The National Defense Radio Show

As the Invictus Games wrap up, we welcome Ken Fisher, Chairman and CEO of Fisher House, to talk about his own personal experience in attending the event at The Hague, Netherlands. Ken has attended every Invictus Games since it’s inception, and tells us about his experience there as well as some stories about the competition that took place in 2022, following a two-year hiatus for the pandemic. Randy and Ken then discuss the incredible Fisher House program and gives us some reports on where the VSO currently stands and where it’s going in the future.

We wanted to put a bow on our show’s recent trip to Orlando, FL, and Disney World by speaking with not only a military spouse but an expert in putting together the perfect family trip to The Most Magical Place on Earth. Michelle has a passion for planning vacations, especially for trips for our military families. Anyone can contact a Planned Disney Panelist when putting together their vacation plans, but Michelle takes special care of the families of our uniformed men and women.

We welcome a very busy guy who works as the Chairman of Disney Parks Experience and Products, Josh D'Amaro, to the program to talk about his nearly quarter century of work at Disney, and how he made his way up the Disney hierarchy. Josh gives us a peek behind the curtain and a preview of some of the updates and brand new experiences that guests can experience on Disney cruise ships as well as all of their parks worldwide.

We welcome Cappy Surette, Senior Manager, External and Executive Communications at Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, about his military service in the Navy on the USS Harry S Truman, as well as how the Walt Disney's family service in the U.S. Navy, and Walt's work as a ambulance driver for the Red Cross has galvanized an enduring respect for our military. Thanks to Cappy for making our entire trip covering the Magic Kingdom possible; we can't wait to have him on the show again.

We take a look at the fascinating world of Disney engineering, and how it's story-driven attitude makes it "Imagineering" at the Disney properties. Randy welcomes Scott Mallwitz, Executive Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering, to talk about the ups and downs of creating some of the incredible worlds that Disney has created at their properties, and what we can look for in the future in the "World's Most Magical Place on Earth."

We speak with Army intellegence veteran turned security specialist for Disney World, Eileen Underwood, to the program to talk about something that most people don't think about with they think Disney: security. To keep all of the Disney properties "the World's Most Magical Place on Earth" Eileen talks about some of the tasks she and her staff do on a daily basis. We cap off this segment by listening in on one of the daily honor guard ceremonies that salute a military veteran.

We welcome another great guest to the program in CEO of Disney, Bob Chapek. Randy and Bob talk about the history of Disneyland, Disneyworld, and the entire Disney entertainment catalog, as well as how the historic ties to the military have shaped the present and future of the company. Randy talks with Bob about some of the special incentives and services that military families and veterans can expect when visiting a Disney property or cruise ship, and much more. We thank Bob for his time and for Disney's work to brighten the lives of our active duty military, veterans, and their families.

We welcome one of the two official ambassadors to Walt Disney World, Ali Manion, to the show as she.....welcomes us to the Magic Kingdom. Ali talks about how she came to be the ambassador in Orlando, her long-running career with Disney, and what veterans and military members can expect when visiting the park.

Randy welcomes back Tracy Farrell, Vice President of Connection Program Management Wounded Warrior Project, about a recent study on how female military veterans are coping with their transition to non-uniformed life. Tracy digs into the numbers and reasoning behind this trend, and how Wounded Warrior Project is putting together programs to address these serious feelings of isolation and depression in our women warriors. Another important part of this survey was uncovering the staggering number of military sexual trauma and harassment of female soldiers within the U.S. Military and at V.A. facilities. Thanks to Tracy and WWP for all the work they do to support our veterans!

We welcome Heritage and Brand Manager from Ford Motor Company, Ted Ryan , straight from the New York City Auto show, to talk about the historic link between Lincoln cars and the King of Rock ‘n Roll, Elvis Presley. Elvis owned a number of different Lincolns, and drive a Ford truck, but the story behind his famous Lincoln Continental Mark II has to be heard.