You can access the full episode on Apple Podcast (Apple users), or Spotify, and Anchor (Android users). Be sure to like, share, subscribe, and download the episodes. Thank you.

Sandra Eira, a Norweigan Sami native and volunteer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is my guest for this week's podcast. She worked as a fisherman in the Barents Sea for ten years which is among the most dangerous professions in the world, before serving on the Sami Parliament in northern Norway. During her four years in the Parliament, she studied for a career as a health professional.

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she immediately traveled to Kyiv to join the fight. Upon arrival, her team was sent to Moshun to halt the Russian advance toward Kyiv. In the ensuing chaos, she was separated from her unit and believed them to be killed during the heavy fighting. This resulted in her being the only medic in a mass casualty situation. After successfully repelling the Russian advance, she reunited with her unit, and they traveled to the southern front. Her team consists of former American Special Operators giving them a wide range of skills and allowing them to rotate in and out of different battles. We discussed their roles, including time spent in Bakhmut, the difficulty of pausing your life to go to war, and much more. Tune in.

Main Takeaways

Sami Tribe
Working as a fisherman for ten years in the Barents Sea
Serving in the Sami Parliament for four years
Fighting in the battle of Moshun
Serving in the southern front
Serving in Bakhmut

Follow Sandra on all social platforms

@dirtydozeneira

This episode is sponsored by 4 Patriots, a survival food company. You can visit ⁠⁠www.4patriots.com⁠⁠ and use the code RECON for 10% off

Connect With John Hendricks

⁠⁠www.globalrecon.net⁠⁠

⁠⁠www.instagram.com/igrecon ⁠⁠

Music provided by Caspian:

⁠⁠www.caspian.band

Comment

You can access the full episode on Apple Podcast (Apple users), or Spotify, and Anchor (Android users). Be sure to like, share, subscribe, and download the episodes. Thank you.

Joining me for this week's podcast is a veteran foreign correspondent and author of First Casualty: The Untold Story Of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11 Toby Harnden. Harnden is a Royal Navy Veteran from the United Kingdom and has spent years covering wars in conflict zones worldwide. We discussed his journalism career, and he cut his teeth in Northern Ireland, covering the conflict there. He's also spent time in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The initial American response to the 9/11 attacks was a secret eight-man CIA squad called Team Alpha. Team Alpha rode into battle on horseback alongside the Afghan warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum. Mike Spann, an ex-Marine and member of Team Alpha, was the first American killed in combat in Afghanistan. We discussed his book in detail, including the role of Delta Force, The British Special Boat Service, and Army Green Berets in routing Al Queda during the early days of the war. Plus many more topics. Tune in.

Main Takeaways