The History of US Army Psychological Operations Pt 1 FT TheIOGuy SGM (r) Kenneth Ramos

Welcome back to The Trunk Tales.In Part 1 of our series on the history of U.S. Army Psychological Operations, Drew Lemacks sits down with SGM (R) Kenneth Ramos, better known as TheIOGuy, for a grounded, unfiltered, and often hilarious conversation about influence, information, credibility, and the long history behind the craft.This episode starts in the modern information environment: AI slop, fake viral images, social media manipulation, misinformation, and the strange reality that people will sometimes reject what is real while accepting what is obviously fabricated.From there, Ken walks through what Psychological Operations actually are, and what they are not. This is not just “make a leaflet” or spooky internet buzzwords. Real Psychological Operations require planning, target audience analysis, series development, production, approval, cultural review, language review, and a clear understanding of the behavior a message is intended to influence.Drew and Ken also get into the roots of American influence operations, from Revolutionary War messaging and the Hessians to radio broadcasts, leaflets, surrender appeals, credibility, and why making promises you can actually keep matters. Ken explains why the wrong message in the wrong place can create real-world consequences, why translation matters, and why the history of Psychological Operations deserves more serious preservation.This is Part 1. More to come.Viewer Discretion:This episode contains strong language and discussions of war, propaganda, information warfare, misinformation, and military operations.Chapters00:00:00 - Cold Open: Psychological Operations00:00:33 - Intro: SGM (R) Kenneth Ramos Joins The Trunk Tales00:01:10 - AI Slop, Fake Images, and Modern Media Literacy00:09:40 - What Psychological Operations Actually Means00:12:30 - Early American Influence and the Revolution00:14:40 - Leaflets, Radio Messages, Threats, and Credibility00:18:30 - Influence, Audience Trust, and Narrative Control00:27:00 - Special Operations, UW, and Working in Parallel00:31:00 - Planning, Target Audience Analysis, and Product Development00:34:30 - Digital Signals, Communication Channels, and Technical Tangents00:39:30 - Approval Chains, Translation, and Cultural Review00:44:30 - Surrender Messaging, Leaflets, and Real-World Risk00:49:30 - Fort Bragg, Museums, and Preserving the History00:53:40 - Building the Psychological Operations History Series00:55:15 - Tinfoil Hats, Movie Magic, and Ghost Army Tangents01:03:25 - Short Cut vs. Extended Cut and ClosingGuest Links & ResourcesArmy WTF Moments Store: https://shoparmywtfmoments.bigcartel.com/US Army WTF Moments on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@usawtfmaWTF Nation Radio on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WTFNationRadioKen Ramos on X: https://x.com/TheIOGuyStay ConnectedWebsite: https://thetrunktales.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrunkTalesSpotify: https://lemacks.app/tttspotifyX: https://lemacks.app/tttxSubstack: https://lemacks.app/tttsubstackPatreon: https://lemacks.app/tttpatreonRumble: https://lemacks.app/tttrumbleReddit: https://lemacks.app/tttredditFacebook: https://lemacks.app/tttfbInstagram: https://lemacks.app/tttigThreads: https://lemacks.app/tttthreadsTikTok: https://lemacks.app/ttttiktokBluesky: https://lemacks.app/tttbskyRSS: https://lemacks.app/tttrssOfficial Merch Partner: https://lemacks.app/tttamericanlictorMusic by: https://x.com/J_to_the_AYProduced by: https://lemacksmedia.comOur Other Show: He’s Wrong She’s RightYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HesWrongShesRightWebsite: https://heswrongshesright.comHostDrew Lemacks: https://x.com/TheBaconFather#TheTrunkTales #PsychologicalOperations #TheIOGuy #KennethRamos #PSYOP #PSYOPS #InformationWarfare #MilitaryHistory #VeteranPodcast #ArmyWTFMoments #WTFNationRadio