Join us on the Dog Tag Podcast as we host Corporal Bobby Christopher, United States Marines. Bobby is a combat veteran and current president of the Mid America Veterans Museum formerly named the Saint Charles County Veterans Museum. Bobby walks us through his military and combat experiences as a 0352 TOW (tube launched optically tracked wire guided…

After graduating from St. Louis University with a degree in Business, he joined the Missouri Air National Guard’s 131st Tactical Fighter Wing for a 6-year stint as a weapons mechanic. Joe has traveled several interesting, exciting, and successful career paths in his life including leader and bass player for the rhythm and blues rock and soul horn b…

Join us as we host live in studio tonights guests Navy Veteran, Hospital Corpsman Second Class, Jeremy Greenlee, and Air Force Veteran, Senior Airman, Amanda Depew LSW, as they share their personal stories of service, struggle, addiction and sobriety. They are now dedicated to serving the most vulnerable of those among us. Valor Villages is a large…

Join us as we host live in studio tonights guests Navy Veteran, Hospital Corpsman Second Class, Jeremy Greenlee, and Air Force Veteran, Senior Airman, Amanda Depew LSW, as they share their personal stories of service, struggle, addiction and sobriety. They are now dedicated to serving the most vulnerable of those among us. Valor Villages is a large…

Join Dominic Masters, United States Marine and Iraq War Veteran, and Jason Galvan, Gold Star family member as we discuss the history of Veterans Day, what it means to us, and share some personal stories of who we remember and how we honor Veterans of every era. Veterans Day will be observed in 2023 on Saturday, November 11, 2023…

Join us we talk with several Nashville singer songwriters and veterans who spent a week at the St. Charles County Veterans Museum collaborating to write 16 songs about these veterans stories culminating in a live concert on September 2, 2023. Special thanks to John Eason who organized and brought his friends Molly Lovette, Joel Jorgensen, Tai Shan,…

Growing up in Ferguson, MO, Tim Taylor was completely oblivious to the geopolitical issues that our country was facing. That was until September 11, 2001. That day changed Tim's view on the world and led him to join the U.S. Army. Tim served with the 3rd Infantry Division as a cannon crew member from 2003-2006. On October 27 2005, Tim's vehicle was…

CPL Dominic Masters, USMC combat veteran joins us once again in studio to share the second half of his incredible story. Dominic provides us with an in-depth picture of his struggle through addiction and journey through healing and recovery. You can listen to part 1 of Dominic's story on our march 28, 2023 episode of the Dog Tag Podcast.…

Join us on the Dog Tag Podcast as we host Colonel Ted Hodgson (Retired) who is now working with the America's Warrior Partnership which partners with communities to prevent veteran suicide. Colonel Ted Hodgson served in the military for 34 years. His last assignment before retiring in 2012 was at CENTCOM. CENTCOM directs and enables military operat…

Join us on the Dog Tag Podcast as we host our guest Paul "Bud" Haedike. Bud joined the Army Air Corps in 1944 and was a bombardier flying on a B-17 Flying Fortress. Bud had the distinction of being shot down on his very first mission. Fortunately, the crew crash landed and made it back to their base. They went on to fly 22 more missions.…

We are honored to host Jennifer Jefferson, Holly Klaesner and Todd from Focus Marines on tonights podcast. This amazing organization is tasked with helping our combat veterans deal with complex and emotional issues that took place before, during or after their military service. We lose over 22 veterans a day to suicide and Focus Marines is making a…

Join us on The Dog Tag podcast as our special guest, Stacey, shares her experiences while serving in the military as a female soldier and her journey of healing from military sexual trauma (MST). VA uses the term “military sexual trauma” (MST) to refer to sexual assault or sexual harassment experienced during military service. MST includes any sexu…

On this day, 29 March, U.S. troops leave Vietnam. Many served their country just as their father had…. Many served because that’s what American men do… They believed in our country and principles…. They never shirked their duty… They fought heroically… They lost “brothers” there… They weren’t given time to mourn… Then… They were told, ‘don’t wear t…

CPL Dominic Masters, USMC joins us in studio to share his experiences as a Marine, combat veteran and a proud Grunt from time of entry into the Marine Corps, the Crucible, Rehab platoon, being deployed, coming home, caring for his ailing mother, reserve option, transitioning to civilian life and finding healing. One day, when I was young, my mom to…

