Pundit Review Radio

We had the honor of welcoming back to Pundit Review Radio SSG David Bellavia. It’s not every day that we get to talk with someone who has been the subject of Someone You Should Know. David is a former Army Staff Sergeant who served in the First Infantry Division for six years. He has been recommended for the Medal of Honor by his leadership, and has been nominated for the Distinguished Service Cross. He has received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Conspicuous Service Cross (New York State’s highest combat valor award) and was recently inducted into the New York State Veteran’s Hall of Fame. His new book House to House: An Epic Memoir of War is just that. It is a brutally honest, incredibly detailed look at David’s Iraq experience, with a special focus on the events in Fallujah. One of the blurbs on the book jacket really hit home, “Staff Sgt. Bellavia brings it. This is life in the infantry, circa right now. They used to say that the real war will never get in the books. Here it does, stunningly.

Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us for another edition of Someone You Should Know, the untold, inspirations true stories of the men and women fighting for us around the world. The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Thanks to Matt, Bruce is now on board and we are lucky to have him as part of the show. Tonight Bruce told us a special 9/11 story of a first responder who sacrificed his life on that terrible day. From Bruce’s QandO tribute, "A few weeks ago I signed on to an effort called the “2996 Project” organized by a blog to do a tribute to each and every one of those who died on that day. Three thousand bloggers are participating. The names were assigned randomly. When you signed up, you got whoever was next. I was honored to draw the name of David Halderman Jr. Of course, I never knew David Halderman. I’d never previously seen his name or if I had, it never registered beyond that of a person who’d died that day in those b

I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Mark Steyn this weekend for an hour on WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station. Mark is an absolute joy to talk with, he’s funny, smart and one of the best conservative commentators anywhere. He’s a great interview and we had a lot of fun, we took some good calls from both sides, which was great. Topics included Iraq, Islam in Europe, Senator Tappy-Toes and the civil wars within both political parties. On the right, social conservatives are unhappy, about the shenanigans on Capitol Hill and in the field of presidential candidates. On the left, the liberal base of the party is going after any pro-victory democrats, such as Rep. Brian Baird. Baird voted against the war, and has been against it from day one. He recently returned from Iraq and said the progress was demonstrable, and that staying in Iraq, at this time, is in the best interests of the country. For that, he’s being savaged by liberal groups like the Daily Kos and MoveOn.

Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us for another edition of Someone You Should Know, the untold, inspirations true stories of the men and women fighting for us around the world. The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Thanks to Matt, Bruce is now on board and we are lucky to have him as part of the show. From Bruce’s Project Hero series, "The story of Cpl. Dale A. Burger Jr is a story of duty, honor and sacrifice. A young leader so concerned with his men he refused to stay out of combat even though wounded, and ended up making the ultimate sacrifice in support of other Marines." What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week Kevin and Gregg give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on A

Rowan Scarborough, national security correspondent for the Washington Examiner, and author of the excellent new book Sabotage: America’s Enemies Within the CIA joined us for a full hour tonight and we took some really good calls. "Using his first-rate sources in all levels of national security-from field officers to high-ranking analysts to former intelligence heads-bestselling author Rowan Scarborough reveals how CIA bureaucrats are undermining President Bush and the War on Terror through disinformation, incompetence and outright sabotage." I read the book cover-to-cover and thought it was excellent. It provides insight into our surveillance capabilities, the infighting on important Senate committees and especially the turf war fought by elements within the CIA. Of particular interest to me was the Clinton’s treatment of the intelligence community while in office. As George Tenant said, the CIA was “in chapter 11″ by the late 1990s. Hillary wants credit for The Clinton Years, she must also answer for

Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us for another edition of Someone You Should Know, the untold, inspirations true stories of the men and women fighting for us around the world. The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Thanks to Matt, Bruce is now on board and we are lucky to have him as part of the show. Tonight, Bruce told us a story about leadership. The story of CSM Ron Riling, Riling said his actions that day were just those of a soldier doing his job. “I don’t claim to be a hero for getting this award. I don’t want to be labeled as a hero. I felt I was just another soldier on the battlefield, doing my job, helping other soldiers and helping Marines,” Riling explained. Army Maj. Gen. J.D. Thurman, 4th Infantry Division commander, said Riling’s actions clearly indicate the kind of a soldier Riling is and why he could not have picked a better senior noncommissioned officer to lead the division. “I think the nation is luck

