Send us Fan Mail My guest on the show today, Mary Howe, is an Air Force veteran and daughter of a military legacy family. Mary’s mom is a retired Army Major; her father, Master Sgt. Paul Howe was in Delta and was in the Battle of Mogadishu, which later became the source of the movie Blackhawk Down. Her grandfather was Lt. Col. Charles Beckwith, the founder of Delta Force. To say that her family has a history of service at the highest levels would be an understatement. A bit about Mary. Mary Howe is a former Air Force Special Operations AC-130U aerial gunner turned Family Nurse Practitioner, now working in veteran disability medicine. Her work sits at the intersection of service, identity, and personal responsibility—shaped by a life spent in high-performance environments and a refusal to let performance define her worth. She is the writer behind Unfinished Business, a body of work that documents growth in real time, without the polish or the illusion of having it all figured out. Her perspective challenges the habit of outsourcing direction, calling people back to internal leadership, self-trust, and the work that happens long before anything looks successful from the outside. Her background spans military service, medicine, and a lineage rooted in Special Operations, but her focus now is simple: helping people think better, take ownership, and build something internally that doesn’t collapse when circumstances change. It was an honor and joy chatting with Mary. Please enjoy my conversation with someone who is truly inspirational. In today’s episode, we discuss: · Her mom, Connie, was a Major in the Army. Her dad, Master Sgt. Paul Howe was Delta and was in the Battle of Mogadishu, and Grandpa was Lt. Col. Charles Beckwith, the founder of Delta Force. · The differences in Delta, SF, Ranger Regiment, Ranger Tab, SEALS, PJ’s: Delta is now called Combat Applications Group (CAG). · A group of PJs was on the coast of Florida that saved 11 people who had to ditch their plane in the ocean. They had about 5 minutes of fuel before they had to go back to base. · Growing up in a military legacy family, what was the talk like around the dinner table? · Her rebellious stage growing up. What did that look like and how did her parents deal with that? · Growing up in a strict home. Were her parents bouncing quarters off her bed? · Not realizing the gravity of her father’s service until she read the book Blackhawk Down. · Her father’s thoughts regarding the book and movie Blackhawk Down after he lived it. · SERE training. · Being a gunner on an AC-130U and her being deployed in four separate combat missions. · Post-military life. Becoming a Nurse Practitioner and continuing to be of service. All of this and more on today’s episode of the Cops and Writers podcast. Check out Mary's website! Head on over to my website! What's the craziest thing you saw when you were a cop? My first week on the job, a guy running at me with a butcher knife. He'd just killed his brother over the last hot dog. That's chapter 1. There are 33 more. Police Stories: The Rookie Years just launched - available on Amazon. Search 'Police Stories Patrick O'Donnell' or click th Support the show
