GRP 87-Combat Concussions: The cause and effects of blast wave injuries on veterans of combat arms

 

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GRP 87-We have a very special and powerful episode for you guys. Back on the podcast is retired SARC Dan Brown, and retired Army Special Operations veteran Kevin Tretter. Dan served with Force Recon and the Marine Raider Battalions as a highly trained Corpsman. Kevin started out as a Combat Engineer 12 Bravo then went into Special Forces as an 18 Charlie Engineer Sergeant. He got picked up by a special unit to serve as a heavy breacher. He then went back into Special Forces in the Commanders in Extremis Force (CIF) which is the counter terrorist arm of the Green Berets.

During his time in the CIF he survived a helicopter crash in Iraq eventually retiring after 20 years of service. This episode is important because we discussed Traumatic Brain Injury in a deep and honest way as both Dan and Kevin have brain injuries due to the culmination of training in tight spaces with live rifle fire, explosives, airplane jumps and combative training. They have both received blast injuries in combat. We talked the negative effects of having physical brain damage, and how the government protocols for diagnosing PTSD and TBI are flawed. Discussed the positive effects of Cannabis on healing brain injuries. We talked about some problems and solutions with veterans who don’t need care for TBI or PTSD taking advantage of the government and sucking up resources from service members who need the treatment.

0:00-Intro

4:48-Kevin Tretter’s background. Combat Engineer 12 Bravo. 18 Charlie (Engineer Sergeant) with 3rd Special Forces Group. Worked as a Heavy Breacher with a special unit within the Army Special Operations Command.

8:08- Tretter joined the Commanders in Extremis Forces. Survived a helicopter crash in Iraq.

9:25-Understanding the compounding struggles of all of the concussions. Prolonged exposure, retirement, and realization

14:20- Medical Marijuana and creative output.  

20:20-Issues with memory and placing memories in proper chronological order.  

25:08-Difference between sports concussions and concussions received by blast waves.

27:00-New York Times article on PTSD being misdiagnosed most likely being TBI. Area’s of the brain damaged by TBI.

32:29-Doctors misdiagnosing TBI, and not factoring the cumulative effects of the blast waves on the brain.

44:05-Servicemembers who claim PTSD falsely, sucking up resources for induvial who need it.  Solutions to fixing this issue.

1:02:28-Changing our approach to care for TBI. Potentially changing the name to Post Blast Wave Concussion Syndrome.

1:25:51-Finding a sense of purpose. Getting back to the basics. Utilizing creativity.

1:34:02-The positive effects of Cannabis on the brain, and the politics behind keeping Marijuana illegal when it heals.

Below are links for some of the articles referenced by Dan Brown during the podcast:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/magazine/what-if-ptsd-is-more-physical-than-psychological.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us/military-misconduct-ptsd.html

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/07/25/sports/football/nfl-cte.html

Hemingway's Brain

http://whqr.org/post/coastline-hemingways-suicide-incorrectly-attributed-alcoholism-and-bipolar-disorder#stream/0

Brain/Vestibular Therapy in Dallas

http://cerebrum.com/

CBD/Canabis for Seizures sited research studies within article

https://www.projectcbd.org/article/medical-marijuana-seizures-sulak-saneto-goldstein

Penn State Neuroscientist and Engineers find link between Seizures and Migraines

http://news.psu.edu/story/332549/2014/10/30/research/link-seen-between-seizures-and-migraines-brain

Hormone therapy for TBI

http://waftbi.org/

Introduction audio is from the NRA series “Patriot Profiles” with Army Special Operations veteran Scot Spooner speaking: https://www.nratv.com/series/patriot-profiles/episode/patriot-profiles-season-3-episode-11-forward-march

Kevin Tretter:

https://warriorwoven.com

https://www.instagram.com/warrior_woven

Dan Brown:

The Dangerzone Podcast on Sound Cloud, ITunes, and YouTube.

https://www.instagram.com/danielthebarbarian

Global Recon:

www.Globalrecon.net

https://www.instagram.com/igrecon

https://www.instagram.com/blackopsmatter

www.twitter.com/igrecon

https://www.facebook.com/GlobalReconPodcast/

Chantel Taylor:

https://www.instagram.com/mission_critical

https://www.instagram.com/altern8rv

GRP 85-A Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman through combat| Traumatic Brain Injury

Click the buttons below to access the full episode on ITunes (Apple users), or Sound Cloud (Android users). Be sure to like, share, subscribe, and download the episodes. Thank you.

