MCA Scuttlebutt

Happy 2024 everyone! We’re back! We hope that you had a fun and safe New Year’s Eve and that your 2024 is off to a great start. Speaking of great starts, we are going to kick off 2024 right! By bringing in two Amtrackers to talk about Amtracker stuff. Wait, where are you going? Seriously, stick around because we talk about a really fascinating topic: how a monument gets made. I think we all take for granted that when we see a statue, obelisk, or rendering, that all it took was a great idea, a righteous cause, a ton of money and then BOOM! You’ve got a monument right? Actually there is a ton of imagination, planning, preparation, art, creativity, hard work, and diligence (and butt loads of money) to create something that commemorates legacy. No one knows this more than  the Amphibious Tractor Association and Memorial. John and Marc help lead the charge on the creation of a Amphibious Tractor Memorial to be placed at the National Museum of the Marine Corps Memorial Walk. We step behind the curtain and let John and Marc walk us through the process how a monument comes to be, from impetus to ribbon cutting.  They’re on a upward glide slope, but there is still a lot work to be done. If you would like to contribute to this endeavor or show your support, please go to www.amphibioustractormemorial.com and check out the artistic renderings of the monument and share in preserving the legacy of this particularly unique Marine Corps capability. Enjoy! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 117: Making of a Monument with Col John Atkinson and SgtMaj Marc Chabot first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for listening and your continued support. I wanted to take this opportunity to let you all know that Scuttlebutt will be taking a break over the holidays but will be back in Jan. We are excited for all of the new content and offerings coming up in 2024 with some exciting new segments and guests. Maybe even some return visits from some of our friends to see what their up to. Please feel free to hit us up at scuttlebutt@mca-marines.org and let us know what you think. Please share any ideas you have on what you would like to see on the podcast and we’ll make it happen. As we embark on our holiday leave block, no good Marine message is complete without an obligatory safety brief: Let this season be a time that you and your loved ones make cherished memories. Not a season that is forever tarnished because you were being stupid. On behalf of everyone at the Marine Corps Association we want to wish you all a fun and safe holiday season. Semper Fidelis <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 116: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us. This week Nancy and Vic welcome Adam Lazarus to the show. Adam is the author of the book, The Wingmen the story of the unlikely, unusual, unbreakable friendship between John Glenn and Ted Williams. Adam has also authored multiple books that focus on sports history such as Hail to the Redskins, Best of Rivals, Super Bowl Monday, and Chasing Greatness. Adam talks to us about his decision to write this book, being that it takes a step away from the specifics of sports history and looks at the shared history of these two American icons. Within the public consciousness, this is a fairly unknown story of these two giants. It is one of friendship and dynamics of a decades long relationship, sometimes contentious, between the men that existed behind the mythology. You can find more about Adam and his wonderful collection of books at: www.adamlazarusbooks.com on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @lazarusa57  LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-lazarus-b0117011 Enjoy! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 115: The Wingmen with Adam Lazarus first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us. This week we have another edition of World of Wargaming. William and Vic were able to spend some time with the founder and CEO of Victura studios, Peter Tamte. Peter talks to us about his newest project, Six Days in Fallujah, a first-person tactical military shooter that recreates true stories of Marines, soldiers, and Iraqi civilians during Operations Vigilant Resolve and Phantom Fury. This game is so nuanced. It’s not your standard first-person shooter that is generally placed in a semi-historical setting based on a conflict that is far removed from history. He walks us through the highs and lows of developing a video game, the change in the standard lone wolf, run-and-gun-style gameplay, and the challenges of making a game that accurately recreates a battle that many people playing it have actually participated in. As you can imagine, there was a lot of criticism when the project was first announced, but interestingly, most of it came from those who never served. Peter treats this project with the passion and sensitivity of someone who wants to do this right and have it be something that is authentic to those who were there. When we talk about wargaming providing the reps and sets that will help future servicemembers in future wars, Six Days in Fallujah is definitely shooting on target. And now, here’s our conversation with Peter Tamte. Check out their website at www.sixdays.com and get all the latest updates, news, and videos. And check out these trailers. Be prepared to have your mind blown! Enjoy! