On a weekend where we had one of the nation’s major propaganda networks broadcasting active duty soldiers “questioning their mission,” I discovered a radio program that every week speaks with soldiers executing their mission. Troop Talk Radio, hosted by Captain Trip Bellard III, has taken on a mission of giving “his fellow service members a way to express their views to the American public.”
Bellard, a West Point grad who served in Iraq, brings frontline experiences from the war on terror to listeners in an increasing number of markets. The show is syndicated by Jones Networks and broadcasts live Sunday Mornings. Podcasts of recent shows are available on the show’s website, trooptalkradio.com, as well as a list of current affilliates.
This is a call-in show and offers the live listening audience the opportunity to speak directly with troops in Iraq and elsewhere. The program deals with the daily details of soldiers lives, their tasks, mindsets and war strategies. But the show also spends significant time dealing with how the troops view the political battles at home. One program earlier in the month brought together by phone, a soldier in Iraq, with his wife in the States and talk of how “pissed off” he is at the way the questioning public sometimes speaks to his wife.
Congressman Duncan Hunter, who has declared his candidacy for the presidency, was a recent guest. Hunter, addressing the domestic end of the conflict, spoke of how he mostly sees the public responding very appreciatively of the uniformed forces. His son, a Marine who has served two Iraq tours, joined in later in the show with his own experiences including the controversial aborted assault on Fallujah. It was an interesting multi-generational exchange.
Its a shame that only a fraction of the public that hears the purposely distorted crap from the mainstream media will ever get to hear the great people on this show. Spread the word.
