Cigars And Sea Stories

This was our 10th episode and part 2 of our interview with Marty Skovlund Jr and Matt Sanders sit down and talk about the GI film festival and making Nomadic Veterans. Marty Skovlund Jr. is a veteran of the 1st Ranger Battalion and Syracuse Recruiting Battalion, a former small business owner, the author of Violence of Action: The Untold Stories of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the War on Terror (Blackside Publishing) as well as Ranger Knowledge: The Complete Study Guide (St. Martins Press). He is also the executive producer of the award-winning documentary Nomadic Veterans, and the award winning short-narrative Prisoner of War. He is currently working on his third book as well as pursuing a career in film and television. Matthew R. Sanders is a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, serving as a light infantryman in 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment from 2002-2007. After separating from the Army, he attended the Los Angeles Film School, graduating in 2009 with an Associates in Film making. Since film scho

This was our 9th episode!!!!  Marty Skovlund Jr and Matt Sanders sit down and talk about the GI film festival and making Nomadic Veterans. Marty Skovlund Jr. is a veteran of the 1st Ranger Battalion and Syracuse Recruiting Battalion, a former small business owner, the author of Violence of Action: The Untold Stories of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the War on Terror (Blackside Publishing) as well as Ranger Knowledge: The Complete Study Guide (St. Martins Press). He is also the executive producer of the award-winning documentary Nomadic Veterans, and the award winning short-narrative Prisoner of War. He is currently working on his third book as well as pursuing a career in film and television. Matthew R. Sanders is a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, serving as a light infantryman in 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment from 2002-2007. After separating from the Army, he attended the Los Angeles Film School, graduating in 2009 with an Associates in Film making. Since film school, he has worked on various

ON this episode of Cigars and Sea Stories Nic Gray joins Michael J. Penney for a good conversation gone awry. Nic Gray is the founder of Graypoint Ventures. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army with experience in tanks, scouting missions and, PSD operations.  Nic is an experienced businessman with extensive knowledge in franchising and licensing opportunities. Currently, he is working with the 5 Paragraph Business Plan and HOCOA: Home Repair Network to deliver home owners with reliable service. HOCOA is a single phone call concierge service. Vetted, licensed, insured contractors are standing by to help you with ALL of your homeowner needs. Nic has built, grown, and sold his own business. His experience and talents are invaluable as a veteran business owner, and he sure knows how to tell a great story. Nic's time in tanks was spent bouncing around to various units as a T.W.A.T. - Tanker Without A Tank. He did a PSD workup but it got canked last minute. He did a pump to Korea and another to Iraq. The stories g

Q, for those of you who don't know, is an individual/group inside the administration of Donald J. Trump.  They have been sending messages to those of us who are listening. In these messages, Q shares images and asks questions as if they're clues. There are times when Q speaks directly about an event. There are times when Q provides a heads up regarding some military action. "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the whole world he didn't exist." The point is, Q is a good guy….or girl, or team;whatever. Q, as we know it, is telling the truth and sharing the realities of our nation; and the terrifying truth about our "leaders". This is a scary time. We were all dooped into believing our system was not corrupt. We were taught that our leaders are pure and their virtues moral, however that is not the case. Look for yourself. Check out the emails on Wikileaks.   OH, you thought you couldn't go on wikileaks. You thought they could find you. You thought it's illegal?  Then you a

The journey of life includes many hazards. There are moments of sheer devastation that have an explosively sobering effect on the human soul. It is during these times of hopeless despair that your values will be tested. This talk will help you deal with and get through those moments. Michael is a Marine Corps combat veteran, former infantryman and, Combat Arms instructor. During his eight-year career in the Corps, he served in with distinction on the battlefields of Ramadi Iraq (2005-2006/2007), Kajaki and Sangin Afghanistan (2011). As an Instructor, Michael has trained Marines in combat marksmanship, precision weapon systems and foreign/ threat weapons. Since leaving the Corps in 2012, Michael has found new ways to serve the country he loves. He is an inventor, entrepreneur, author and public speaker; contributing to worthwhile organizations that help change the world in positive ways. Michael's goal is to help fellow veterans to achieve greatness after leaving the military. Professionally, Michael is the fo

On this episode of Cigars and Sea Stories Michael J. Penney is joined by fellow Marine Chad Lane. Chad and Mike served together in 1st Battalion 5th Marines as advisors to the Afghan Uniformed Police. They each have some fun and very unique stories to share. Enjoy this episode and share with your social media networks. We love hearing your comments. Your comments make the show better and improve the listening experience for everyone. Keep listening and sharing. More about Chad…. Sergeant Chad T Lane was born on December 31st, 1985 in LaCrosse, Wisconsin to Larry and Pauline Lane. Sergeant Lane attended K-10 school at North Winneshiek School in rural Burr Oak, Iowa and graduated from Decorah High School in 2004. Sergeant Lane enlisted in the delayed entry program in December 2003 and departed to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in July 2004 graduating October 22nd, 2004 as a PFC. Upon completing basic training PFC Lane reported to The School of Infantry West, Marine Combat Training Battalion on Camp Pendle

Ricoh Danielson is a US Army Veteran of Iraq and a multi-rotation Operator of Iraq, Afghanistan and Haiti. Ricoh Danielson serverd in the US Army and National Guard on various operations, campaigns and task forces. He is a Veteran advocate and has helped his fellow Veterans by serving on the City of Phoenix Veteran Commission as a Commissioner where he would provide insight on helping obtain community resource for local Veterans. Ricoh also helped start the Navigator program, Spearhead efforts for Rally Point Suicide Prevention Program and contribute to the Veteran Court System helping Veterans obtain "treatment over punishment" in courts cases. Ricoh also served as a Commissioner for the City of Scottsdale on the Human Relation Commission where he advocated and assisted community ordinances to be presented to the Mayor's office for the Veteran community, LGTB and Veteran LGTB community. Ricoh is a graduate of: Thomas Jefferson School of Law, Awardee of the Yellow Ribbon Wounded Warrior Scholarship, graduate

On this episode of Cigars and Sea Stories Bennett Tanton and Michael J. Penney are telling tales of times spent playing while on deployment. Football, baseball, and believe it or not, hockey were all played while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bennett has some lovely tellings of days spent playing on the Army's various sports leagues. (I guess the Army does that) Another tell tale sign that the Army is a GD corporation!!!  Whew, that escaltated… Meanwhile, the Marines are jumping through the rope of DEATH… Listen as Mike shares what it's like coming to the realization that a jump roping accident just might kill him. And, is it really an accident when your dumbass voluntarily jumps into the world's most dangerous game of doubledutch? There was good times spent playing soccer with kids. Little barefoot people running around for the simple joy of loving life. Talk about building a solid rapport. Playing games is one unifying way to keep everyone happy and working together. Human expressions are shared bet

Nick is an Air Force Veteran and the founder of Frag Out Clothing. Frag Out Clothing Company is a Veteran owned and operated Apparel Company founded in May of 2015. At Frag Out we not only produce the most comfortable branded and custom patriotic apparel known to man, but we strive to give back to the veteran community. Our goal, as we grow and hire veterans, is to create an environment of brotherhood and camaraderie that veterans can relate to from their time in service, without all of the "SUCK" that everyone hated. By doing so we hope to help local veterans have a smooth transition from military service back into the civilian workforce and help them find their new mission in life. At the end of the day, we want our products to represent the brotherhood we loved while serving and the patriotism we have for the country we fought for. We stand for our country, veterans, first responders, and our fellow Americans.   Acta Non Verba     Brought to you in part by    HOCOA: Home Repair

Rod Rodriguez is a 13 year combat Veteran of the US Army. He served 10 years active duty and is currently spending one weekend a month and two weeks a year serving in Army Reserve as an intelligence Chief Warrant Officer. He holds a B.S. in US Intelligence Studies and an M.S. in Mental Health Counseling. In addition to his professional accomplishments he is an avid Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, podcaster, and proud father. find him at https://theaarpodcast.com Brought to you in part by    HOCOA: Home Repair Network - LEARN more about how we partner with HOCOA @ 5Paragraph.com 5Paragraph.com - It works if you work it. Combat Flip Flops - Enter CIGARS20 to get 20% of your whole order Veteranslist.us - get 50% off a featured membership by using discount code CIGARSANDSEA Spartan Media - Veteran owned and operated We are a proud member of Heroes Media Group Heroes Media Group; a broadcasting platform dedicated to providing a voice for our community heroes and those who support them. The Group is d

An Army veteran, Andy Nelson loves helping veteran-owned and military spouse-owned businesses start, grow, and succeed with the critical legal counseling they need. For businesses, Andys team is the equivalent of a legal Swiss Army knife - no matter the issue, they likely have a blade or a tool for it. He particularly enjoys helping businesses protect their trademarks - the brands that give them the distinct identities critical to standing apart from competitors in the marketplace.   Brought to you in part by    HOCOA: Home Repair Network - LEARN more about how we partner with HOCOA @ 5Paragraph.com   5Paragraph.com - It works if you work it.   Combat Flip Flops - Enter CIGARS20 to get 20% of your whole order Veteranslist.us - get 50% off a featured membership by using discount code CIGARSANDSEA Spartan Media - Veteran owned and operated We are a proud member of Heroes Media Group Heroes Media Group; a broadcasting platform dedicated to providing a voice for our community heroes an

On this episode of Cigars and Sea Stories, Bennett Tanton and Michael J. Penney are sharing tales of the simple satisfying bliss that is taking a hot steamy shower. We take it for granted, here in the United States of America, in a country with solid infrastructure and running water. It's a simple task that is simply a necessity of life, right? The priority of cleanliness in the field goes weapon, gear, body. So long as the guns and gear are good-to-go, you can wash your nasty body. All you really need are the basics: razor and cream, toothbrush and paste, baby wipes, and hand sanitizer. They'll get you through the operation but you might be a bit stinky afterward. Anyone who has been through a training exercise for longer than 2 weeks knows what we are talking about here. Cleaning all the filth off your body after a long field op can be a mind-blowing experience. Grit grime and silt can find their way into nooks and crannies that people didn't even know they had. The majority of frontline ground pounding un

Based out of Fort Worth Texas, Brandon is a proud Father, Husband, Marine, and Entrepreneur. He deployed to Iraq in 2008 serving in various roles as an Infantryman and left the service in 2011. He started investing in real estate in 2010 and has since done work in 22 states across the country as a principle. Brandon is passionate about helping veterans. In addition to co-managing VRG, he also manages a blog (www.veterancircles.com) that supports transitioning veterans, runs a local veteran business network, and supports local veteran-centric non-profit organizations such as The Cowtown Warriors and Semper Fi Networking.     Brought to you in part by    HOCOA: Home Repair Network - LEARN more about how we partner with HOCOA @ 5Paragraph.com   5Paragraph.com - It works if you work it.   Combat Flip Flops - Enter CIGARS20 to get 20% of your whole order Veteranslist.us - get 50% off a featured membership by using discount code CIGARSANDSEA Spartan Media - Veteran owned and operated

Bennett Tanton and Michael J. Penney are talking Drones on this episode of Cigars and Sea Stories. Drones, unmanned vehicles controlled by a stationary operator via remote, or autonomous control measures. They serve many purposes: inspection, surveillance, observation, destruction; just to name a few. And, in the minds of the cautious or the luddite, they are a threat to our existence. Mike encountered a few drones on the streets of Ramadi. Some Flying saucer lookin' things hovering around corners. Other combat veterans have shared similar experiences of seeing saucer like drones flying around in Fallujah. This was before the release of civilian hovering drones that are nimble enough to race through stadiums, so to see one on the other side of the planet in a blown out shit hole like Fallujah or Ramadi was real trip. We're talking "Skynet" spooky. Nowadays, drones are used in a whole host of different ways. They help us by going where it's too risky to send a person. They work in unison to survey large areas.

John is an entrepreneur, writer, and army veteran. After college John went to work in corporate America and realized that despite doing well in the job, he wanted something more. He joined the army later in life with the purpose of being able to make money to go to law school. The army taught him discipline and how to value himself. After serving for three years he left the army and returned to civilian life. It was then that he got reacquainted with his future wife, helping her raise a family. Together they also successfully ran a business for 23 years leading international guided tours.     In 2016 he founded Greenzone Hero, a for-profit company that honors freedom through improved business. The membership-based company has over 600 locations including Harley Davidson, Boar's Head, John Deere, and Community Aids Network. Greenzone Hero awards cyber metals to companies for what they are doing for veterans and military families and provide a listing page to help companies to advertise their work. T

On this episode of Cigars and Sea Stories, Michael J. Penney and Bennett Tanton are sharing the trial that can be, living with rules of engagement. Simply put, rules of engagement are intended to enable service members to act when a situation escalates. They typically follow a cast set of rules that apply to every situation with the ultimate caveat that situation dictates. By the way, that phrase, "situation dictates". That phrase is golden in a combat zone. The situation dictates everything. So long as your intentions were pure rather than malicious, you should be all good. Guys get screwed when they are unsure of their actions. That's when the investigations begin. Investigations to investigate people who don't act according to the rules of engagement, yep that's a thing. And the ones who intentionally act outside of the rules rarely, if ever, get caught. Nope, it's usually some dumb private who thought, legitimately, that it was a good shoot and wound up killing a bunch of folks and getting locked up. Damn

Ammon Lang joins Michael J. Penney for a conversation about Camp Wilson, on this episode of Cigars and Sea Stories. The guys are back in studio for some more smokin and jokin. Ammon is a former MP, always Marine. He served in a variety of roles around the military. Arguably, the best was being a police advisor to the Afghans. Ammon and Mike are sharing stories of the famed Camp Wilson. If you're not familiar, Camp wilson is a godawful part of the greater Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Training Center 29 Palms Californias. The camp is comprised of simple quonset huts and a few classroom modulars. There is a PX and a chow hall, all the basic amenities. Marines and Sailors work out of the camp as a forward deployed element. The whole experience of living and working out of Camp Wilson brings the meaning of "train like you fight" to the next level. Under the harshest of conditions, we thrive. Ammon and Mike have a few stories to tell about the wide open desert spaces and newly construct MOUT towns.  Each of

Steven Haft joins Michael J. Penney on this episode of Cigars and Sea Stories. Steven is a Marine veteran with experience operating as an advior to the Afghans. He started life in the Corps as an MP. Steven enlisted out of Maryland, shortly after he was accepted into the Maryland state Troopers. Not wanting to do the "cop thing" and sit on a highway, writing tickets all day, he joined the military police. For those of us who know how unbelievably risky that is, he had less than a 50/50 shot at not doing the "cop thing" in the military. Military police has two distinct functions, 1) PMO:Provost Marshal's Office, they are the guys who act just like your typical law enforcement agent, only about a billion times worse. Those bastards have an unbelievable amount of road authority and a quota that would make any cop wince. In general they're a pain in the ass to deal with. 2) Field Side: where the MPs do infantry-type stuff. For those not seeking a police force power trip, the field side is right for you. Unfortuna

Stealth Performance Communication Tactical Wearable Technology For the soldier of the future in the world of today. Jordan Kestner is an Army veteran. Jordan has a degree in exercise science.  He is also an entrepreneur and has led and started multiple endeavors.  He is currently CEO of Stealth Performance Communication.  Edwin Richardson is a retired Air Force Combat Controller.  Edwin is the owner of Richardson Strategy and Top Talk.  He is also the COO of Stealth Performance Communication.    Enjoy the episode - Thank you for listening to Cigars and Sea Stories!  Keep sharing with the world... Brought to you in part by    HOCOA: Home Repair Network - LEARN more about how we partner with HOCOA @ 5Paragraph.com 5Paragraph.com - We remove the FEAR of business planning. Combat Flip Flops - Enter CIGARS20 to get 20% of your whole order Veteranslist.us - get 50% off a featured membership by using discount code CIGARSANDSEA Spartan Media - Veteran owned

On this episode of Cigars and Sea Stories, Adam Bird joins Michael J. Penney for a game of "Would You Rather" involving Superman and Wonder Woman. Adam is an Army veteran and founder of Heroes Media Group podcast network. Their services include: editing, transcription, voiceover talent and much more...www.heroesmediagroup.com It's been a while since the guys sat down for an episode. Adam and Mike talk weekly about the workings of HMG and Cigars and Sea Stories. Heroes Media Group has been an integral part of the Cigars and Sea Stories podcast maintaining it's growth. Adam does a fine job working behind the scenes to make it all happen. HMG is featured on NASCAR, works correspondence for NFL and NBA, and covers large covers large events such as the American Association of U.S. Army, Modern Marine, SHOT Show, and SOFEX.   But on this episode the guys aren't talking about any of that, really. The game has been set…"Would You Rather" be superman or Wonder Woman. Listen in to find out what Adam chooses. FYI,