Darryl Sharratt, father of innocent Haditha Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, returned to Pundit Review to tell us about the great news the family received this week. LOS ANGELES – All charges were dropped Thursday against Marine Lance Cpl. Justin L. Sharratt, who had been accused of killing three Iraqi brothers in response to a roadside bomb attack in Haditha in 2005. “The evidence does not support a referral to a court-martial,” Lt. Gen. James Mattis wrote in his written decision. Under military law, a commanding general has total jurisdiction over a case. Darryl also told us a great story about The O’Reilly Factor. For months and months, Darryl tried to get “The Factor” to listen to Justin’s side of the story. Only when he was 100% exonerated did they come calling. Darryl was having none of it, and good for him! Things got pretty emotional when Darryl talked about Justin having to end his career in the Marines prematurely. He’s been put through hell, and he deserves to have his story heard. D

This week on Pundit Review Radio, we had the opportunity to speak with Congressman Mike Pence, a rising star within the Republican Party. He was led the charge against the immigration bill and for earmark reform. We pre-recorded this interview on Friday morning, and talked to Rep. Pence about the Democrats attempt to change a vote on the House floor in order to give illegal immigrants food stamps and other welfare benefits. We talked about amnesty, the borders, the Fairness Doctrine, Iraq and the impact of blogs he and his colleagues. He talked about flying on a military transport plane and typing 400-500 words into his Blackberry and having it on his blog in a matter of minutes. He mentioned going over the media communicating directly with his constituents from any corner of the world. Good stuff. We look forward to having Rep. Pence back on the show soon. He is the kind of guy the GOP needs out front on these important issues. All of our interviews are also available for download at iTunes and Podcast Al

Ann was in a great mood when we spoke to her this week. Her most recent book, Godless: The Church of Liberalism, is now out in paperback, and her next book is coming out this fall. We covered a lot of ground, from the Dover Area School District case, the politicization of science, to the presidential race and the war in Iraq. We even talked about an op-ed in the Boston Globe about a new book titled Poems from Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak. I read her a sample, HUMILIATED IN THE SHACKLES When I heard pigeons cooing in the trees, Hot tears covered my face. When the lark chirped, my thoughts composed A message for my son. Mohammad, I am afflicted. In my despair, I have no one but Allah for comfort. The oppressors are playing with me, As they move freely about the world. Her reply was classic Coulter, “Did they have any poems in there about killing all the Jews?” All of our interviews are also available for download at iTunes and Podcast Alley via the Pundit Review

Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us for another edition of Someone You Should Know, the untold, inspirations true stories of the men and women fighting for us around the world. The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Thanks to Matt, Bruce is now on board and we are lucky to have him as part of the show. From Bruce’s Project Hero profile "A tremendous story of a young soldier who disregarded danger and injury to himself in order to suppress the enemy’s fire and allow the evacuation of his wounded comrades.." All of our interviews are also available for download at iTunes and Podcast Alley via the Pundit Review Radio Podcast. What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week Kevin and Gregg give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your r

Congressman John Murtha finally got around to taking a call from the father of one of the accused Marines in the so-called Haditha Massacre. This parent, Darryl Sharatt, made 53 phone calls over 18 months, before getting a return call. Mr. Sharrat is a resident of Murtha's district. That's right. Murtha is his congressional representative. Darryl got emotional talking about how his son's desire to be a career Marine had been ruined. Bruce McQuain from QandO was with us and added some great perspective and observations. All of our interviews are also available for download at iTunes and Podcast Alley via the Pundit Review Radio Podcast. What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week Kevin and Gregg give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Hailed as “Groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680

It was great to welcome back to Pundit Review Radio one of our favorite commentators on politics and culture, Michael Medved. Michael's talk radio show is syndicated nationally, he is author of several best-selling books and is, of course, one of America's best known film critics. Home for only two hours following a 25-hour return trip from Israel to Seattle, Michael was very generous with his time tonight. We had a great discussion about Israel, the attitude of its people, their booming economy, how they feel about Iraq and Iran. In many ways, life in Israel is good but the public mood is sour. Just like here. We also talked about the broader situation in the Middle East and the domestic insurgency in Congress and Hollywood. All of our interviews are also available for download at iTunes and Podcast Alley via the Pundit Review Radio Podcast. What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week Kevin and Gregg give voice to the work of the most influential

Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us for another edition of Someone You Should Know, the untold, inspirations true stories of the men and women fighting for us around the world. The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Thanks to Matt, Bruce is now on board and we are lucky to have him as part of the show. From Bruce's Project Hero profile, the heroics of Richard "Buddy" Ghent, a member of the New Hampshire National Guard, "Armed only with a 9mm pistol. Facing insurgents who had just blown up his Humvee, wounded him with shrapnel and a gun shot wound to the back, killed his best friend and badly wounded his sergeant, he charged. With a pistol. Against unwounded insurgents with assault rifles. He charged them. And he drove them off and held his position until relieved by another element of his platoon. With a pistol." All of our interviews are also available for download at iTunes and Podcast Alley via the Pundit Review Radio Podcast. What

We always welcome the opportunity to speak with retired Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson. Buzz served his country with distinction for two decades and offers an uncommon combination of military experience, political access and unfiltered opinions. For two year's during the Clinton administration, he carried the nuclear football. He had tremendous first-hand experience with the Clinton's and he doesn't hold them in high regard at all. The Amazon book description serves as a guidepost for the interview, "Lieutenant Colonel Robert “Buzz” Patterson (USAF, Ret.) lays bare the Left’s campaign against their own nation’s armed forces; in the media, on campuses, in popular culture, in Washington, and elsewhere, revealing: The roots of liberal enmity toward our military The five liberal lies about the war on terror How the mainstream media, Hollywood, and academia perpetuate these myths How liberal politicians engage in seditious acts for political gain, and what the costs of these acts are How Americ

We had the pleasure of Mark Steyn’s company full a hour tonight in his return to Pundit Review Radio. We had a blast talking about domestic politics, Iraq and the broader war on terror. America Alone, his fantastic book, continues to be very relevant. What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week Kevin and Gregg give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Hailed as “Groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

Jed Babbin discusses In The Words Of Our Enemies

Investigator Urges Clearing of Marine in Killings at Haditha Home, "An investigating officer in the case against a U.S. Marine accused of murdering civilians in Haditha, Iraq, has recommended that charges against him be dropped, concluding that the government’s allegations that the Marine executed a group of men are “unsupported and incredible.”" We really appreciated the opportunity to speak with Darryl Sharratt, father of exonerated Haditha Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt tonight on Pundit Review Radio. We took an in-depth look at the three most important areas of this story, 1.) The impact on the families Darryl talked about how strong his son Justin has been throughout this ordeal, what its been like for the family and where the case stands today. He reminded us that there are other Marines still waiting for justice. 2.) The role of John Murtha In the second segment, Gary Gross of Let Freedom Ring blog and California Conservative joined the discussion to tell us about his interesting phone cal

What a story tonight. Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us for another edition of Someone You Should Know, the untold, inspirations true stories of the men and women fighting for us around the world. The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Thanks to Matt, Bruce is now on board and we are thrilled to have him as part of the program. Bruce has been honoring the recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross in a series called Project Hero. The Distinguished Service Cross is the equal of the Navy Cross and the Air Force Cross and the only award for valor which is higher is the Medal of Honor. Keep in mind as you read and listen to this story that one media outlet wrote about it. One. Here is what Bruce wrote about PFC Stephan C. Sanford, "So even though he was wounded, shot in the leg, Sanford charged back in with his team, laying down suppressive fire while his team mates evacuated the wounded. There were so many, though, it required they g

Bruce McQuain of QandO, a 28-year Army veteran, joined us for another edition of Someone You Should Know. This week Bruce told us two remarkable stories which involve Army aviators, in this case, attack pilots. One of the events, the first, involves Apache pilots. The second, the pilot of a Kiowa Warrior. The first incident happened last week, while the second occurred in 2006. In the first story, Bruce talked about Apache pilots Purtee and Christ, Upon landing, the co-pilot/gunner helped load the injured Soldier into the front seat of the Apache without any further injury to the Soldier. Despite the heavy small arms and surface-to-air fire in the area, the co-pilot/gunner strapped himself onto the right side of the aircraft and hunkered down on the small wing. The pilot then flew the three of them to Camp Ar Ramadi medical pad, where emergency medical personnel provided treatment. As for Lori Hill, Without hesitation, she risked her ship to draw the enemy fire away, simultaneously providing supp

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