After the turmoil generated from the recent presidential election, we were left to wonder if a second Civil War is possible and if so, how it would play out.

Join us for an entertaining wargaming discussion in which every state declares war on each other. We talk about fighting tactics, how long it will last, and who the winners and losers are.

Read the original article "Here's what would happen if every US state declared war on each other" by Jon Davis, a Marine Corps veteran who writes about the military, international defense, and veterans' welfare and empowerment.

This is what happens to every state in a modern Civil War

New York Times best-selling author of “American Sniper” Scott McEwen joined us to discuss Ryan Zinke, the co-author, and subject of his latest book “American Commander.”

McEwin teamed with Zinke — a former SEAL Team Six Commander and the only US Navy SEAL in Congress — to write a book about the now-politician’s life.

Zinke is also Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of the Interior.

Zinke’s military career began in 1985 when he graduated from Officer Candidate School and attended SEAL training (BUDS class 136). He was first assigned to SEAL Team One in Coronado, California, then was later selected for SEAL Team Six where he was a Team Leader and a commander.

As McEwin tells it, after a decade of service, Zinke was assigned as Deputy and Acting Commander of Combined Joint Special Operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom where he led a force of over 3,500 Special Operations personnel. In 2006 he was awarded two Bronze Stars.

An author experienced in telling the stories of high-level special operators, McEwin goes on to explain how Zinke retired from active duty 2008 after serving 23 years as a Navy SEAL. Zinke later ran for Congress and was sworn into the House of Representatives on January 6, 2015, and became the first Navy SEAL in the House.

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What you need to know about the Navy SEAL Trump picked for his cabinet

Bad back, knee sprains, and other injury claims ISIS militants are using to scam out of duty are child's play compared to excuses deployed by the finest members of the E-4 Mafia.

"For starters, headaches and stomachaches are rookie excuses," says Tim Kirkpatrick, a former Navy corpsman and newest member of the We Are The Mighty Team. "There's no way to diagnose these 'chief complaints' because they're subjective."

As a veteran with multiple deployments, Tim has heard every excuse in the sick call commando's manual and can tell you what works and what doesn't.

"A Marine rarely gets out of a hike," he says. "He has to be dead or dying to get out of it, but there are ways."

In this episode of the "Mandatory Fun" podcast, Tim and reformed members of the E-4 Mafia — your hosts, O.V. and Blake — divulge their 'skating' tips to ISIS fighters looking to file a proper jihad-ache.

Hosted by:

Blake Stilwell: Air Force veteran and Senior Contributor
Tim Kirkpatrick: Navy veteran and Editorial Coordinator
Orvelin Valle (AKA O.V.): Navy veteran and Podcast Producer

A corpsman's advice to ISIS militants who fake injuries to get out of jihad

It's common for the four major military branches — the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Army — to work together, but seldom do we share missions with the Coast Guard.

But it wasn't always this way. While the Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security, there have been instances when it fell under the Department of Defense. In actuality, the U.S. Coast Guard gets passed around a lot. In addition to the DoD, it has also fallen under the Department of Treasury, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of the Interior.

So, it isn't hard to imagine why some service members get confused when it comes to the Coast Guard. For this episode of the Mandatory Fun podcast, we invited fellow coastie and We Are The Mighty contributor Mary-Elizabeth Pratt to answer questions about the Coast Guard we've always wanted answers to but were too afraid to ask for fear of looking stupid.

20 stupid questions about the Coast Guard we always wanted answers to

Mandatory Fun is a weekly podcast about the military and pop culture. Join us in breaking cultural tropes and bridging the military-civilian divide through storytelling and entertainment. The show is hosted by the We Are The Mighty's editorial team: Air Force veteran Blake Stilwell, Army veteran Logan Nye, Navy veteran Orvelin Valle (O.V.), and benevolent smartass Tracy Woodward.

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