On Veterans Day we celebrate our military from every service and every generation. Freedom requires people of character to stand up for America…no matter the challenge.
This Veterans Day, the Jedburgh Podcast, the Jedburgh Media Channel and the Green Beret Foundation are proud to announce our partnership with the University of Health and Performance outside of Bentonville, Arkansas.
Dedicated to providing our transitioning service members with the skills needed to build careers in health and fitness, and as entrepreneurs, UHP is leading the way in showing private industry just how valuable our Veterans will be for the next generation of America.
While at UHP, Fran Racioppi spent some time with Senator John Boozman, an Arkansas native and the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations. Senator Boozman is the son of an Air Force Master Sergeant and has made national security a top priority of his service.
The Senator and Fran discussed his initiatives to improve quality of life for service members and their families, why building world class facilities is critical to recruiting, and how national security is the foundation of a strong economy. They also shared why all leaders need to bring the country together to get things done for the American people.
Watch, listen or read all our Veterans Day coverage from UHP. The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation. Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.
*The opinions presented on the The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are the opinions of my guests and myself. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Green Beret Foundation and the Green Beret Foundation assumes no liability for their accuracy, nor does Green Beret Foundation endorse any political candidate or any political party.
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Senator, thanks for joining The Jedburgh Podcast.
Thank you very much.
We’re out here at the University of Health and Performance here in Northwest Arkansas. I’ve never been to Arkansas. As a senator from this amazing state, I’ve only heard wonderful things about it. When I was coming in, they talked about the Ozarks and the Lake of the Ozarks. I’ve seen the show, which I understand has drastically increased some of the tourism around the area, but what an amazing place.
It is a beautiful place with lots of hills rivers, streams, lakes, and all those things. The quality of life is excellent with lots of nice people to go along with all that.
You’ve been very focused in your tenure as a senator and before that, in the medical field, on veterans initiatives and supporting our veterans. I think there are five bases here in Arkansas with different components of the military. It has become of critical importance to you and your tenure here to support our veterans. We’re sitting here on Veterans Day. You come out here to this or that. Why has it been so important to you?
It’s important in regard to the regular military. The base that we have here, because of the quality of life and the fact that people embrace the military here so patriotically, we want these things here. We don’t have to worry about a lot of the regulatory atmosphere that you’ve seen in a lot of other areas. It’s such a great story to tell us. It’s not only good for our area, but It’s good for the country. It’s a great use of resources.
My dad did twenty years in the Air Force. He was a Master Sergeant retired. He joined when he was seventeen. That was B7 teams. He got through and stayed in. I understand how important these things are. We talk about veterans and it always is a family affair. This is something where the whole family signs up and you realize pretty quickly that you’re part of something that’s much more important than yourselves here.
One of the other initiatives that you have in your various senate committees that you are a part of is infrastructure and the building of infrastructure around military bases and stuff. We have seen massive advancement and modernization of our military infrastructure and the bases. I entered in 2003. I’m a product of 9/11 in 2001. I had the choice because I studied Broadcast Journalism at Boston University. I said, “What am I going to do?” You have a good voice. I have to work on that.
I have to practice it sometimes. You got the deepness a little bit, but people like Tom broke off here. Jennings is one of my heroes. I looked up to him and then 9/11 happened. I’m looking at this and I’m saying, “What am I going to do? I’m a junior in college. I’m going to go to maybe a small market in the middle of America. Maybe Arkansas, I’m going to build this resume.” Back then, we had the actual VHS tapes, or there were these guys with beards and long hair. They’re riding horses through Afghanistan, building forces, and combating an enemy that has shown to do us harm.
I said I’m going to do that. If I want to do journalism, I’ll do that later. I’m a product of that and when I went in, our bases weren’t very nice. They were old. We didn’t have a lot of modernization. The barracks were still World War 2, but we’ve seen so much of that change over the last twenty-plus years. What do we have to look forward to as we continue to advance and modernize?
I think it’s important. The world is different now than it was in 2003 when you joined, but people are different also. The job market is pretty strong. In America right now, labor issues are huge problems. People have a lot of choices. We have a volunteer Army. Recruiting is difficult. It’s hard to get anybody to make long-term commitments to anything right now. You have to have the facilities and that quality of life issues, and then so importantly, make sure that they’re safe. It’s different. We’re working hard to create those facilities to give the military what they need to go forward and be able to do that. If not, we’re not going to have young men and women like yourself who will step up and serve.
Military recruitment is difficult. It is hard to get anybody to make long-term commitments to anything right now.
I have been fortunate to speak with so many senior leaders from the military, primarily from Special Operations Command within the Army and Special Forces command. I had a chance to sit down with Sergeant Major Mike Weimer, the sergeant major of the Army. We talked a lot about recruiting and what is it going to take to get folks to continue to raise their hand. The military is not front and center in so much, but we know that there’s an enemy and adversary out there that is looking to come out after us.
