Hazard Ground PodcastOne

At eighteen, Ian Fritz joined the Air Force out of necessity and was soon selected to become an Airborne Cryptologic Linguist in the war in Afghanistan. Over the course of two tours, Fritz listened to the Taliban for hundreds of hours, all over the country night and day, in moments of peace and in the middle of battle. WHAT THE TALIBAN TOLD ME (Simon & Schuster; November 7, 2023) is the powerful memoir of his harrowing experiences coming of age in a war that is lost.
Fritz’s fluency in Dari and Pashto, the main languages of Afghanistan, is his greatest asset to the military, yet it becomes the greatest liability to his own commitment to the cause. His eavesdropping is critical to supporting Special Forces units on the ground, but there is no training to counter the emotional complexity that develops as you listen to people’s most intimate conversations. In WHAT THE TALIBAN TOLD ME, Fritz grapples with pride for his service and despair that he is instrumental in destroying the voices that he hears. Looking back on his service in the Air Force, Fritz shares what he learned about the people of Afghanistan, the war, and himself.

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Episode Intro Music: “Prelude” by “Silence & Light” (www.silenceandlightmusic.com)

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Patrick Brown joined the Army in 2005 as an Infantryman in the US Army, deploying to multiple combat zones throughout his service. Immediately after service, he became a US Army Survival, Escape, Resistance, Evasion (SERE-C) instructor to soldiers who were at high risk of being captured while overseas. Patrick would go on contract work for various government agencies teaching survival techniques. Patrick is married with 4 kids, now residing in Atlanta GA assisting the veteran population transition from military service in the state of GA.

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Episode Intro Music: “Prelude” by “Silence & Light” (www.silenceandlightmusic.com)

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Mikael Cook is a former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant and veteran of the war in Afghanistan. During the August 2021 evacuation of Afghanistan, Mikael was a part of the #DigitalDunkirk team that saved thousands of Afghan allies who had been left behind. He was personally responsible for the evacuation of 20 of our allies, most of whom have now joined him in Michigan. Mikael is an active member of the veteran community and continues his advocacy work for the Afghan allies left behind.

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Episode Intro Music: “Prelude” by “Silence & Light” (www.silenceandlightmusic.com)

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Nickolas Yost spent a total of 13 years between the National Guard and Active Duty for the U.S. Army before exiting as a Staff Sergeant. Nickolas had multiple deployments to Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He was injured in Iraq, awarded a Purple Heart, then returned to duty to deploy to Afghanistan. After his military career, Nickolas decided to work in the pharmaceutical industry.

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Episode Intro Music: “Prelude” by “Silence & Light” (www.silenceandlightmusic.com)

Photo Credit: Nickolas Yost

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Scott Mann is a former U.S. Army Green Beret with tours all over the world including Colombia, Iraq, and multiple tours in Afghanistan. He is a warrior storyteller and the founder of Rooftop Leadership where he shares the rapport-building skills he learned in Special Forces to help today's leaders make better human connections in high-stakes, low-trust engagements.
Scott is the author of the instant New York Times Best-Seller, Operation Pineapple Express, a third-person narrative detailing the harrowing stories of the veterans, volunteers, and Afghan Allies who navigated the US abandonment of Afghanistan in August of 2021. He has since founded Operation Pineapple Express Relief, a 501c3 to help support the emergency needs of our Afghan Allies such as safe passage out of Afghanistan, plus unforeseen resettlement needs.

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Episode Intro Music: “Prelude” by “Silence & Light” (www.silenceandlightmusic.com)

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Sergeant First Class Chris Corbin entered military service in July 1995. Prior to becoming a Green Beret with the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), he served in various Army units such as the 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (1995-1999), and the 1st Battalion, and 75th Ranger Regiment (1999-2002). On February 17th, 2011, Corbin was on his third tour to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). That day, he was on patrol with his Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) through a village in the Helmand Province, when he stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and suffered injuries to both legs resulting in a bilateral, below-the-knee (Bilat BK) amputation.
On March 24th, 2012, 13 months after his injury, Chris, with his Green Beret father, Master Sergeant Nelson Corbin, ran his first 5K race to benefit the Fisher House on Eglin Air Force Base. His determination and will coupled with the support and motivation provided by his father and teammates enabled Chris to finish his first race in 27 minutes and 34 seconds.

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Episode Intro Music: “Prelude” by “Silence & Light” (www.silenceandlightmusic.com)

Photo Credit: Chris Corbin