#199: Telling the Scout Sniper story with the President of the Scout Sniper Association, Jonathan “JT” Taylor

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us and your continued support. This week, we welcome Jonathan “JT” Taylor to the show. JT is a retired sergeant, a former scout sniper, and the President of the Scout Sniper Association. And at the time of the recording, JT was submitting a package to History Division to be confirmed as having the longest confirmed kill in Marine Corps history. Even more amazing than that is his work with the Scout Sniper Association. JT embodies the ethos of no Marine left behind and he and his brethren at the Scout Sniper Association are dedicated to making sure that this is true for the Marine scout sniper community. As a veteran support organization, they focus on not only maintaining the brotherhood that veteran Marines felt while in uniform, but also looking out for one another, even though they may be thousands of miles away. JT talks to us about hog calls, reunions, family support, and even raising funds to ensure their members can make their house payments. I mean, one of the first buttons you see on the home page of their website is: Request Help. JT has a great story, and we’re thrilled he came on to tell it.

scoutsniper.org


#197: Road to 250 – The Interwar Period with Col Chris Woodbridge, USMC (Ret)

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us and your continued support. This week, we continue our Road to 250 segment, celebrating the Marine Corps’ 250th birthday in 2025. Over the next year, we’ll feature stories and history from throughout the 250 years of the Marine Corps. These episodes will be nested within the MCA’s overall Road to 250 Campaign, where you will find featured articles in both the Gazette and Leatherneck highlighting events and battles within specific periods in Marine Corps history. The MCA also has a commemorative Road to 250 coin collection. These commemorative challenge coins can only be found through the MCA. Go to marineshop.net to order individual coins or email [email protected] to order the entire set or learn more.

For June, we walk the Road to 250 with Gazette and Leatherneck Editor-In-Chief, Col Chris Woodbridge. Col Woodbridge talks to us about the significance of the Interwar Period, the impact of the global crises of the time, and how this period shaped the future trajectory of the Marine Corps.

Enjoy!


#196: Puncturing the Myths of Modern War with Dr. Ben Connable

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for tuning in an your continued support. This week, we welcome adjunct professor at Georgetown University, executive director for Battle Research Group, and author of the book Ground Combat: Puncturing the Myths of Modern War, Dr. Ben Connable, to the show. Ben is a retired Marine intelligence and Middle East Foreign Area Officer, was formerly a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, and a senior nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council. Ben talks to us about his experiences in uniform and as a foreign area officer, the impetus behind the writing of his book, and the empirical research he and his team at the Battle Research Group are doing to help improve the collective understanding of modern warfare. Ben speaks candidly and authoritatively and it was fascinating to get his thoughts on the current course of military thinking. 

Enjoy!

benconnable.com

linkedin.com/in/benconnable

battleresearchgroup.org

groundcombat.org