Tango Alpha Lima Podcast

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