Death on Call: AC-130 Gunship Crew, Comradery, Chaos and Confessions

Ever wondered what it’s actually like inside an AC-130 gunship when the headsets are on and the cameras are off? In episode nine of the Death on Call Podcast, host JL Pelt sits down with our guests to pull back the curtain on the "Symphony of Chaos."Joining us from the newly renovated "Gun Deck" studios are Tech Sergeant (Ret.) Juan Newman, a veteran flight engineer, and Staff Sergeant (Ret.) Jen Brock (Walker).From the high-stakes pressure of the schoolhouse to the gritty reality of deployments, this episode is a raw look at the brotherhood (and sisterhood) of Special Operations. We talk about the gear, the "honey bucket" horror stories, and the hard truth of fighting a war when politics get in the way.𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄:➤ Shows first Female Loadmaster: Jen’s journey to the AC-130U.➤ Shows first Flight Engineer: Juan on the mindset shift from delivering to hunting.➤ The Culture of the "Suck": Why crews fight at shutdown but die for each other in the air.➤ Safety vs. Mission: A candid look at friction with "bean counters."➤ The "Muffin Prank": The hilarious traditions that keep crews sane.🔔 Subscribe for more raw AC-130 gunship stories, crew confessions, and never-before-heard combat tales.💬 Drop a story about your gunship family in the comments — we read every single one.-- CONNECT WITH US --Listen/watch us on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and PodbeanEmail: [email protected]#AC130 #SpookyGunship #Navigator #Firecontrol #GunshipPodcast #DeathOnCall #AFSOC #SpecialOperations #GWOT #CombatStories #AirForceVeteran #GunshipLegacy #MilitaryPodcast #AC130U #VeteranStories #DarkHumorMilitary #gunshipcrew

Welcome to Episode 8 of the Death on Call Podcast! In this all-officer episode, hosts JL Pelt and Jon Shipley sit down with retired Air Force officers Chris Tharp and John "JLo" Lorenz for a conversation that is, at it's core, a love letter to the gunship family.From the moment they stepped into the 19th SOS, they felt it: that instant, unbreakable bond that turned coworkers into brothers and sisters for life. What started as shared cockpits and chaotic training lines grew into something deeper — a true family that showed up in the darkest moments, from first-deployment firefights to life-changing personal trials. Chris shares how the entire gunship community rallied around his family, facilitated prayers from six continents, the kind of love only this family can give. JLo talks about how the gun deck became home more than anywhere else, and how that camaraderie still hits him years after retirement.This episode is packed with the raw stories, dark humor, Travis the Monkey and unicorn pranks, and real stories of faith and solidarity.Topics Covered:From Civil Engineering to Aviation: Both guests share their backgrounds starting in CE as enlisted troops before commissioning and moving into special operations aviation.The Gunship Family & Brotherhood: Stories about checking into the 19th SOS, finding an immediate sense of home, and forming unbreakable bonds in and out of the aircraft.Combat Realities & Levity: How incorporating humor during training kept students sharp and fostered absolute trust among crew members.The Legend of Travis and the Unicorn: The story behind Travis the chimp and the unicorn, and how these running jokes became absolute staples in the cockpit.If you have ever worn the gunship patch, or felt that deeper-than-blood connection, this one’s going to hit you right in the chest, and gut busting laugher.🔔 Subscribe for more raw AC-130 gunship stories, crew confessions, and never-before-heard combat tales.💬 Drop a story about your gunship family in the comments — we read every single one.-- CONNECT WITH US --Listen/watch us on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and PodbeanEmail: [email protected]:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene02:53 First Impressions and Training Experiences08:36 Deployment Stories and Morbid Humor26:36 Dark Humor in the Military35:48 The Balance of Seriousness and Humor47:46 Memorable Student Experiences and Lessons Learned57:11 Classroom Chaos and Leadership Emergence01:02:55 Reflections on Military Culture and Change01:09:28 The Impact of Personal History on Military Careers01:15:46 First Combat Experiences: The Reality of War01:21:34 The Weight of Responsibility in Combat01:32:44 Training for Real-World Scenarios01:40:35 Teamwork and Communication in Combat01:48:17 Cross-Training and Backup Roles02:01:18 The Gunship Community and Its Bonds02:08:54 The Impact of Personal Connections02:14:03 Transitioning from Military to Civilian Life02:26:42 Reflections on a Career in AFSOC02:34:27 Building New Connections and Community02:46:28 Reflecting on Mentorship and Legacy