GRP 85- On for this week's podcast is retired Navy Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman (SARC), and the host of "The Dangerzone" podcast Dan Brown. SARC's are highly trained Special Operations Medical personnel who deploy mainly with the Force Reconnaissance companies and the Marine Raiders. There have been instances where SARC's have deployed with Naval Special Warfare Teams and Army Special Operations Teams. SARC's are trained as amphibious special operations personnel going through various schooling alongside Recon Marines to include: Army Basic Airborne School, Marine Combatant Diver school, Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman Course, and the Special Operations Combat Medicine Course.

Dan continued on to complete the second half of the Special Operations Medical Course that typically only the Green Beret Medics complete. SEALs and SARC's will also complete the full course to become Independent Duty Corpsman, but only the senior Corpsman go through the rest of the course. We talked about Dan running Village Stability Operations (VSO) in Afghanistan during his deployment with the Raider Battalion, and how that type of mission is incredibly complex as it requires the war fighter to play the role of a diplomat and warrior. Dan was wounded during an attack in Afghanistan resulting in a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). We discussed TBI in some detail which is a topic I plan to cover extensively in future episodes. 

0:00-Intro

11:00-SARC Pipeline

13:30-Special Operations Combat Medicine Course

16:28-SARC employment

17:34-Force Recon Battalion, Marine Raider Battalion

19:16-Independent Duty Corpsman

21:14-Prolonged Field Care

26:49-The positive effects of 15 years of war for trauma medicine in the United States

39:03-Village Stability Operations (VSO)

58:13-Running operations in Afghanistan, wounded in Afghanistan, Traumatic Brain Injury.

1:31:00-Outro

Dan Brown:

The Dangerzone Podcast on Sound Cloud, ITunes, and YouTube.

Instagram: DanielTheBarbarian

Global Recon:

www.globalrecon.net

IgRecon – Instagram

BlackOpsMatter- Instagram

Mission_Critical – Instagram

IgRecon- Twitter

Chantel Taylor:

Instagram: Mission_Critical

Facebook: Battleworn

GRP 82-Killing in Combat: A Navy SEALs perspective on killing on the battlefield

Click the buttons below to access the full episode on ITunes(Apple users), or Soundcloud(Android users). Be sure to like, share, subscribe, and download the episodes. Thank you.

GRP 82-Today marks the 12th anniversary of Operation Red Wings with what was at the time the worst loss of life for American forces in Afghanistan, and the worse loss of life for Naval Special Warfare in their storied history.

Back on the podcast is retired U.S. Navy SEAL and New York Times bestselling author Kevin Lacz. Kevin is trained as Corpsman (Medic) and a Sniper. This places Kevin and those like him on opposite ends of the spectrum of combat arms in taking life on the battlefield and saving it. Chantel Taylor the co-host of the show served as a Combat Medic in the British Army. During a tour in southern Afghanistan, a convoy she was traveling in was ambushed. In the ensuing battle, Chantel became the first British woman in history to kill an enemy in close quarters. We talked about the psychology of killing in combat which Kevin touched on in his book. Below is an excerpt from the podcast:

Kevin Lacz: I read "On Killing" prior to my first deployment. It made a mark in the back of mind. At the end of that first deployment, I was like ok I fall in that 2 percent crowd that can conduct business and keep going without the psychological and physiological changes that are experienced by most. In most memoirs, you won't read about how killing effects you. Most people just write about being a tough guy, but there hasn't been much of a psychological approach of having gone through combat and how it affects you. How you sleep at night. It's important to read about how you put your feet in front of you as you walk down the street, but also what you're thinking when you're about to squeeze the trigger and you have someone in the crosshairs.

Also then 10, 20, 30 seconds, 10 mins, or even 3 years later how you react to that situation. That's what drives people to dig deeper and read more.   

