MCA Scuttlebutt

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners and welcome to a special episode of Scuttlebutt. William and I sit down with the Editor-in-Chief & Publisher of The Marine Corps Gazette & Leatherneck and Vice President of Professional Development, Col Chris Woodbridge to talk about current events in the Ukraine-Russia War and the current state of the things in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Like with our other warzone update segments, there is no shortage of media outlets, news organizations and social media influencers rushing to weigh-in on these conflicts and provide a hot take. As much as we don’t want to add to the noise, it seems like it would be irresponsible to ignore what is going on, especially as hundreds of Marines head into these areas, while thousands more stand-by awaiting orders to go. We fully admit that we at the MCA are distanced from these conflicts not only in proximity but in the kind of information we have access to. But what we try to do with this episode is avoid the rhetoric and give a strategic, operational, tactical assessment of the way we understand the events as they are unfolding from the perspective of people who have a decent amount of time operating in warzones in this region and the scholarhip of military history. Hopefully we can help move the conversation beyond the black-and-white narrative of good versus evil and highlight the extreme complexity of what is going on in the world right now while acknowledging the tragedy of it all. <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 107: Ukraine and Gaza Discussion with Col Chris Woodbridge, USMC (Ret) first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. This week we are super excited to welcome Captain Riley Tejcek to the show. Riley is the Support Officer for the Expeditionary Warfare School at the Marine Corps University here at MCB Quantico. On top of that, Riley is in contingency for the US National Bobsledding Team. She is currently on the National Team, out at team trials right now to make the final cut for the Winter Games in 2024. We talk to Riley about her path to the yellow footprints, what drives her to constantly excel at everything she does, and why representation matters. We had a lot of fun talking to Riley and look forward to tracking her progress toward international competition at the highest level, and hopefully some hardware around her neck when it’s all said and done. You can find Riley on Instagram and follow her progress: https://www.instagram.com/riley.tejcek/ If you want to donate to help augment the costs of her pursuit, you can contribute here to her GoFundMe page here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/riley-compton-bobsled-journey Enjoy! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 106: Sledding Toward Gold with Capt Riley Tejcek first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. This week we are happy to welcome Col Patty “Bacon” Klop to the show. Patty is the Assistant Chief of Staff, Reserve G-1 for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. October 10th was the World Mental Health Day as recognized by the World Health Organization. The overall objective of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health. Patty was kind enough to come on and share her story of struggles with post-traumatic stress. Vic and Nancy talk to Patty about her her upbringing as an elite college athlete, her decision to join the Marine Corps and upcoming retirement, her article in Leatherneck Magazine, and her efforts to raise awareness on the mental health crisis and veteran suicide. Check out the article in Leatherneck Magazine chronicling her journey here: www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck/the-healing-of-a-marine To get her full story regarding PTSD, please check it out on Freedom Fitness America: https://freedomfitnessamerica.org/patty-Klop-advisory-group-member-1 And please check out SheForce – Ninth Fold here: https://www.facebook.com/TheNinthFold/ Enjoy! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 105: The Healing of a Marine with Col Patty Klop first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. On this installment of World of Wargaming, William enjoys a conversation with Rich Hamilton, the Chief Operations Officer of Wargame Design Studio. The two discuss the evolution of John Tiller’s gaming software to the now-titled Wargame Design Studio, which focuses primarily on in-depth historical wargaming.  As a special gift to our dedicated listeners, Wargame Design Studio is partnering with the Marine Corps Association to offer a 25% discount on all products with the code: MCA25. Check out their website (https://wargameds.com/) and start getting your historical wargaming reps and sets in! Enjoy! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 104: World of Wargaming with Rich Hamilton from Wargame Design Studio first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Today we welcome SgtMaj Lynn Kimble, USMC (Ret) to the show to talk about USAA’s Face the Fight Campaign. Mental health and suicide are issues that our country faces everyday and the impact is felt by veterans well above that of the rest of the American public. Face the Fight is a coalition of philanthropic foundations, veteran-oriented nonprofit organizations and corporations that are pooling resources ($41 million to start) and sharing a nationwide concerted effort, with the goal of cutting the veteran suicide rate in half by 2030. As the Military Affairs Relationship Director at USAA, SgtMaj Kimble shares with us his insight into the Face the Fight Campaign, as well as his experiences as a Marine rising through the ranks to become the Marine Corps Embassy Security Guard Sergeant Major and eventually the Command Sergeant Major of Marine Corps Reserve Forces and Marine Corps Forces North. If you would like more information on the USAA Face the Fight Campaign or would like to support it, please check them out at: https://wefacethefight.org/ Enjoy! Quick note: This recording occurred the week after our 100th episode aired but to better synch the release of this episode with World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th, we pushed it out to today. That’s why Vic refers to this episode as “101”. Apologies for any confusion. <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 103: USAA’s Face The Fight With Sergeant Major Lynn Kimble first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. This week we’re giving movie reviews a try and we begin with the documentary, The United States Marine Corps: 1775 – 1916: A History of Heroes. As fun as this was, there is more to this project than just having an excuse to watch movies while on the clock. The Marine Corps Association website offers battle study packages that provide a litany of resources to aid in our Marines’ professional military education. Among these resources are curated YouTube videos. But how should one use these videos in their studies? On this episode, William and Vic perform an analysis of a documentary film to demonstrate how YouTube videos can be used as a teaching tool. Using The United States Marine Corps: 1775 – 1916: A History of Heroes as an example, William and Vic discuss their reviews of the film, its pros and cons, the potential bias of the director, and how it was made to influence its intended audience.  The film can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYFhmtdg-cg&t=2623s Enjoy! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 102: “The United States Marine Corps 1775-1916: A History Of Heroes” Movie Review first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. On this episode of MCA Scuttlebutt, we continue our World of Wargaming series with Jeremy Sepinsky, the lead wargame designer for the Center for Naval Analyses. Enjoy! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 101: World of Wargaming with Jeremy Sepinsky from the Center For Naval Analyses first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. After interviewing dozens of people the past two years, we turn the mic toward our very own Vic Ruble for our 100th episode of MCA Scuttlebutt. For this episode, guest interviewer Kyle Watts chats with Vic over his career in the Marine Corps and how he became the illustrious host of this podcast. We would like to thank each of our listeners for embarking on this journey with us and we are excited for what the future has in store. Enjoy! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 100: Celebrating 100 Episodes With Vic Ruble first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. If you want to write about veterans you need to earn their trust, listen to their experiences, and get it right. On this episode, William and Nancy have a conversation with award-winning writer, Leatherneck’s own Kyle Watts. Kyle is the recipient of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s 2019 Colonel Robert Debs Heinl, Jr. Award for the best article pertinent to Marine Corps history. He is a Marine communications officer turned freelance writer and is currently working as a Virginia firefighter. His side hustle is writing for Leatherneck and for him it’s not about the tactics and the analysis of the battles but it’s all about telling the stories of Marines who were there. I have a feeling you will be hearing more from him now that we know where he works. Enjoy! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 99: Writing For Leatherneck with Kyle Watts first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. On this episode of Scuttlebutt, World of Wargaming returns as William interviews Mr. Joseph Miranda, a former Army officer and prolific board wargame designer, and Dr. Christopher Cummins, the publisher of Strategy & Tactics Press and CEO of Decision Games. Check out their series of Strategy and Tactics articles available in the Marine Corps Gazette as well as their games available at: https://decisiongames.com/wpsite Enjoy! <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 98: World of Wargaming with Joseph Miranda and Dr. Christopher Cummins first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>