Tango Alpha Lima Podcast

Jon Macaskill spent 24 years as a Navy SEAL Commander, leading special operations from 16-man teams to formations of 2,500. He was in the Joint Operations Center the night Operation Red Wings claimed 19 American lives in Afghanistan — men he called his own. What followed was a decade of self-medication and darkness. Then a Navy psychologist suggested mindfulness and meditation. Macaskill laughed at first but then tried it. And it changed everything.Now a leadership coach, speaker, and co-host of the Men Talking Mindfulness podcast, Macaskill joins Tango Alpha Lima hosts Adam Marr and Joe Worley to talk about survivor's guilt, why he started blocking off mental health days in red on his calendar where his sailors could see them, and why hypervigilance and mindfulness are more alike than most veterans think.Also in this episode: the DOJ takes action against a towing company targeting service members, the 80-year history of American Legion Boys Nation, and a myth-or-fact breakdown on meditation and the military.SHOW NOTESLearn more about American Legion Boys NationEnter The American Legion Drive for Freedom SweepstakesLearn more about Jon MacaskillCheck out the Men Talking Mindfulness podcastThe American Legion National Oratorical ContestRead full article: Feds sue towing company for allegedly illegally auctioning off troops’ carsMilitary Myth or Fact? — Mindfulness Edition

The Take Care of America's Veterans Act (TCAVA) may be the most consequential piece of veterans legislation in years. But what does it actually do, and how will it affect you?In this special episode of Tango Alpha Lima, host Stacy Pearsall — a combat-wounded, medically retired Air Force veteran whose own benefits could be affected by this bill — sits down with American Legion Legislative Director Cole Lyle to break it all down.They cover what TCAVA does and why The American Legion has invested so heavily in getting it passed, how ratings for tinnitus and sleep apnea may change, what the bill means for mental health services and suicide prevention, improvements to access to care, and major changes for caregivers."Whether you support the bill, oppose parts of it, or simply haven't made up your mind — our goal today is to give you the information you need to make an informed decision."This is essential listening for any veteran, military family member, or caregiver following this legislation.For more information, visit legion.org/tcava.

Army veteran Cory Brown watched 17 people from his cavalry troop die by suicide after returning from Iraq. The loss of his closest battle buddy became a turning point. His response was "Eat Your Feelings," a YouTube cooking and storytelling show that uses food to lower the walls around grief, identity, and veteran mental health — without ever calling it therapy. Cory joins co-host Sam Nathews, a  civilian and friend who brings his own experience with loss to every episode. Together they join Tango Alpha Lima hosts Adam Marr and Joe Worley to talk about why connection beats intervention, what it really takes to get veterans to open up, and how a shared meal can do what a counselor's office sometimes can't.Also in this episode: the landmark executive order accelerating psychedelic therapy research for veterans, and new science on blast injuries and cumulative TBI that is changing how the military thinks about invisible wounds.National Commander praises executive order that expedites psychedelic treatments for mental healthLearn more about Executive Order 14401

To celebrate Father’s Day, retired Army Colonel Mike “Sully” Sullivan and his daughter, Olympic bronze medalist and Army Captain Sammy Sullivan, talk about five generations of military service, accidental trailblazing, a Green Beret’s surprisingly tender parenting philosophy, developing grit and more. Sully, the executive director of Team Red, White & Blue, also discusses the organization’s mission to keep veterans “left of clinical.” Plus: New research on team sports as therapy, and how The American Legion supports adaptive sports programs. SHOW LINKSLearn more about Solace Health and check your eligibility hereLearn more about Team RWBLearn more about the Army World Class Athlete ProgramLearn more about Capt. Sammy Sullivan and Team USA Rugby Women's Eagle SevensThere is still time to be part of The American Legion Family USA 250 ChallengeRead more of the Journal of Veterans Studies report on how team sports help veterans with PTSDFind out more about how The American Legion can help you get back in the game with Operation Comfort Warrior grants.Follow the progress of the Veterans SPORT Act on and the National Veterans Strategy Act of 2026  Capitol HillYour stories. Your service. Your community. This is Tango Alpha Lima.

What does it take to reach tens of millions of people a month while still on active duty? For Army Sgt. First Class Johnny Vargas — better known as Viva La Vargas — it started with a car fire, a recruiting station and a promise to himself to show up every single day.In this episode, Johnny chats about his journey from aspiring recording artist in Los Angeles to one of the military community's most trusted and entertaining voices online. He breaks down the three pillars that guide every piece of content he creates, explains why staying nonpartisan isn't just a strategy but a responsibility, and shares two powerful stories of how a single social media post changed real lives — including a family fighting a $800,000 insurance billing error while their toddler battled a terminal brain tumor.Johnny also shares a closing message about mental health that every veteran and servicemember needs to hear, which is in line with The American Legion's Be the One mission to create mental health awareness.Also in this episode, the hosts discuss a veteran-founded nonprofit turning vets into entrepreneurs, the growing world of remembrance tattoos, and Women Veterans Day on June 12.Show LinksCelebrate Women Veterans DayLearn more about VivaLaVargasCheck out the Warrior Rising Activate AcceleratorCheck out the Task & Purpose article about TAPS gallery of military memorial tattoos

On Aug. 26, 2021, Marine Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, age 20, was among 13 servicemembers killed at the Abbey Gate in Kabul during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. He had wanted to be a Marine since he was 8.In the weeks after Jared's death, condolence checks from strangers filled more than a foot of mail. His father, Mark, couldn't bring himself to spend a single dollar of it.So he launched a nonprofit instead aimed at honoring the fallen and helping servicemembers with their mental health.On this Memorial Day episode of Tango Alpha Lima, Gold Star father Mark Schmitz joins hosts Adam Marr and Joe Worley to share the story of The Freedom 13, a mission to build therapeutic retreat camps for veterans and law enforcement on 100-plus acres in all 50 states, free of charge, with the first camp already under construction in Missouri. He also discusses the coalition of Abbey Gate families fighting for GI Bill reform and increased death benefits for fallen servicemembers.Also on this episode: Memorial Day events around the nation, the origin story of the Battle Buddy system, and Memorial Day fitness challenges honoring the fallen — including The Murph.SHOW LINKSLearn more about Armed Forces Vacation ClubVisit The Freedom 13 websiteLearn more about the 2026 Angels of Abbey Gate Memorial RideWe Are The Mighty: Battle Buddies originated in the trenches of WWIMemorial Day Challenges: The Murph

In 2003, Marine infantryman Ryan Roberts helped recover the remains of 18 comrades killed in the battle of Nasiriyah, many by friendly fire. The next day, his fire team stopped a vehicle at a checkpoint. When he opened the back door, he found two children aged four and six.He had joined the military to protect the innocent. In doing the right thing, he violated that core value. And no one — not in 17 years of VA care and private treatment — ever gave him the language for what that did to him.On this episode of Tango Alpha Lima, Roberts and Dr. Lynette Averill, trauma scientist at Baylor College of Medicine, explain why moral injury is not a variant of PTSD. It's a categorically different wound, rooted not in fear but in the violation of values. And the healthcare system has largely been missing it.Together they discuss what healing actually requires, the promise of emerging psychedelic-assisted therapies, and why peer support and community may be the most critical ingredients the clinical world keeps leaving out.Also on this episode: the new DoD zero visible mold policy, a tribute to military caregivers for Military Caregiver Month, and resources for those supporting veterans at home.Your stories. Your service. Your community. This is Tango Alpha Lima.Learn more about VA Caregiver support resourcesFind an American Legion Service OfficerTask & Purpose: Pentagon issues standards for barracks