—the Vietnam War. As an infantry officer, he led young soldiers through unforgiving terrain, impossible decisions, and conditions that tested both the body and the conscience. In this powerful conversation, we explore what persevering truly means when survival is the reward for doing so. Ted reflects on leadership under fire, the moral weight carried long after the battlefield, and the kind of resilience that is not learned from books—but forged in necessity. This is not simply a story of endurance, but of perspective earned at great cost—an honest look at what remains after war, and how hardship can shape a deeper understanding of life itself.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

2:09 Tell Us About This Jeep

4:06 Life Before The Military

8:32 Family Legacy of Service

18:02 Preparing For War

25:53 A Warm Welcome to Vietnam

36:47 Operation Bach Ma

46:20 Hot LZ

54:51 Enemy Contact

1:08:35 Psalm 23

1:18:11 Evacuation

1:28:19 Controlling Fear

1:45:42 Family

1:47:42 Three Lessons From Vietnam

1:53:10 Advice For Young Men

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Dr. Janice Thorpe, communications professor and researcher from the University of Colorado, joins us to explore the use of Artificial Intelligence in higher education and the architecture of effective communication. In this episode she talks about how to overcome public speaking fears, online vs. traditional classes, as well as AI guardrails in college, policy and society. As a professor, her career has been devoted to understanding how meaning is created, transmitted, and sustained through conversation, body language, cultural understanding and much more.

Charles “Chuck” Anderson is a man who has spent his life in the arena. Born in Ashland, Kentucky, Chuck carries over 43 years of leadership experience directing organizations from 400 to over 21,000 personnel. As an Air Defense Artillery officer who served across six Army divisions, he became the first and only officer from that branch to command a U.S. Army division and retired as a Major General. His career embodies the spirit of Roosevelt’s words: “the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena… whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood.” Chuck’s leadership extends far beyond the military. In the private sector, he has coordinated global operations in training, security, engineering, enterprise IT, aviation, medical services, and logistics. With more than a decade of P&L leadership, he ultimately served as President of PAE—overseeing 21,000 employees across 72 countries and supporting clients such as the DoD, NASA, FEMA, and the Department of Commerce.

Today, Chuck brings his combined military and business experience to Bernhard Capital Partners, where he is helping build a government services platform capable of solving some of the nation’s most complex challenges. From Afghanistan to Iraq, from Wall Street to the federal government, his leadership has been marked by humility, moral courage, and a consistent truth: his “audio matches his video.” Chuck Anderson is not a man who speaks of effort—he is the one who puts himself on the line, again and again, daring greatly. And in our conversation, he reflects on a life spent in the arena and the lessons forged through devotion, discipline, and the unrelenting pursuit of a worthy cause.

Chapters:

0:00 The Man In The Arena

2:05 The Arena

4:03 Inflection Points

13:39 Squint With Your Ears

20:02 Effort vs. Outcome

24:31Humility

30:41 Preparation

33:09 The Role Of A Parent

41:57 Life Or Death Situation

46:35 Life Changing Conversation

50:32 Am I In The Arena?

51:12 Find Other Spartans

57:19 Future Leaders

59:14 The Big Eight

Thank you to our sponsors:

Optum Medical - https://www.optum.com/en/

USAA - https://www.usaa.com/

Colorado Computer Support - https://www.coloradosupport.com/

Medicare Mentors - https://medicarementorsllc.com/

#PhilosophyOfLife #PsychologyMatters #Mindfulness #Belonging #CombatVeteran #MilitaryCommunity #VeteranSupport #PatriotTalk #VeteranMentalHealth #LifeAfterService #MilitaryTransition #ptsd #ptsdawareness #VetLife #USArmy #USMC #USNavy #USAF #CoastGuard #MilitaryLife #Veterans #MilitaryPodcast #VetTalk #VeteranVoices #HonoringHeroes #PodcastLife #VeteranStories #RealTalk #MilitaryMinds #vetpodcast #podcast #motivation #supportourtroops #wisdom #wisdomquotes #leadership #psychology #vietnam #education #socialism #capitalism #TheVeteransVoicePodcast #TheVantagePointPodcast