#724 FireSide Chat w/ the Crew 29 Aug 2026

🔥 FireSide Chat w/ the Crew — Episode #724 What happens when you put a group of Veterans together, give them an open microphone, and let the conversation go wherever it needs to go? You get a FireSide Chat. Episode #724 of The Lost Art Project: Veterans’ Voices brought the crew back together for an evening filled with humor, military memories, leadership lessons, changing warfare, AI, drones, and a serious discussion about whether joining the military is still a good decision for today's young men and women. The night began on a personal note as the crew celebrated Jess Kindelspire's birthday. Jess reflected on a surprise party that brought friends together from across the country and shared how humbled he was by the people who had traveled to celebrate with him. From there, the conversation moved through the kind of stories only Veterans can tell—from weather and cigars to memories from deployments and military life—before turning toward leadership and today's military. When a viewer asked what the crew thought about a young person joining the Army today, the answer sparked one of the strongest conversations of the evening. The crew discussed the importance of small-unit leadership, trusting NCOs, giving junior leaders responsibility, developing the people beneath you, and how good leaders create an environment where their people can rise to the occasion. The discussion then turned toward the changing battlefield. AI, drones and new technologies may change the tools of warfare, but the crew agreed that the fundamentals remain: leadership, initiative, decision-making, adaptability and brilliance in the basics. Technology changes. People still matter. The evening wrapped up with Words of Wisdom, Mark's Humdinger, a book recommendation from Jess, and the crew's reminder that history shows Americans have faced difficult and divided times before—and found ways to overcome them. 🎙️ Host: AJ Cox — Founder/Executive Director, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran 🔥 Crew: Jess Kindelspire, Mike McNany, Mark O'Loughlin & Vick Ney — Veterans bringing their experience, humor and leadership perspectives to the conversation. These conversations are exactly why Veterans' voices matter. Beyond the battles and deployments are decades of experience, leadership, mistakes, friendships, lessons learned and wisdom worth passing to the next generation. The Lost Art Project: Veterans’ Voices Collect. Preserve. Educate. Inspire. Preserving Voices. Protecting Legacies.