The Blind Spot by Ray Morales
by Ray Morales
This podcast is dedicated to the men and women of the Armed Forces who sacrificed not only their time and energy to serve our great country but also their vision. Hear their stories and find out what they’re doing with their lives now after their vision loss.
Episodes
-
S4 E9 SAM SEAVEY
Sam has a very successful YouTube channel that has over 80,000 subscribers and he is uploaded over 800 videos.
-
S3 E4 ZACK TIDWELL
Marine Corps veteran Zack Tidwell has a remarkable story to tell. Joining the Marine Corps right out of high school, Zack married his high school, sweetheart. Well deployed overseas, he found out she was having an affair, so the two divorced, . Not long after this Zack experienced a horrible...
-
S3 E3 BRIAN LOGAN
Brian proudly served in the US Air Force as an Aircraft Armament System Specialist f.rom 1986-1992. At the age of 24 his military career was cut short when he was diagnosed with Glaucoma. He returned to College, earning a degree in Healthcare Management. Brain is currently utilizing his skills at...
-
S3 E2. KERWIN DAVIS
After finishing his four year stint in the US Army, Kerwin Davis bounced around from job to job finding what suited best. It was well he was an over the road truck driver that he lost his vision in an instant while driving with a full load on an interstate.
-
S3 E1 MIKE MURPHY
US Army veteran Mike Murphy tells his story, of how he became visually impaired, and how adaptive sports helped him overcome his limitations. He and his guide dog Maverick, travel around the United States, participating in adaptive sports. He is quickly becoming a person to be reckoned with in…
more -
S2 E25 MERGEL TAKAM
Mergel Takam is the Director of DotPad Market and Development Team at Dot Inc. Mergel is originally from Cameroon and is now working and living in Seoul, South Korea. The audio quality is spotty due to the fact that Mergel is sitting in a Krispy Kreme donut shop. He tells of some future plans for...
-
S1 E13 JEROME RICHARDSON
Jerome, or Jerry as he prefers to be called, is a retired US Marine Corps veteran. He grew up all over the country but claims upstate New York at home. His low vision is due to glaucoma which he still battles. Listen to him tell his story.
-
S2 E24 TERRY DODGE
Terry Dodge is a veteran of the United States, Marine Corps, attaining the rank of lance, corporal before separating from service. He is married with two children, and has many interests, such as music, website, building, and fishing. He is heavily involved in his community through his…
more -
S2 E23 VETERANS DAY EPISODE
The special Veterans Day, episode, features, army, veteran, and Purple Heart recipient. Tim Hornik. Tim, well on patrol hunting down a sniper that had killed one of his team members earlier in the week, was shot in the head by a sniper, resulting in a life-changing injury. I believe we all should...
-
S2 E22 JOHN WILLIAMS
John Williams is a Navy veteran who enlisted in 1966, served in Vietnam and many other areas of conflict during that time. Jon is very active in the VA golden age sports program. He has participated in many events such as: disc golf, cornhole, Tandem, bicycling, and many more. He will be the…
more -
S2 E21 JANICE WALTH
Janice Walth is not a veteran, however, she is an amazing person who is overcoming obstacles in tremendous leaps and bounds. Her and her brother have both been blind since early childhood due to a disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa or RP for short. she was misdiagnosed until she was 18 when she...
-
S2 E20 RTD PT. 2
BVA convention, roundtable discussion part two
-
S2 E19 RTD PT.1
This is a roundtable discussion at the BVA annual convention held in St. Louis Missouri August 17, 2023. In attendance are: Bill & Jeannie Murphy, Lonnie Bedwell, Anthony Woodson, Ray Morales and Chris Choi.
-
S2 E18 CORRINE NERO
Corrine Nero is the Area Sales Manager for OrCam , and her territory consists of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Prior to her time with OrCam, I worked as a Blind Rehabilitation Specialist with the VA. I she is passionate about helping people and using assistive...
-
S2 E17 BRIAN O’CONNELL
Veteran Brian O’Connell is a retired lieutenant colonel who served proudly in the United States Air Force. For many years, he was a navigator for the B-52, During his career in the Air Force he served all over the world. Listening to his exciting story and please share this episode with others.