Joe Rumbolo, "Your Medicare Guy" & Colonel Ted Hodgson join us in studio to discuss important information regarding Medicare plans that are specifically designed for veterans who use the the VA for medical services and prescription drugs, Tricare For Life and ChampVA for surviving spouses as well as anyone who is on Medicare. Colonel Ted Hodgson al…

Salina and Zach Mann share their experiences in the Army, both as a couple and individually, as they served in combat and how they managed life after they returned home. Salina and Zach met in 2008 and have been married since March 2012. They have two daughters. Salina served as a 37F Psychological Operations Specialist with the the 307th reserve u…

Chris Lenington signed an early entry for the Army in 1998. Chris would serve twenty years and was deployed in Kosovo, one tour in Iraq, and three tours in Afghanistan including one stop at Camp Seray an outpost high in the mountains, which was attacked by Taliban fighters almost daily. Chris finished his Army career at Fort Campbell Kentucky with …

Robert Leeker started his military career as a one striper in the Air Force in 1971 and went to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base. After working as a mechanic on planes, Bob decided he wanted to fly them. He earned his associates degree at Meramec Community College and took flying lessons on his own dime to ready himself to become an Air Fo…

Service dogs enrich and improve the lives of their veterans every day. At Dogs For Our Brave, our mission is to provide professionally trained service dogs at no cost to veterans who have suffered debilitating injury or illness while in service to our country. Our goal is to use rescue dogs at every opportunity, thus saving two lives at once. In or…

Beginning in 1973, America went to an all volunteer military service. An All-volunteer military isn't without challenges. Today the branches of service are struggling to find able bodied recruits. According to the CDC, an estimated 70% of young Americans are unfit for military service. Historically, family life has not always worked for military fa…

Beginning in 1973, America went to an all volunteer military service. An all volunteer military isn't without challenges. Today the branches of services are struggling to find able bodied recruits. According to the CDC, an estimated 70% of young Americans are unfit for military service. Historically, family life has not always worked for military f…

The City of St. Louis, and nearby St. Louis and St. Charles County became known as the "Gateway to the West" because it was an ideal spot for tradesmen, adventurers, and traders to transact because it’s connected to the Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri rivers. The story of O'Fallon Missouri feature many of the same storylines. American revolutionary…

Sailing on a U.S. nuclear submarine is a trip into a cramped, timeless, and windowless undersea world. Today's submarines will often spend up to ninety percent of their time underwater making night and day indistinguishable. While on patrol, the crew is largely cut off from the outside world, including their families, for long periods of time. Ther…

The many missions of Jim Feltz aboard the Gleaves- class destroyer, USS Plunkett culminated in a heated battle for the crew and a fight for their lives when a German Ju-88 released it's payload and all hell broke loose. Jim's quick thinking and disobeyed orders saved his life and the lives of others. Jim is a legend and true hero!…

Tonight we bring you the heroic story of B24 Crewman SGT Robert Garvey. After flying 29 missions with his regular crew he was "volunteered" to be a substitute gunner with another crew. During this mission Robert was forced to bail out when his plane was damaged and going to crash after being jumped by German planes. Once on the ground Robert was hi…

Tonight's guest is Misty Blum. Misty's husband Michael served his country in the United States Marines for 20 years including four tours of duty in Iraq. While U.S. Soldiers were deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq, more service members are dying at home than at war. Everyday 22 veterans lose their battle to post traumatic stress on American soil. Tha…

Our guest on the show tonight is Sierra Koester. After earning a degree in criminal justice, serving as a Police Officer in O'Fallon and a deputy in Lincoln County, she is now a private practice counselor who specializes in counseling survivors of trauma. She is EMDR trained which is a proven approach to help survivors of trauma. Men and women in s…

On the Wall of Honor at the St. Charles County Veterans Museum, there are 116 dog tags representing soldiers from our county killed in action since World War I through present day. The museum features their stories. Tonight, we are going to share some of those stories. By keeping their stories alive we honor them and we are reminded, freedom is nev…

Wright Construction celebrated their 16th Year in business in February 2021, Wright Construction Services, Inc. is licensed in 22 states and is the largest General Contractor in St. Charles County. What makes Wright Construction special, is their quality work and giving back to the community program. In 2019, Wright Construction hosted their inaugu…

