GV25-26. Dr Josh McConkey on Fatherhood

June 30, 2025June 30, 2025Self Discovery Wisdom Podcast

Our Global Veterans with Sara Troy and her guest Dr Josh McConkey, on air from July 1st

It is critical to highlight a growing crisis that’s often underreported and often ignored: the decline of strong, engaged fatherhood, and its impact on the future of our nation.

Dr. Josh McConkey, candidate for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina, combat veteran, emergency physician, author, and dad of three kids, argues that restoring fatherhood is essential to reverse rising youth anxiety, fractured families, and weakened communities. His new book, ‘Be the Weight Behind the Spear, calls on men to re-embrace their role as present, purposeful fathers and leaders, both at home and in society.

Dr. McConkey brings a unique, boots-on-the-ground perspective. With experience leading soldiers in war zones and caring for patients on the front lines, Dr. McConkey is uniquely suited to provide a perspective on resilience and leadership. He’s seen what happens when young people lack guidance, and the impact when military dads come home from the battlefield to raise kids with discipline, resilience, and heart. He believes America’s healing starts with men who lead their families with strength, honor, and emotional presence. “Fatherhood is not optional — it’s foundational,” believes Dr. McConkey.

Be the Weight Behind the Spear is more than a book—it’s a mission to restore character, courage, and conviction in today’s fathers, sons, and mentors.

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Military dads have a unique perspective on leadership that extends far beyond the battlefield. Their experiences teach us valuable lessons about leading with integrity, purpose, and calm under pressure — qualities that are just as vital at home as they are in combat. Communities can play a powerful role in supporting and inspiring men to show up with courage and compassion, creating spaces where vulnerability and strength walk hand in hand. By embracing practical steps to rekindle the American spirit of fatherhood — from active presence to emotional resilience — we strengthen not just our families, but the very fabric of our nation. There is a deep and undeniable link between fatherhood and national resilience; when fathers are empowered, connected, and engaged, the ripple effect is felt across generations. The battlefield may be far away, but the mission at home is just as vital, and the lessons learned in the service can guide us all toward stronger, more loving families.

Dr. McConkey’s credentials include:

Commander, 459th Aeromedical Staging Squadron at Andrews Air Force Base
Combat flight surgeon with 340+ flight hours (90 in combat zones)
Author of the award-winning book “Be the Weight Behind the Spear,” recently nominated for a Pulitzer Prize
Founder of The Weight Behind the Spear Foundation
Recently announced candidate for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

AMAZON

https://www.weightbehindthespear.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-mcconkey-md

https://www.youtube.com/channel

https://www.instagram.com/joshmcconkeymd

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GV23-32. Peter Michael Johnson, author of WHITE CLOUD FREE.

August 7, 2023August 5, 2023Self Discovery Wisdom Podcast

Our Global Veterans Stories with Sara Troy and her guest Peter Michael Johnson, on air from August 8th

Set mostly in Latin America, it’s a semi-autobiographical tale of an idealistic, naïve Peace Corps volunteer who suffers a series of traumas abroad, leading to unlikely friendships. At 23, Peter has enlisted in the Peace Corps and finds himself teaching beekeeping in a tiny village in Paraguay. When a lynch mob kills several people in his local village after a disagreement over harvest proceeds, Peter flees with his 12-year-old homeless friend in search of safety—taking him through an indigenous community, a Mennonite colony, a squatters camp, and finally the lawless, chaotic city of Ciudad del Este, where he meets a kind transgender sex worker.

Nearly two decades later, a midlife crisis compels the protagonist to return to Paraguay and find the friend who had helped to save his life so many years before. Through this journey, Peter discovers some hard truths about himself, his faith, and the fluidity of memory.

Peter discusses:

Lessons learned in the Peace Corps
How living abroad can foster spiritual growth
When helping hurts: How good intentions in charity and international development can hurt the people we set out to help
How his experiences in Africa and Latin America helped mature his understanding of love
Interesting facts about the small, seldom-visited country of Paraguay

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Peter Michael Johnson grew up in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Alabama. He studied English and philosophy at New York University before serving in the Peace Corps in Paraguay, where he taught beekeeping to rural subsistence farmers. After the Peace Corps, Peter moved to Senegal to compete on the amateur beach wrestling circuit. He has worked for a variety of nonprofit organizations for most of his adult life. His writing (all focused on his experience in Paraguay) has appeared in literary journals including Dappled Things, Seven Hills Review, and Rock & Sling and in a feature-length essay in the April 2017 issue of Christianity Today. He makes his home in Southwest Florida with his wife, Ashley, and three children.

