MCA Scuttlebutt

William sits down with one of his wargaming opponents, the author, historian, former Marine, and Army officer, Donald Vandergriff. The two discuss Donald’s wargaming experience and expertise and give an overview of their current wargame scenario: Wargame Design Studio’s Overland Campaign,  Crossing the James (an American Civil War scenario). Can Donald’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia stop William’s Army of the Potomac from taking Petersburg and Richmond? Tune in later to hear an AAR of the battle. Produced by Vic Ruble, William Treuting, and Nancy Lichtman. <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 68: World of Wargaming with Donald Vandergriff first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

In this episode of Scuttlebutt, Vic sits down with LtCol David Kelly USMC (ret), Marine Corps historian and the author of the book, Hell in the Streets of Husaybah. In April 2004, while fighting in Iraq raged throughout Al Anbar Province, most of the attention was focused on Fallujah. However, at the same time, out west in a little town on the border of Syria, fighting was just as intense and went mostly unnoticed.  As a field historian, LtCol Kelly was there within weeks of the battle, and his book chronicles the firsthand accounts of the Marines who fought in Husaybah from interviews conducted at all levels – the battalion commander to the infantrymen walking point. LtCol Kelly talks to us about his experiences as a Marine, his path to becoming a field historian, his motivations for writing this book, and what he would like for readers to take away from it. There is a sense of immediacy in the narrative of this book and he was kind enough to take the time to recount his perspectives with us. We hope you enjoy the interview and if you haven’t had the chance, please go check out Hell in the Street of Husaybah. https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kelly-4781a7132/ https://www.amazon.com/Hell-Streets-Husaybah-Battalion-Marines/dp/1636241506 Produced by Vic Ruble, William Treuting, and Nancy Lichtman. <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 67: Hell in the Streets of Husaybah with LtCol David Kelly first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

This week on MCA Scuttlebutt, William meets with John Currie. John is a retired Marine who served as a helicopter pilot in the Balkans as well as several combat tours in the Middle East. John, who was working in Iraq at the time of the recording, also offers some insight on recent developments in the country. John is also the founder of Semper Savage, a company specializing in sauces and salad dressings. https://sempersavage.com/ Produced by Vic Ruble, William Treuting, and Nancy Lichtman. <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 66: Semper Savage with John Currie first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Happy Lunar New Year, Scuttlebutt listeners. I hope the Year of the Cat is off to a start for everyone. This week, we welcome Dr. Michael Hunzeker for first ever segment crossover – Strait Talk and World of Wargaming (Strait Wargaming? War Talk?) – discussing the recent CSIS wargame of a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait (spoiler alert: everyone dies!) Just a few weeks ago, the Center for Strategic and International Studies published results of their recent wargame of a Chinese amphibious invasion of Taiwan. Vic, William, and Dr. Hunzeker discuss the results, the benefits and drawbacks of these types of simulations, and the harsh realities of conducting war in the Taiwan Strait. Dr. Hunezeker recently returned from a trip to Taiwan, so his on-the-ground perspective is really interesting. He’s back doing in-person classes at George Mason University in the spring, so if you’re looking to take a class in strategic studies or feel like your GI Bill is burning a hole in your pocket, check him out. Hope you all enjoy the show and thanks for your continued support. Chuc Mung Nam Moi! https://www.csis.org/analysis/first-battle-next-war-wargaming-chinese-invasion-taiwan Produced by Vic Ruble, William Treuting, and Nancy Lichtman. <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 65: Michael Hunzeker first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Welcome to MCA Scuttlebutt’s new series: World of Wargaming. In this series, we will discuss the application of wargaming as a teaching tool. For our first episode in this series, William sits down with the Director of Wargaming at the Krulak Center for Innovation & Future Warfare, Marine Corps University, Tim Barrick. They discuss how wargaming should be used for PME, the future of Marine Corps wargaming, and their own experiences with wargaming. Produced by Vic Ruble, William Treuting, and Nancy Lichtman. <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 64: Tim Barrick first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hello again, Scuttlebutt listeners. This week we are joined by Kacy Tellessen, veteran Marine infantryman and author of the book, Freaks of a Feather. He comes to us from Spokane, WA where is attending Gonzaga Law School. Kacy joined the infantry directly out of high school and deployed twice to Iraq as a machine gunner with Second Battalion, Third Marines from 2005-2009. Freaks of Feather is a memoir that reads like narrative non-fiction. His wonderful prose takes the reader through more than just a, “so there I was” retelling and explores not only the nuances of being a Marine in combat and the challenges of being a combat veteran returning home, but of being a young man trying to find your place in a world that you aren’t sure you truly fit into. His book is a must read and we were so happy to spend time talking to him about his time in the Marines, the genesis of the book and the process of writing. Hope you take away as much from it as we did. Enjoy! Produced by Vic Ruble, William Treuting, and Nancy Lichtman. <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 63: Kacy Tellessen first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Miles Vining returns to recount his experiences working as a historical consultant for the 2021 Chinese film, “The Battle at Lake Changjin.”  Grossing over $900 million, “The Battle at Lake Changjin” offers a historically dubious account of the Korean War from the Chinese perspective, including depictions of the Battle of Inchon, the Chinese counteroffensive, the destruction of Task Force Faith, the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, and the UN withdrawal from North Korea. Produced by Vic Ruble, William Treuting, and Nancy Lichtman. <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 62: Miles Vining and Battle at Lake Changjin first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