Lt. Colonel Steve Brown served in the Air Force from 1968-1991, twenty-three years as a pilot. Steve had a very distinguished career in the Air Force. As a new pilot he paid his dues flying a Caribou carrying everything from ammunition, supplies, troops to livestock in Vietnam. He graduated to B-52’s flying bombing missions during Operation Linebac…

Join us next week on The Dog Tag Podcast from The St. Charles County Veterans Museum as we host in studio Lt. Colonel Steve Brown, Vietnam Veteran, Pilot. Steve served in the Air Force from 1968-1991, twenty-three years as a pilot. Steve had a very distinguished career in the Air Force. As a new pilot he paid his dues flying a Caribou in Vietnam. H…

Today's podcast features Jim David from the Veterans Assistance Office in St. Charles County. The office is located in O'Fallon City Hall and is staffed by volunteers Mon-Thur 9-4. The volunteers are ready to assist you with your Veterans Assistance needs. Jim outlines what assistance the office can provide and how to utilize them. He shares how th…

Women have been serving in the military in one form or another for more than 200 years. They have had to overcome decades of obstacles in order to be allowed to serve their country, and are now deployed in ever-increasing numbers, in combat roles and in leadership positions all around the world. Today women make up 16% of the military and nearly 10…

Combat medics play a unique role in today’s modern military. Not only must they be experts in battlefield medicine, but they must also remain proficient in combat tactical skills. They frequently witness injuries and death and are often exposed to personal threat of trauma. Medics run towards the danger to render aid to those injured while exposing…

The United States entered World War II when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. But American Merchant Marine sailors were dying months before America entered the war! During the war, 733 American cargo ships were lost. There were 243,000 mariners that served and 9,521 perished while serving. Roughly four percent of those who served were killed. This …

Angela Peacock joined the Army immediately after high school in 1998. Angie was strong, tough and a born leader. She was ready, willing, and able to do anything a man could do. After a stint in Korea where she was assaulted, Angie was deployed to Iraq in May 2003. She began driving supply convoys in an area known as the Triangle of Death. The route…

The Korean War was fought from 1950 until 1953 and pitted the United States, South Korea, and their U.N. allies against North Korea and the Chinese Communists. The invading North Korean troops were able to capture Seoul within three days-the first of four times that city would exchange hands-and quickly pushed their opponets back to the so called P…

Nearly 200,000 U.S. Troops are deployed around the world, many in harm’s way. For every troop deployed, there are multiple family members including mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers and foster mothers trying their best to support and comfort the troops. Blue Star Mothers concentrate on providing emotional support to its members. Even when we are n…

On 2-JUN 1969 the Navy destroyer U.S.S Frank E. Evans was cruising through the calm, moonlit waters of the South China Sea. Just days before, the Evans was on the gun line, throwing countless shells at targets in South Vietnam supporting ground troops. The Evans had just earned its second Vietnam Service Medal for combat operations in 1969. On this…

Ella is really excited to help in any way that she can to help our heroes that fight for our freedom. (Ella's words) Young Ella - 8 years old when she started, had a mission to help out as much as she could for our Vets and First Responders. The stand had brought her friends and family together for a common goal, to help heroes. Ella was inspired b…

Bill had a belief that serving your country was important. After briefly considering joining the Marines, and amidst strong opposition from family, Bill settled on the Air Force. Bill was stationed at Pease Air Force Base for five months after joining. While there, Bill volunteered for Sentry Dog School. Bill had become good friends with a guy at P…

Paul “Bud” Haedike was 16 when Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941. Like other young men, Paul was eager to join the military, but had to wait until he was 18. Paul got his draft notice on his 18th birthday and reported to Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis. In the inductee line, Bud card was stamped “NAVY.” But Bud had other ideas. He pleaded and they …

Welcome to the Dog Tag, Episode II, season 1, a podcast by the St. Charles County Veterans Museum. Our podcast airs on Tuesdays, at 6:00 PM. This week’s show features exciting stories of local veterans told by two of the founding members of the museum. We will walk you through some of the exhibits and stories starting with World War I through prese…

Welcome to the DOG TAG! A podcast by the St. Charles County Veterans Museum. Our podcasts air each Tuesday, at 6:00 PM. A museum in St. Charles County Missouri, began with one man’s dream to honor veterans. Private Ralph Barrale, a veteran of World War II, who landed on Utah Beach on D-Day, fought at the Battle of the Bulge and was among the first …