-
S2 E16 TIM HORNIK PT. 2
Tim and I just have a laid back discussion about everything from kayaking, to podcasting and more.
-
S2 E13 TIM HORNIK
On Nov. 11, 2004 while on deployment in Iraq Lt. Hornik was shot in the head by a sniper. He awoke the next day to celebrate still being alive and his 25th birthday. After many surgeries. and months of recovery he rejoined his unit and remained on active duty until Dec. 2011 leaving the military…
more -
S2 E15 STEVE BASKIS
US Army veteran Steve Baskis is a man many talents. After being wounded during his deployment in Iraq, he had many obstacles to overcome, such as recovering from his his wounds and learning to do things with one hand, and being blind. Steve hasn’t let his disabilities slow him down. He kayaks,...
-
S2 E14 PAUL MIMMS
Paul is a US Navy veteran who served in Viet Nam. In 1968 while unloading a ship in the Mekong delta, he was struck in the head by a block and tackle they were using to lower ammunition into the cargo hold. That injury initiated his journey into vision loss. Paul is currently the vice president…
more -
S2 E12 HARVEY GAURY
USAF Veteran Harvey Gaury from Baltimore, Maryland. Harvey is married, he also enjoys adaptive sports and competes across the country. Harvey also teaches self-defense to visually impaired people.
-
S2 E11 MAJOR JOE BOGART
Major Joe Bogart began his career as a Private, then at the rank of S/sgt he attended Officers Candidate School. Upon graduating he was promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant serving as a Platoon Leader. While deployed to Iraq he was injured by an IED(Improvised Explosive Device) leaving him with...
-
S2 E10 CALVIN POOLE
Meet US Navy Veteran Calvin E. Poole. Calvin's journey began nine years ago when his eye doctor informed him that his sight was failing. And soon he was declared legally blind. Needless to say, he became demotivated and lacked the will to live the life that he was accustomed to living. The…
more -
The Blind Spot by Ray Morales
In November 2012 I was hospitalized with extremely high blood pressure resulting in total kidney failure which caused me to have a stroke ending with damage to the occipital lobe of my brain and my Optic nerve. This left me with severe visual impairment, after many years of therapy and after...
-
S2 E9 BRIAN HARRIS
Brian Harris, it’s a veteran from Chicago Illinois who is serving in Iraq when he was injured by a roadside bomb that left him blind. He has overcome many obstacles in his life but he has prevailed. He now the regional Director for the B.V.A.(Blinded Veterans Association)). Brian is a single...
-
S2 E8 DON OVERTON Pt. 2
Continuing my interview with Don Overton we discuss the importance of the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) and the numerous opportunities they offer to blind veterans.
-
S2 E7 DONALD OVERTON Pt. 1
Don Overton is currently serving as the Executive Director of the B.V.A. (Blinded Veterans Association) Unfortunately our interview was cut short due to an editing mistake on my end, which resulted in 45 mins. of this interview erased. (Sorry, I’m still learning how to do all this with my...
-
S1 E12 KURT VANNAKEN
A veteran of 6 years in the US Navy, Kurt currently resides in Illinois. After suffering a severe stroke and spending over 6 months in the hospital, he began his journey with vision loss.
-
S1 E11 PATRICIA MC WILLIAMS
Patricia is a Retired USAF Msgt. With over 24 years of distinguished military service. On this episode she recounts her experiences battling her unique type of vision loss that eventually led to the loss of her eye.
-
S1 E10 DUKE VAN EPEREN
Navy veteran Duke Van Eperen shares his journey through his battle with vision loss.
-
S1 E9 BOB BASSET
Today’s episode features US Navy veteran Bob Basset who grew up in the small town of Hastings, MI. After leaving the Navy Bob worked at a local hospital for 30 years until his low vision forced him to retire.
-
S1 E7 MARVIN GAYE III
US Army veteranMarvin Gaye shares what it is like living with Retinitis Pigmentosa.
-
S1 E8 DAVID KING
Veteran David King shares his trials and tribulations overcoming vision loss.
