Ep. 65 • Zach Masek • Green Beret Stories & Side Quest Chaos! 🪖🏴‍☠️🇺🇸

🏴‍☠️ Want to hang LIVE with Kevin, Nick & Ryan? Join the Liberty Risk Patreon crew: https://www.patreon.com/cw/LibertyRisk Rodney Magallon joins the Liberty Risk boys, along with returning guest co-host and Navy EOD veteran Kris Groves, for Part 1 of a two-part episode covering his wild 35-year career spanning the Navy SEAL Teams, U.S. Marshals Service, and CIA's Global Response Staff (GRS). Rodney takes us back to the late 1980s, when a Navy recruiter's bullshit promise of becoming a doctor somehow landed him in BUD/S Class 143. From there, he takes us through his early years at SEAL Team 4, running operations throughout Central and South America during the height of the War on Drvgs. We get into guarding a downed Chinook in the Honduran jungle, scouting Manuel Noriega's checkpoints in Panama, and the devastating loss of fellow SEALs during Operation Just Cause. After leaving the Teams, Rodney made an unlikely transition into the U.S. Marshals Service, with a few ridiculous detours along the way. But everything changed after 9/11, when he was recruited into the CIA's Global Response Staff as one of the original "Dirty 30," the first 30 federal employees brought in to provide security for CIA operations overseas. After little more than HR paperwork and a day at the range, he was on a plane to Afghanistan, where he was handed a rifle, body armor, and told to get to work. We wrap up Part 1 with Rodney's early CIA operations in Afghanistan, the relentless deployment tempo of the Global War on Terror, and the toll it took on life back home. It's a hell of a journey through old-school Navy SEAL history, special operations, and the early days of the War on Terror, packed with wild stories, military shenanigans, and plenty of laughs. PART 2 DROPS MONDAY MORNING! Rodney returns to the SEAL Teams, earns his commission, and takes us through the next chapter of his extraordinary military career.

🏴‍☠️ Want to hang LIVE with Kevin, Nick & Ryan? Join the Liberty Risk Patreon crew: https://www.patreon.com/cw/LibertyRisk Cody Hightower, better known as Platoon Daddy, is back with the Liberty Risk boys for Part 2 of our two-part episode, and this time we're getting into life beyond the Army, building a business from scratch, the realities of entrepreneurship, and the mental health struggles that don't always end when the uniform comes off. After 20 years in the U.S. Army, Cody is preparing to trade his platoon sergeant duties for full-time entrepreneurship. We get into how he launched Platoon Daddy during the COVID lockdowns, going from designing stickers on an iPad and celebrating five orders to building one of the more recognizable military humor and apparel brands. Of course, running a military-themed apparel company comes with its own special brand of bullshit. Cody shares stories of cease-and-desist letters from the Army, Marine Corps, Crye Precision, and even Philip Morris, along with the challenges of managing employees, fulfillment, trademarks, and the never-ending headaches of running a business. Ryan brings nearly two decades of apparel industry experience into the conversation as we dive into scaling brands, making expensive mistakes, keeping operations lean, and why sometimes the best business advice is to NOT quit your day job. We also get into some hard-earned lessons about money, taxes, SBA loans, and the realities of keeping a business alive when everything seems to be going sideways. The conversation takes a more serious turn as Cody opens up about his struggles with anxiety, PTSD, and traumatic brain injuries following years of military service. He shares his decision to pursue ibogaine treatment in Mexico, what led him down that path, and his hopes of eventually using the Platoon Daddy platform to help other veterans access alternative treatment options. From military retirement and building a recognizable brand to psychedelic treatments, business disasters, and the occasional completely inappropriate Army story, this episode covers a hell of a lot of ground. Plenty of laughs, some hard conversations, and a look at what happens when 20 years of military service comes to an end and an entirely new mission begins. This is Part 2 of our conversation with Cody Hightower. If you haven't watched Part 1, go check it out first! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ WANT TO GO DEEPER WITH LIBERTY RISK? Join the Liberty Risk Patreon Community for the stuff that doesn't make it into the episodes: behind-the-scenes footage, conversations between breaks, private community chats, merch & partner discounts, and plenty more. 🥃 Black Site members also get invited to our monthly Virtual Cigar Night where you can grab a drink, light one up, and hang LIVE on Zoom with Kevin, Nick & Ryan. No livestream. No audience. Real two-way conversations with the guys, other members of the LR crew, and occasionally a special guest or two. 🤫 If you enjoy the show and want to be more than just a viewer, come join the crew: 👉 https://www.patreon.com/cw/LibertyRisk