Barnes and Noble

https://petermichaeljohnson.com
facebook.com/pete.michael.johnson
.instagram.com/pete.michael.johnson
tiktok.com/@peterjohnson5533

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GV 18-40 The Impact Echo in Ramadi has made with Scott Huesing.

October 1, 2018September 21, 2022Self Discovery Wisdom Podcast

Our Global Veterans with Sara Troy and her guest Scott Huesing, on air October 2nd

Scott is back with us to share the overwhelming response to his book Echo in Ramadi where he shares his combat journey and in how it has impacted those that have heard him and read the book. Come hear my last show with Scott here.

Scott A. Huesing is a retired United States Marine Corps Infantry Major with 24 years of honorable service, both enlisted and as a commissioned officer. During his career spanning 10 deployments, he operated in over 60 countries worldwide. Throughout his numerous deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa he planned, led, and conducted hundreds of combat missions under some of the most austere and challenging conditions. Scott is a published author since 2005. His book, Echo in Ramadi, is a ten-month snapshot in time that changed the face of operations on the battlefield; a captivating story of Echo Company, 2d Battalion, 4th Marines during the Second Battle of Ramadi in support of the Multi National Forces (MNF) Surge Strategy in 2006. His true-life account provides keen insights into what may be an unfamiliar world to readers, but very familiar to those, like Scott, who lived it and endured this historic fight. Echo in Ramadi was written to honor the sacrifices and spirit of his Marines and the families they supported – it is his tribute to them and his honor to tell this great story. Readers will feel the pain, emotion, laughter, intensity, and friction that Scott describes in unvarnished detail.

JOIN SARA AND SCOTT AS WE DISCUSS THE IMPACT HIS BOOK HAS MADE.

VIDEO

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Scott has written numerous articles and scholarly pieces for The Marine Corps Gazette and Military Times. He has been a technical writer and author to U.S. Marine Corps doctrine shaping the future of training within the world’s most elite branch of service. He is the creative author on writing the standard operating procedures for Marine Expeditionary Units, America’s first
response force, with The Lightning Press. Scott is a formally trained instructor and public speaker with 25 years of experience teaching and getting his audiences to connect to the material he presents, both in the military and private sector. He has spoken to audiences as large as 2,000 conveying his thoughts, intent, and goals in order to motivate listeners. Scott’s natural, outgoing style makes him uniquely qualified and talented in communicating and translating his experiences to audiences to connect. With his willingness to share his unique story and experiences, Scott dedicates his time to travel to military bases, NROTC programs, Veterans hospitals, corporate leadership conferences, Gold Star Mothers events, and a multitude of venues to read and share the story of his epic journey and struggles. He is continually sought out to provide Professional Military Education to active duty units to speak on leadership and his combat experiences – and the importance of writing about them.
Scott is the Executive Director for Save the Brave Foundation, a certified 501c3 that connects Veterans through outreach to build strength of character – their mission is staying proactive to the needs of the Veterans they serve. He is also the President of the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines Association, a non-profit that helps Veterans and active duty Marines and is the Vice President on the Board of the KD Poynter Legacy Foundation to provide funds and support to all Veterans.
Scott currently lives in Southern California with his family.

http://www.echoinramadi.com

http://savethebrave.org

facebook.com/scott.huesing

twitter.com/EchoinRamadi

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RAISING AWARENESS FOR

VETERAN SUICIDE ONE MILE AT A TIME

On Friday July 22nd, Major Scott A. Huesing USMC (Ret), the Bestselling Author of Echo in Ramadi is riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle across the country again for Save the Brave (STB) to raise awareness for Veteran Suicide. Huesing (51), the Executive Director of Save the Brave (501c3) began this ride in 2020 to honor his high school friend and veteran, David W. White (aged 48), who died from alcohol poisoning on Sunday, June 7, 2020, in Butte, Montana. Huesing will ride from Bastards Canteen in Temecula, California to Palmetto Brewing Company in Charleston, South Carolina.

During the 9-day journey, Huesing will make several stops to ask supporters to donate to STB and ride along with him on his journey to raise awareness for veteran suicide – emphasizing that these are not statistics anymore, they are friends and sons and brothers that we all know. He’ll be joined by fellow veterans and riders from every state he passes through amidst the heat of July. Their goal – $100,000.

When asked, “Why did you pick July to make this ride?” Huesing responded, “I didn’t pick the month – the month picked me. If nothing else, it’s a reminder to everyone who joins me along the way that maybe we need to suffer a little bit to be reminded exactly why we are riding.” Veterans dealing with depression, alcohol abuse, and PTSD are especially impacted by the isolation this pandemic has caused in many cases.

This is a unique opportunity to stay connected as veterans and as communities while supporting a worthwhile charity.

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