Eric Stebner is a retired U.S. Army Ranger who received a Silver Star for his actions during the Battle of Takur Ghar, also known as “Roberts Ridge.”

In a Veterans Day special, Stebner joins Subject Matter Expert for a candid conversation about courage, loss, leadership, and life after war. He gives a ground-level account of the fight on that 10,000-foot Afghan peak, remembers his best friend Bradley Crose, and reflects on the men who didn’t come home.

We also talk about the culture of the 75th Ranger Regiment before and during the Global War on Terror, what keeps soldiers alive in combat, and what it means to come home and keep leading.

Master Sergeant (Ret.) Eric Stebner is a decorated Army Ranger with a Silver Star for his actions on Takur Ghar and a long career in the 75th Ranger Regiment. He served across the Global War on Terror and later mentored the next generation of Rangers—he was my platoon sergeant when I arrived at 1st Ranger Battalion in 2006. He’s known for calm leadership under fire, a relentless focus on team over self, and for honoring fallen servicemembers like Bradley Crose through his efforts with 4VR RIP.

In this episode

• A firsthand account of Takur Ghar/Roberts Ridge

• Remembering Bradley Crose and the Rangers who fell

• Ranger culture, training, and the habits that matter in combat

• Leadership lessons from the Ranger Regiment

• Veterans Day reflections and life after service

Support Veterans

• Learn more about 4VR RIP

• Follow 4VR RIP on Instagram

New here? Welcome to Subject Matter Expert, hosted by Marty Skovlund Jr., featuring top experts across diverse and relevant fields without regard to political bias. If you're looking for an echo chamber, this isn't it!

In each episode, Marty dives deep into high-impact topics with guests who have been there, done that, offering nuanced insights and practical takeaways, while highlighting their unique stories, knowledge, and experiences.

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• • ⁠Send Me: The True Story of a Mother at War⁠
• • ⁠Violence of Action: The True Stories of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the War on Terror
    

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) expert Justen Charters joins Subject Matter Expert to break down how influence campaigns actually spread online and how investigators trace Chinese-aligned networks across platforms.

We get practical on dark-web scams and fraud pipelines, triaging deepfakes and coordinated campaigns in real time, geolocation verification, and cyber cases that shape the world we live in. We also hit ethics, from doxxing red lines to how new platform rules shape what evidence you can collect.

Justen Charters is the founder of Unchartered, a digital investigations and training firm specializing in uncovering hard-to-find data and identifying key risks related to individuals and organizations. He is a former journalist who is now a veteran OSINT practitioner whose career began covering ISIS and Iran before expanding into fraud, extremism, and foreign influence. He builds workflows to track malign networks across languages, platforms, and borders.

• ​Follow Justen on LinkedIn
• ​Follow Justen on X
• ​Check out Justen’s company Unchartered

New here? Welcome to Subject Matter Expert, hosted by Marty Skovlund Jr., featuring top experts across diverse and relevant fields without regard to political bias. If you're looking for an echo chamber, this isn't it!

In each episode, Marty dives deep into high-impact topics with guests who have been there, done that, offering nuanced insights and practical takeaways, while highlighting their unique stories, knowledge, and experiences.

Subscribe & Follow

• ​Subscribe to ⁠Subject Matter Expert on YouTube⁠
• ​Subscribe to ⁠Subject Matter Expert Clips on YouTube⁠
• ​Follow ⁠Subject Matter Expert on Instagram⁠
• ​Follow ⁠Marty on Instagram⁠

Buy Marty's Books

• ​⁠Send Me: The True Story of a Mother at War⁠
• ​⁠Violence of Action: The True Stories of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the War on Terror

It’s Halloween week on Subject Matter Expert, featuring the host of Jacked History, Jack Mandaville!

In this episode we dive into dark and curious corners of history: animals on trial at the Salem witch trials, the real origins of trick-or-treating, the legend of the Headless Horseman, whether San Antonio’s Menger Hotel earns its “most haunted” rep, and the true stories behind a few truly grim figures: Vlad the Impaler, Elizabeth Báthory, and Carl Panzram. We also run a rapid-fire “Wrong Answers Only” round for laughs and get Jack’s hottest history take (you’ll probably be offended).

Jack Mandaville is a writer, producer, Marine Corps combat veteran, and the host of Jacked History, a fast-growing YouTube channel where he unpacks strange, hilarious, and interesting stories from the past with a dose of sarcasm and comedy. If you like sharp history with personality, go check out Jacked History on YouTube or Spotify and subscribe to support the show.

• ​Subscribe to Jacked History
• ​Follow Jack Mandaville on Instagram
• ​Follow Jack Mandaville on X

New here? Welcome to Subject Matter Expert, hosted by Marty Skovlund Jr., featuring top experts across diverse and relevant fields without regard to political bias. If you're looking for an echo chamber, this isn't it!

In each episode, Marty dives deep into high-impact topics with guests who have been there, done that, offering nuanced insights and practical takeaways, while highlighting their unique stories, knowledge, and experiences.

Subscribe & Follow

• ​Subscribe to ⁠Subject Matter Expert on YouTube⁠
• ​Subscribe to ⁠Subject Matter Expert Clips on YouTube⁠
• ​Follow ⁠Subject Matter Expert on Instagram⁠
• ​Follow ⁠Marty on Instagram⁠

Buy Marty's Books

• ​⁠Send Me: The True Story of a Mother at War⁠
• ​⁠Violence of Action: The True Stories of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the War on Terror⁠