🏴‍☠️ Want to hang LIVE with Kevin, Nick & Ryan? Join the Liberty Risk Patreon crew: https://www.patreon.com/cw/LibertyRisk Cody Hightower, better known by his Instagram page Platoon Daddy, joins the Liberty Risk boys for Part 1 of a two-part episode covering his wild 20-year career in the U.S. Army, and the journey of what's next. From dropping out of college, partying his ass off, and working construction to enlisting in the infantry at the height of the Global War on Terror, Cody takes us through two decades of combat deployments, personal growth, life-changing experiences, and plenty of military shenanigans. We get into the comic mix of humor, frustration, commaraderie and danger that is Army life at Fort Benning, deploying to Iraq with a Stryker brigade, getting blown up three times, and surviving the frozen wasteland of Alaska. Along the way, Cody shares stories about getting jumped outside a bar, being stranded at a stripper's house in subzero temperatures, and a fellow soldier who ended up involved in a bizarre murder case. Things only get crazier as we get into airborne operations in Australia, partying with Australian Commandos, getting kicked out of a training exercise at Fort Irwin, and the absolute nightmare of Army recruiting duty. Cody also shares an incredible encounter with Medal of Honor recipient Sammy L. Davis, the real-life inspiration behind Forrest Gump. From the infantry to the 82nd Airborne, it's a wild ride through 20 years of military service, combat, brotherhood, personal transformation, and the experiences & conversations that shape who we become. Of course, there's no shortage of laughs, dark humor, and the kind of stories you can only get from guys who've lived it. This is Part 1. Stay tuned for Part 2 on Monday, where we get into life after the Army, building the Platoon Daddy brand, mental health, and psychedelic treatments including ibogaine and ayahuasca.

🏴‍☠️ Want to hang LIVE with Kevin, Nick & Ryan? Join the Liberty Risk Patreon crew: https://www.patreon.com/cw/LibertyRisk Part 2 with bestselling author Eric Blehm! Eric is back with the boys at Liberty Risk for more incredible true stories, military legends, outdoor adventures, and the usual off-the-rails conversations. We dive into the unbelievable story of Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient and Green Beret Roy Benavidez, who survived a landmine explosion, taught himself to walk again, and later fought through six hours of brutal combat in Cambodia. Shot, stabbed, and nearly declared dead, Benavidez's story is one of the wildest accounts of courage and survival you'll ever hear. Eric also takes us behind the scenes of his bestselling books Fearless, about legendary Navy SEAL Adam Brown, and Legend, sharing what it takes to uncover these stories and why preserving the history of America's warriors is becoming a race against time. Then we head into the mountains to talk about snowboarding pioneer Craig Kelly, whose life and tragic death in an avalanche inspired The Darkest White, and legendary backcountry ranger Randy Morgenson, who mysteriously disappeared in the Sierra Nevada after spending decades rescuing others. Eric spent years researching these stories, retracing their footsteps, and interviewing the people who knew them best. Along the way, we get into the golden age of magazines, growing up before smartphones, Eric's Army EOD father, and one of the most ridiculous Hollywood screenplay adaptations ever written, featuring a murderous beaver. Yes, seriously. From Navy SEALs and Green Berets to Vietnam War heroes, survival stories, and mountain legends, this episode has a ton of amazing stories, plus plenty of laughs and the usual Liberty Risk side quests. Come hang with us! 🍻🏴‍☠️

🏴‍☠️ Want to hang LIVE with Kevin, Nick & Ryan? Join the Liberty Risk Patreon crew: https://www.patreon.com/cw/LibertyRisk