Global Recon:

www.globalrecon.net

IgRecon – Instagram

BlackOpsMatter- Instagram

Mission_Critical – Instagram

IgRecon- Twitter

Kevin Lacz:

The Last Punisher: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0176M3PUG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

www.kevinlacz.com

Instagram: RealKevinLacz

Facebook: KevinDauberLacz

Twitter: Dauber246

Music provided by Caspian. www.caspianmusic.net

GRP 62-GSMSG, Iraq, British Army Combat Medic, Navy Corpsman

Click the buttons below to access the episode on ITunes, or Soundcloud. Be sure to like, share, subscribe, and download the episodes. Thank you.

GRP 62- Back on for this week's podcast is my good friend retired British Army Combat Medic Chantel Taylor. We discuss the process of becoming a Combat Medic in the British Army, as well as discuss some of her experience's as an Army Medic, and as a Medic working as a contractor in several conflict zones post military.

The second conversation I had is with a former U.S. Navy Corpsman named Cris, who spent the duration of his career attached to the U.S. Marine Corps for multiple combat rotations into Afghanistan. Chris shares a story of a mass casualty event in which he was leading the quick reaction force into a potentially dangerous situation. Cris has since retired from the Navy and is now working with an incredible organization called the Global Surgical Medical Support Group (GSMSG). The GSMSG is an organization that provides medical training and treats soldiers fighting ISIS in Northern Iraq, and elsewhere. They have surgeons, doctors, and military medics working around the clock to train the Kurdish Peshmerga medics, as well as performing surgery on Peshmerga soldiers, and Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF).  GSMSG is now recruiting SOF Medics for a trip into Syria. If you’re interested, apply on their website http://www.gsmsg.org

 Below is an excerpt.

John: Can you share a story of a time you treated a casualty in combat?

Cris: My second deployment to Afghanistan we were supporting the Afghan’s as they took the lead in the fighting over there. We had a lot of mass casualty events. A couple of their vehicles struck an IED and we were the quick reaction force. I was with three other Marines. They could all do the basic interventions to help save lives. Putting on tourniquets, occlusive dressings, needle decompressions. There were 20 casualties total. When we got there the scene was total chaos. We started triaging. Who's alive? who needs care right now? we got everything from a triple amputee to minor burns. Having all my Marines trained to the standard that they could all perform casualty care efficiently was great. Each of us had four casualties. We were able to get them medevac'd and taken to a higher level of care.   

Global Surgical Medical Support Group:

http://www.gsmsg.org

Facebook: Global Surgical Medical Support Group

Instagram:Global_Surgical_Medical_Support_Group

Chantel Taylor:

Facebook: Battleworn

Instagram: Mission_Critical

The Choke Point Podcast, Cro Medical Gear, Army Rangers, SARC’s

GRP 34-On this episode I conducted two interviews. The first is with T a Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman (SARC) in the Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC). T spent a number of years in the US Navy attached to MARSOC, and we were able to discuss some aspects of trauma medicine. T is apart of a company called Cro Medical Gear which is owned and operated by SARC’s. They are working on developing a product line of medical gear for the advanced care provider initially, and then will release products for civilians as well.

The Second interview was with 3 former Army Rangers from the 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment who run a podcast called The Choke Point. Chance Davis SSG Former Ranger Medic, James Webb SGT Ranger Retired, and Paul Martinez SSG Ranger Retired. These guys are awesome indivus who’ve overcome many obstacles, and who stay busying farming, and working with other veterans. They’ve got books in the works, and are forming an organization to help veterans in need. Below is an excerpt from the podcast.

Paul Martinez: I remember that. We’re having like a Turkey dinner in the middle of Afghanistan in this giant castle compound. It was weird man. I felt like Genghis Khan. You’re looking at these giant Himalayan mountains covered in snow, but its hot where you are. Doc’s got a turkey on the stick. Your extremely well fed. Its one of those things where your sitting in this house, your eating turkey dinner with your best buddies, you’re in arguably one of the worst places on the planet. I couldn’t have been happier. As soon as the sun goes down were back out fighting through ambushes. It was some pretty gnarly fighting.

Send an email to podcast@gloablrecon.net with questions, or comments.

www.cromedicalgear.com

Instagram: SofMedicine

www.TheChokePoint.com

Instagram: thechokepoint

Chanceinaction

Ranger_Webb

Billy_BadAss375

www.globalrecon.net

Facebook: FB Recon

Instagram: IgRecon, Global Recon_INC

Twitter: IgRecon

LinkedIn: Global Recon

Music provided by Caspian: www.caspianmusic.net

Click the links below to access the episode: