Andrea Bryant is a Navy veteran, and aspiring comedian, who works at GaS Digital, a podcast network. Below, I appear on her veteran-oriented podcast, “The Decompression Chamber”. We talked for almost two hours, and I could have gone on for at least another 60 minutes.
I skip around a bit, but the topics we cover include:
- 1:18 Last day in the military: September 9, 2001. Yes, just before 9/11.
- 5:48 Childhood military influences, including my great-uncle, Ora McMurry.
- 12:50 Choosing a branch: Marine Corps or Army? The biggest lie in recuiting history.
- 19:30 Basic Training: Mystery pisser, weed smokers, Ronald Reagan goes AWOL.
- 30:03 Getting shot at.
- 32:56 Being Airborne: Jump School, Rigger School, chaos on every jump.
- 57:37 Article 15: Grenada, supporting your NCOs, lifeguard, WW2 barracks.
- 1:12:24 National Guard & Reserve: Yuma County jail, Civil Affairs, Gulf War.
- 1:27:00 Retirement: I’ve been lucky, the Army’s impact on my life.
- 1:30:50 Wrap Up: I start throwing bombs.
“The only reason we have a military is to kill people and break stuff. And if you are not focused on killing people and breaking stuff, you are doing the wrong thing.”