Two conversations are being had within National Defense right now. You’ve been very big on national defense. We have to put our effort behind the national defense. We don’t live in this world where everybody’s hugging and hoping that we’re all going to get along. That’s not reality. The reality is there are terrorist organizations who are reconstituting, looking to do us harm, and there are organizations that are nation-states, whether it be Iran, China, or Russia that have the capacity and capability. When you look forward and think about the next fight or America’s next battle, what do you think it is?
I think it’s going to be difficult. The Middle East is in turmoil. You’ve got your crying. The whole world is watching that. Depending on what we do there, it is going to greatly influence the Chinese as they’re looking at Taiwan. We’re so blessed. We have Canada and Mexico as our neighbors. We fight a little bit but it’s like family. You squabble but you are friends. You like each other.
Many other countries are neighbors and they’re looking at each other with eyes with, “How do we conquer these people?” We don’t experience that here but sadly, much of the world is like that. I think we have several places that we have to look at. The thing to do is to be ready and have a good economy, which drives all this. As Reagan said and so many others, peace for sure.
The government is working hard to create facilities to give the military what they need. If not, no young men or women will step up to the challenge.
We’ve gone through probably the longest political election cycle in at least in modern history. People will often say now that it was one of the most divisive, but we’ve also talked on this show about you can go back to the 1800s when Aaron Burr shot somebody. There’s always been this conflict that ramps up as we go into a charged election, especially when you have so many issues that are so polarizing. We’re out of it now. President Trump won in a decisive manner across the country. Even last night in Arizona, they called that the election as far as ballot counts at the presidential level is now over.
Now the countries have to come together. We have to forge a path. What do you see as the priority now? The Senate now comes back to the Republican Party. We’re still waiting on the House, but it looks like that will too. As the Republicans now have all branches of the government, what are you looking forward to of what’s going to be on that agenda?
It’s interesting that you mentioned the thing about, there’s always been terminal, and that is the case. I was in the House for nine years. You could go there and there’s a picture of George Washington. Some time in that early part of our country, they outlawed weapons on the House floor. If you look at his picture, they’ve even painted out his sword. You can see the top of the handle, but they painted out his sword. Even he does not care about carrying weapons on the House floor. These things have a long history.
I do think our country is divided though and we need to bring it together. We’ll go back and we’ll have elections on our side. Get it reconstituted and get our committees in line, and then we roll our sleeves up and get to work. The Senate’s reality is in order to get something passed. It has to be somewhat bipartisan. You need 60 votes to get it done. That’s not bad in the sense. It does force you to work together to create a product. We’re looking forward to doing that. I think we can do that.
I’ll give you some great examples. In the last several years, we’ve done more for veterans working together, Democrats or Republicans, than we have in decades. The Pact Act and various things like that, the Community Care programs, all of that was done in a very bipartisan way. Hopefully, we can follow through not only with our veterans but with our Armed Forces and so many other things like the economy.
Americans don’t have any money right now. They’re in the situation where they looked back and they are in a lot worse situation than they were four years ago. The problem is I don’t see a lot of hope forward. We’ve said that we can jump in, roll our sleeves up, work together, and make a change in that area and so many other areas. Now, it’s time that we have to perform.
I think it’s an exciting time for America. We talk about the future. We talk about change. I think regardless of what candidate won, there was going to be somewhat of a change. Something is going to change. It’s not going to be exactly the same, but I think now it comes down to how we rally behind. In the military, we talk all the time about “orders.” The beauty of the Special Forces team is that you have these twelve individuals on the operational detachment and everybody gets a voice, but when the decision is made, everybody gets in line, and then they execute that decision. I’m hoping as we move forward now into this new era that that’s what America is going to do.
I believe in you in all of that. I grew up in a military family. My dad was a Master Sergeant. I also play football at Arkansas. It’s the same mentality. You work hard in the off-season and you’re vying for a position. During the off-season, you look at each other and you almost kill the guy who stepped above you. At the end of that, when they put the final depth shot, then you come together as a team and work hard together. The other realization is that the harder you work to help your teammate, the better off you are because you’re all going to be successful. Those are simple truths. We just need to continue to talk about that still and people like you are a great example of that.
Senator, I appreciate your taking a couple of minutes to talk to me. We have a lot going on here. The governor is coming now. It’s amazing to be out here and get to spend some time and talk to you.
Thank you very much. I look forward to talking to you in the future.
I love to come down to DC and see you.
For sure. Thanks for a great show. That’s what it is all about. It is getting good information out to the public and see what’s going on.
Thank you.
I appreciate you very much. Thank you.