This week we welcome to the show, Navy Cross recipient and author of the book, Shadow of the Sword, Jeremiah Workman to talk to us about his amazing journey from Ohio native, to his time with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, to writing his book, to being on the GOP ticket for deputy governor of Ohio.   He shares with us his thoughts on everything from stepping on the yellow footprints to returning home and wanting to be a vehicle for change. Jeremiah is a super interesting guy and I think you all will take a lot away from his perspective, especially for in the process of transition, particularly those dealing with the mental health challenges of returning from combat. I know we all certainly did.   You can find Jeremiah’s book, Shadow of the Sword, here:   https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Sword-Marines-Journey-Redemption/dp/034551212X   And for those in Ohio, you can find him on the campaign trail coming in 2023. Produced by Vic Ruble, William Treuting, and Nancy Lichtman. <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 61: Jeremiah Workman first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Writer Geoff Roecker joined us in studio recently to talk about how the search for information about a family member’s death on Saipan in 1944 led him to become a volunteer MIA researcher. We also talked about his book, “Leaving Mac Behind,” his website, MissingMarines.com and his articles for Leatherneck. As an added bonus, there was a brief discussion about Geoff’s days as a Civil War reenactor and a possible haunting on the Gettysburg battlefield. Visit Geoff’s websites here: https://missingmarines.com/ https://1-24thmarines.com/ You can find his book here: https://missingmarines.com/thebook/ His Leatherneck articles include: “Lay Bare a Few More Nerves: Under Fire at Roi-Namur,” February 2021 “I Never Had Any Idea it Would Get Home,” July 2021 “Returning Arthur,” September 2022   Produced by Nick Wilson, Vic Ruble, William Treuting, and Nancy Lichtman. <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 60: Missing Marines with Geoff Roecker first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Ben Kesling—journalist, author, and Marine combat veteran—joined us to discuss his newly released book, “Bravo Company: An Afghanistan Deployment and Its Aftermath.” “Bravo Company” recounts the experiences of a company from the 82nd Airborne Division as they grappled with the enemy in the Arghandab Valley of Afghanistan before then returning and readjusting to civilian life. You can purchase “Bravo Company” here at: https://www.amazon.com/Bravo-Company-Afghanistan-Deployment-Aftermath/dp/1419751158 The views and opinions expressed on Scuttlebutt are those of the individuals and do not reflect the official position of the Marine Corps Association. Produced by Nick Wilson, Vic Ruble, William Treuting, and Nancy Lichtman. <p>The post Scuttlebutt Ep 59: “Bravo Company” by Ben Kesling first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>