Veterans retrace their service, and what came after it.
Hazard Ground is an interview show where host Mark Zinno takes one veteran at a time back through their service, asking when things happened and what was at stake. Guests have included an Air Force linguist who listened in on the Taliban, a retired Green Beret and a Purple Heart recipient who went back to duty.
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Hazard Ground is a conversation show about military service, told by the people who served. Each episode gives the floor to a single veteran, and host Mark Zinno takes them through it in order. His questions are practical. He wants to know when a training course ended, down to the month, and what counted as failure in a guest's line of work. That second question draws one of the sharpest answers here. Ian Fritz, listed under the U.S. Air Force, spent two tours in Afghanistan listening in on the Taliban, and to him a mistranslation is not an abstract error. Put the enemy on the south side when they are really on the north, or report three fighters when there are thirty, and the troops coming in pay for it. He also admits that doing the job well did not always settle whether it meant anything. Nickolas Yost, a Purple Heart recipient who returned to duty, describes a night movement that went quietly for ten kilometers. Then, at a cluster of houses, fighters came over a rooftop and opened fire on him as the point man. He remembers the sand hitting his face. Mikael Cook, a former Army Staff Sergeant, helped get Afghan allies out after the 2021 fall and wrote 'Life and Death at Abbey Gate' about it. He recalls Camp Marmal in Mazar Sharif shutting down early, and intelligence saying the Afghan National Army could hold on its own, which turned out to be badly wrong. The Patrick Brown episode, with a retired Army Ranger who holds a Bronze Star, turns to leadership. The host argues that people get hurt when orders roll downhill and nobody pushes back, and he says just as plainly that he will not second-guess a fight he was not part of. Not every conversation stays on the worst day. Scott Mann, a retired Green Beret, remembers telling his three sons at his 2013 retirement that the career he dreamed of at fourteen turned out better than the dream, and the host answers with open warmth. Life after the uniform comes up again and again. Brady Myers went from the Marine Corps to private security work and now helps veterans get hired, and he found the show through an earlier guest. Between the stories come plain reminders about the website, social accounts, YouTube, Patreon and an Amazon link, along with the host's word that the show tries to send any money it makes to veterans' charities. Episodes end with an invitation for anyone who has a story to email the producer.
Made for: Suits a listener who wants to hear veterans describe specific moments of service in their own words, from listening in on the Taliban to a night firefight to the 2021 fall of Afghanistan. It also suits someone interested in what veterans go on to do after leaving the military.
What sets it apart: The host pushes for concrete detail (dates, locations, what a mistake would cost) but defers to guests on what he did not experience himself. He then follows them past the military into writing, recruiting and work for other veterans.
Servicemembers from across the military, sharing their accounts of combat and survival. Hosted by sports talk radio host and Army veteran, Mark Zinno, this podcast brings you firsthand accounts of war, with a perspective you only get from someone who has lived through it. From WWII to Vietnam, Somalia, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, hear inspirational stories of service and resiliency from those who have fought on and off the battlefield!
Three can sound like thirty over the radio; you'll want to hear what that possibility does to a linguist.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A military linguist weighs the life-and-death consequences of a few words over the radio.
Ian Fritz's account of two tours in Afghanistan turns military listening into a question of consequence. As a linguist monitoring the Taliban, he describes work where a small error could push troops toward the wrong side of a position, or make three people sound like thirty.
A veteran's combat story where survival carries far beyond the battlefield.
Patrick Brown's combat account rests on a cruel reversal: efforts to build trust with local children could return as toys packed with explosives.
A rooftop ambush turns a nighttime movement into a tight account of fear, fire, and the soldiers who kept him alive.
A nighttime movement tightens into a close account of how quickly a mission can shrink to sand, rooftops, and the limits of body armor. The guest is on point during a 12-kilometer movement, after the first ten kilometers have passed without trouble, when his focus shifts near a…
A Green Beret origin story shaped by early responsibility, first deployment, and a lifelong dream.
Scott Mann's Hazard Ground visit traces a clear arc from a 14-year-old's ambition to the early weight of a Green Beret career. He looks back on finishing the Q course around the end of 1996, moving almost at once into Operation Safe Border in the Sinapa Valley during shooting…
Outnumbered units, remembered under fire.
Battle maps, war films, and patient context.
War news, tested against military reality.
Antique European history, read aloud.
Host Mark Zinno introduces the show and a guest, a former Army captain and ranger who now runs a nonprofit combating veteran suicide.
Host Mark Zinno introduces a former Green Beret who served in a covert mission during the Vietnam War.
Host Mark Zinno introduces a podcast featuring military veterans sharing their combat and survival stories, with a current service member guest who has a new book.
Ian Fritz, a former U.S.
Patrick Brown tells Mark Zinno how a troubled teen from a dysfunctional family went from jail four or five times to an Army recruiter outside a Navy office.
Hazard Ground host Mark Zinno interviews former Army Staff Sergeant Mikael Cook about helping Afghan allies after the Taliban takeover in 2021 and his book, Life and Death at Abbey Gate.
Hazard Ground features Nick Yost, a Purple Heart recipient and former Army staff sergeant who spent 13 years between the Guard and active duty and deployed to Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Scott Mann, a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and former Green Beret, traces a career that began with meeting SF captain Mark Harrell at age 14 and led through ROTC, Panama, Ranger School, and Special Forces selection.
On Hazard Ground, retired Army Master Sergeant Chris Corbin recounts his 18 years, seven months, and one day in uniform, including service with 7th Special Forces Group.
Former Marine pilot John Ballinger flew the CH-53 for more than 20 years and later piloted Marine One under Presidents Trump and Biden.
Jamie Carnes says the Marine Corps gave him a needed direction after a troubled adolescence in North Carolina.
Host Mark Zinno introduces the podcast and previews an interview with a Marine Corps veteran turned security contractor who now helps veterans find jobs.
Host Mark Zinno introduces a podcast featuring military veterans sharing their combat and survival stories, with this episode focusing on a U.S.
Host Mark Zinno introduces a Purple Heart recipient's story about combating PTSD and isolation among veterans and first responders.
Host Mark Zinno introduces a Navy SEAL veteran with 24 years of service, sharing his combat experiences and survival stories.
Host Mark Zinno introduces a Marine Corps veteran with 26 years of service who shares his combat experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan.