AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast

AUSA's Army Matters podcast amplifies the voices of the Total Army – one story at a time.   Join hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey every other Wednesday as they interview the modern chroniclers of the Army experience to discuss inspiring leadership stories, current issues faced by soldiers, and our military families’ journeys. 
 
Our co-hosts are: 
LTG(R) Les Smith: bio 
SMA(R) Dan Dailey: bio 
 
Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org. 
 
Disclaimer:
AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

Call of Duty is one of the largest ever video game franchises; one of the reasons for its success is its attention to detail—which is thanks to the military veterans behind it. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III creative director, Dave Swenson, and military consultant, Mitch Hall, to discuss the just-released game sequel, talk through how gaming can help relieve stress for those deployed—and to compare notes on their favorite games of all-time (hint: Pong and Mike Tyson Punch-Out may be mentioned).
 
And, in a special year-end segment, some of our recent guests give shout-outs to Army members who have helped them along the way.
 
Guests:
Dave Swenson, Creative Director, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Sledgehammer GamesMitch Hall, Military Consultant, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Sledgehammer Games
 
AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern  You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. 
 
Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.
Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podcast@ausa.org.
Disclaimer:AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

Over the last decade, Esports has grown into a billion-dollar business, with gamers and fans all over the world. Tapping into this popularity is the Army’s Esports Call of Duty team; these Soldiers not only go up against other gamers—they also spread the word in that community about their lives as Soldiers and the benefits of service. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and LaSherryn Duncan sit down with SSG Randy “Deja” Ojeda and SSG Stephen “SteveOWalle” Waller to talk about the benefits of gaming, how they balance gaming with their daily work—and how they came up with their unique nicknames.
 
Guests:
SSG Stephen Waller, U.S. Army
SSG Randy Ojeda, U.S. Army
 
Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.
Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podcast@ausa.org.
Disclaimer:AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

Every December, thousands of volunteers from around the country place wreaths on millions of graves of fallen servicemembers—in cemeteries across the United States—thanking each one individually. This initiative was started by Morrill and Karen Worcester in 1992; from there, it has grown to include an annual event, a radio station, an educational guide and more. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and guest host LaSherryn Duncan sit down with Wreath’s Executive Director Karen Worcester and Education Liaison Cindy Tatum, a Gold Star mother, to discuss the creation of the organization, the importance of remembering each and every fallen servicemember, and how people in Maine refuse to say their “R”s.
 
AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word "wreath."
 
Guests:Karen Worcester, Wreaths Across America Executive Director
Cindy Tatum, Gold Star Mom & Wreaths Across America Education Liaison
 
Resource: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/
 
Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.
Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podcast@ausa.org.
Disclaimer:AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

In 1963, LTG (Ret.) Robert F. Foley graduated 497th in a class of 504 students at West Point Academy. Only a few years later, however, he was valiantly saving his battalion’s troops in the middle of the Vietnam jungle. That act of bravery earned him the prestigious Medal of Honor, the first of countless highlights over his 30-plus years in service. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with LTG Foley to discuss his book Standing Tall: Leadership Lessons in the Life of a Soldier, his experiences in Vietnam, how an old friendship saved him in Korea, and how he was serenaded by his troops for falling into a well.
Guest:LTG (Ret.) Robert F. Foley, Author of Standing Tall: Leadership Lessons in the Life of a Soldier
Book Review: A Vietnam Medal of Honor Recipient Shares Leadership Lessons (HistoryNet)
Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.
Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podcast@ausa.org.
Disclaimer:AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

Every month new enlistees around the country begin Basic Combat Training. And while it’s grueling and hard for them, it often also is for their parents at home in other ways. Dealing with a wide range of emotions can be difficult – especially for those with little-to-no knowledge of how the Army operates. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with Air Force parent Hilari Luck, who oversees the new Our Community Salutes: Connect program, and Army parent Kim Norris, to discuss the emotions they went through – and are currently experiencing – as new military parents, how the Connect program is helping parents and enlistees, and how parking tickets led to both parents’ children deciding to serve their country.
 
Guests:Kim Norris, New Army ParentHilari Luck, Our Community Salutes: Connect
 
Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.
Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podcast@ausa.org.
Disclaimer:
AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

Starting from very humble beginnings in the segregated south, LTG (Ret.) Arthur Gregg rose through the ranks in his thirty-plus year career to become the Army’s first-ever African-American, three-star General. He blazed the trail for generations of soldiers and officers, and his accomplishments were honored earlier this year with the renaming of Fort Lee to Fort Gregg-Adams. Host LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith sits down with the 95-year-old LTG Gregg to discuss how he went from medical lab technician to a top Army general, what it was like serving in the time of segregation, and how it felt to see his name on one of the Army’s top bases.
 
Guest:
LTG Arthur Gregg, U.S. Army Retired
 
Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.
Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podcast@ausa.org.
Disclaimer:
AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

When a rumor circulated around Fort Drum, Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) Mario Terenas took to Instagram to dispel it, racking up tens of thousands of responses. That led him to realize the power of the social media platform to really connect with his soldiers, making him a better leader in the process. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with CSM (Ret.) Terenas to discuss Instagram, the story of his abandonment at age sixteen, how to become #mountaintough… and how cleaning toilets can develop leadership skills.

In July of this year millions across the country were blown away when the 82nd Airborne Division All-American Chorus appeared on the talent show America’s Got Talent, impressing the judges and making it to this month’s semifinals. But the Chorus has been around for decades, telling the story of the Army through song and performance. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with two Chorus members, SSG Marcus Gilbert and SGT Damarielis Vargas, to talk about the Chorus, their favorite performances, the intimidating nature of Simon Cowell… and perhaps belt out a tune or two…
 
Guests:
SSG Marcus Gilbert, U.S. Army
SGT Damarielis Vargas, U.S. Army
 
Credit:
America’s Got Talent clips courtesy of FremantleMedia North America, Inc. and Maidmetal, Ltd.
 
Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.
Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podcast@ausa.org.
Disclaimer:
AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

In October of 2022, SGT Alison Weisz won the World Championship in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle Competition, becoming the first American woman to win the title since 1979. Not stopping there, she’s currently spending her days training at Fort Moore for a chance at winning gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with SGT Weisz to discuss how a children’s gun safety course led her to where she is today, how a proper diet affects everything in life, and what advice she’d give to Elmer Fudd in his pursuit of the bunny.
 
Guest: SGT Alison Weisz, U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, International Rifle Team
 
Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate.
Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podcast@ausa.org.
Disclaimer:
AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.