-
S1 E6 GREG DUMAS
Greg is a US Army veteran who suffered a catastrophic injury to his eye, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart.
-
S1 E5 YANEKA TRENT
Yaneka is a US Army veteran when at the age of 35 she was diagnosed with Macular Degeneration ultimately losing all vision in her left eye. Listen as she recounts her amazing story.
-
S1 E4 HENRY LOCKE
Henry is a US Navy veteran residing in Kansas City, MO. Henry tells about his struggles with low vision, let’s listen to his story.
-
S1 E3 TONY PROCHASKA
Tony is a USAF veteran who has been battling severe vision issues for years and now sits with me to tell his story.
-
S1E1 KELLY REMER
Kelly is a Veteran who was involved in a horrific car accident that changed his life forever. He has begun placing his life back on track with the help from his family and the skills he acquired through the Veterans Administration.
-
S2 E4 KEITH HELTSLEY
Keith is a proud veteran of the US Marine Corps. He learned electronics while in the Marines and worked for many years in related fields since leaving the Corps. He now hosts several podcasts as a hobby.
-
S1 E20 KELLY REMER PT.2
Army veteran Kelly Remer gives an update on his life since we last visited six months ago. He tells about making and selling his hand-crafted knives, deer hunting, and fishing with his son. You can contact Kelly at: [email protected]
-
S1 E2 RANDY DAVIS
In this episode we meet USAF veteran Randy Davis from St. Louis, MO. He tells about his gradual loss of vision, losing, and his life today.
-
S2 E5 ROBERT SCOTT
Robert served with distinction in the United States Navy from 1964 to 1969. about five years ago, he developed macular degeneration and is now considered legally blind.
-
S2 E6 JENNIFER BACH PT. 2
Today’s guest is a Fan Favorite, she typically brings a ton of relevant information. Today is no exception, she will be discussing Benefits & Pensions. We also touch on how to get a Guide Dog, and Support Groups For Visually Impaired Veterans.
-
S2 E3 EUGENE MORRISON
Eugene Morrison is a proud Vietnam veteran who served 3.5 yrs. In this episode he tells about his passion for making music.
-
S2 E2 LONNIE BEDWELL
US Navy veteran Lonnie Bedwell served with pride for 9 yr. Then 3 yrs. later while Turkey hunting with a friend, he was shot in the face at point blank range. Today he has participated in many extreme activities such as water and snow skiing, white water rafting, mountain climbing as well as...
-
S2 E1 MAJOR JON TURNBULL
Major Jon Turnbull, US Army (ret.) is a Purple Heart recipient. He was also awarded a Bronze Star and numerous awards and citations. In this episode he tells about fighting ISIS in Syria, gaining trust of the civilian people in building hospitals and water treatment plants to give the locals a...
-
S1 E19 TERRY HELTSLEY
A proud veteran of the US Army, Terry is an active advocate for the Blind in his home state of Illinois. In this episode we discuss : Guide Dogs, activities for the Blind, Terry’s Podcast and his two businesses.
-
S1 E18 ANTHONY WOODSON
Anthony is an Army Veteran who served proudly for 14years. He leads a very active life by serving as President for his chapter of the B.V.A. (Blind Veterans of America )
-
S1 E16 GREGG & MICHELLE AUSTIN
Gregg, a US Army veteran, was injured during BMT in preparation for combat for Desert Storm. He was medically discharged and returned home to start repairing both his broken knee and the shattered dream of becoming a Soldier.
-
S1 E17 BRUCE HENDERSON
A veteran of the US Army Bruce is living in pain on a daily basis. On this episode we discuss the love that he has for: his family, his career, first responders, and his fellow veterans.
-
S1 E15 JENNIFER BACH, VIST Coordinator
Jennifer Bach, OTD OTR/L, CLVT VIST Coordinator VA Medical Center St. Louis, Mo. Shares valuable information about the low-vision program the VA offers.
About this show
This podcast is dedicated to the men and women of the Armed Forces who sacrificed not only their time and energy to serve our great country but also their vision. Hear their stories and find out what they’re doing with their lives now after their vision loss.
Hosted by
Ray Morales