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 114: Six Days in Fallujah with Peter Tamte. first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us. This week we welcome Andrew Biggio back to the show to discuss his most recent book: The Rifle 2. When Andrew returned home from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan he had huge questions about the price of war. He decided to ask those who he knew would understand – veterans of War War II. William and Nancy talk to Andrew about his book and how it delves into the suffering and complexity of war that World War II veterans experienced. Andrew reveals the darker side of the greatest generation while illuminating the struggles they endured to create a better world. In recounting the stories of these veterans, Andrew takes the greatest generation off its pedestal to demonstrate that we may have more in common with them than previously thought, wrestling with their share of weaknesses and flaws while answering the call of duty. Enjoy! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 113: The Rifle 2 with Andrew Biggio first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us. This week Vic sits down with Col Eric “Ferris” Buer, former Cobra pilot and author of the book, Ghosts of Baghdad: Marine Corps Gunships on the Opening Days of the Iraq War. As the title suggests, his book looks at the war in Iraq from 2003-2004 from the perspective of a Cobra pilot supporting troops on the ground. His perspectives were really interesting because most of the narratives coming out of the Long War have either been from the ground or from fixed-wing aviators. It’s embarrassing to admit that his point of view from the cockpit was a perspective from our operations during the Long War that haven’t been highlighted, especially considering that many of us owe our current existence to the actions of rotary-wing close air support. Being that he and his rotary-wing brethren are so inextricably linked to ground maneuver and thus exposed to a threat level, and quite frankly, a grit level that many of the fixed-wing community are not, his experiences and views on the war are fascinating. Enjoy! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 112: Ghosts of Baghdad with Col Eric “Ferris” Buer, USMC (Ret) first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us. This week we have another episode of our series Strait Talk with Dr. Mike Hunzeker. We recorded this episode on 10 November, so what kind of Marines would we be if we didn’t celebrate the Marine Corps birthday properly. And what better way to celebrate than to get into the weeds on the current state of one of our primary operating environments, the Taiwan Strait. Mike gives us his valuable insight on the upcoming elections in Taiwan and what it means for the future US-Taiwan relations, what the outcome of the election could mean for Taiwan’s force posture, and the implications of China’s gray-zone campaign and the potential for overstretch. It’s always great to talk to Mike and pick at his 10-pound brain for some tasty nuggets. Here are the articles we reference in the interview: Taiwan’s Most Pressing Challenge Is Strangulation, Not Invasion China’s Gray-Zone Tactics Show the U.S.-Philippine Alliance Is Working Enjoy! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 111: Strait Talk with Dr. Mike Hunzeker first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Happy 248th Birthday Marines and welcome to episode 110 everyone. Thank you for joining us. To help celebrate our birthday we are trying a new segment we’re calling Tun Tavern Talks. For all of us who have spent time around service members, especially Marines, we know that sea stories abound. I’ve heard it said that the only difference between a fairy tale and a sea story is that one starts with once upon a time and the other starts with, this no kidding happened. So, we thought why don’t we get some of these gems immortalized on air, and what better place than a podcast called Scuttlebutt. Well, Scuttlebutt fans and fans of Scuttlebutt…scuttlebutt you shall have. To kick off our inaugural episode of the series, we brought our own Col Chris Woodbridge and SgtMaj Justin Lehew into the studio to join Vic on the panel, moderated by Nancy. What could possibly go wrong?! This was a lot of fun and we hope to have many more Tun Tavern Talks in our future. Happy Birthday, Marines! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 110: Tun Tavern Talks with Col Chris Woodbridge and SgtMaj Justin Lehew first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us. This week we have another edition of World of Wargaming. William has a chat with Tom Knowles and Keith Martin-Smith from HexWar to discuss their series of games available on Mac, PC, iPhone, and iPad. Given the previous Commandant’s desire to increase wargaming usage throughout the Corps, HexWar’s mobile wargaming allows Marines to get their reps and sets in at their own convenience. Check out the full library of HexWar games at: www.hexwar.com Enjoy! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 109: World of Wargaming with HexWar first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us. This week we are very excited to be welcoming Michael Armistead not only to the show, but to the Marine Corps Association staff. Michael is our new Director of Communications and comes to us from HQMC Communications Directorate where he served as the Branch head of Occupational Field support. He retired as a LtCol in September of this year.  Michael was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule and sit down with us to talk a little about his background, his career in unform, and his goals and vision for the Marine Corps Association’s communication plan. It was a lot of fun getting to know Michael beyond the workplace. Enjoy! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 108: Welcome Aboard LtCol Michael Armistead, USMC (Ret) first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>