Master Sergeant (Ret.) Eddie Robinson and Tech Sergeant Jimmy Christensen join guest host Jon Shipley for one of the wildest episodes yet.From their unlikely (and chaotic) friendship to gunner hugs, hot sauce pranks that went way too far, GBJ poker battles, and the non-stop shenanigans that kept gunship crews sane downrange — this is the real, unfiltered gun deck experience.They also open up about:- The brutal intensity of gunship training- First deployment stories that changed how they saw the mission- The mentors who shaped them and the lessons they still carry- What the gunship legacy really means to them todayIf you ever flew the Spooky, survived the Hurlburt dorms, or just want the raw truth about life on the gun deck… buckle up.🔔 Subscribe for more raw AC-130 gunship stories, crew confessions, and never-before-heard combat tales.💬 Drop your favorite sensor or gunship memory in the comments.#AC130 #Gunship #Spooky #GunnerHugs #GunDeck #DeathOnCall #GWOT #AerialGunner #AC130U #AC130J #GunshipShenanigans-- CONNECT WITH US -- Listen/watch us on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and PodbeanEmail: [email protected]:00 Introduction to the Guests03:06 Friendship Origins: Eddie and Jimmy's Story05:31 Danger Close Apparel06:24 Paths to Gunships: Career Beginnings09:34 Training Experiences: Transitioning to Gunships12:13 Intensity of Training: Expectations vs. Reality14:54 First Gunship Deployments: Experiences and Anecdotes17:35 Traditions and Shenanigans: Life on Deployment20:26 Gunner Blackjack: A Deployment Tradition23:07 Memorable Crew Traditions: Beyond Blackjack37:42 ROE Graphics38:53 Traditions and Memories in Service41:58 Wrestling and Team Dynamics44:13 Never Show Weakness45:06 Hard Earned Lessons47:23 The Hot Sauce Incident59:21 Food Challenges and Boredom01:00:21 Transformative Flight Experiences01:06:29 War Stories and Unconventional Experiences01:12:45 Lessons from Gunship Operations01:19:46 The Importance of Teamwork and Regulations01:27:00 Legacy of Gunships and Personal Reflections01:34:47 Reflections on Legacy and Growth01:37:31 Misunderstandings and Personal Growth01:38:24 The Ruthlessness of Gunner Black Jack01:38:55 Gratitude and Acknowledgments01:44:18 I'm A Gun Ship Guy (You Know What You Are).mp3

From Season 1 Episode 7. What it takes to be a good crew member. Episode release 3/29/26 @ 10am EST

Episode 6 of Death on Call — “Sensors Tracking” — takes you inside the booth with two legendary retired AC-130 sensor operators: Master Sergeant (Ret.) Tracy “Rage” Rich and Master Sergeant (Ret.) Jeremy “TF” Whitley. From AWACS origins to gunship chaos, they share raw, unfiltered stories of their first shoots, near-misses with RPGs and power lines, floor-loaded 40mm runs, coaching rookies under fire, dark humor in the gun deck, epic crew rivalries, the infamous Cinnabon meltdown, and the unbreakable bond that made gunships the best job they ever had. They open up about the mental shift from taking lives to living with it, the importance of calm under chaos, and why the enlisted sensor role was the heart of GWOT gunship success. If you want the real story of what it took to be the eyes and trigger finger of Spooky — this is it.Sponsored by Danger Close Apparel & ROE Graphics — use promo code DEATHONCALL (one word) for 15% off.🔔 Subscribe for more raw AC-130 gunship stories, crew confessions, and never-before-heard combat tales.💬 Drop your favorite sensor or gunship memory in the comments.#AC130 #SpookyGunship #SensorOperator #1A4 #GunshipPodcast #DeathOnCall #AFSOC #SpecialOperations #GWOT #CombatStories #AirForceVeteran #GunshipLegacy #MilitaryPodcast #AC130U #VeteranStories #DarkHumorMilitary #GunshipCrew-- CONNECT WITH US -- Listen/watch us on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and PodbeanEmail: [email protected]

All loadmaster.... and an EWO.In Episode 5 of the Death on Call podcast — "The 1A2 Show" — host reunites with two legendary retired AC-130U Spooky loadmasters: Master Sergeant (Ret.) Cade Cooper, a 4th SOS plankholder with 17 deployments, 5,000+ flying hours, and combat spanning the Balkans to Iraq (including one of the first U-model engagements in Kosovo), and Technical Sergeant (Ret.) Joshua Johnson, who cross-trained from dental technician to gunship loadmaster, logging 2,223 total hours (1,500 combat), 8 deployments, and 250+ combat missions. Over three raw, unfiltered hours, they share wild stories of early U-model days in condemned trailers, 36-hour endurance flights, floor-loading 40mm in combat (one night destroying 15% of ISIS black-market oil trucks), rogue gunship moments, shooting mosques used as fighting positions, near-misses with Russian fighters over Syria, throwing refrigerators out the ramp, pit-pack satellite dish attacks, dark humor pranks that sent psychologists running, the psychological toll of GWOT missions, and the unbreakable family bond forged in brass, blood, sweat, and beer — a legacy where you brutalize each other inside but defend the tribe against anyone outside. We also have potentially the funniest revelation of what the common access card reader is actually called.-- CONNECT WITH US --Listen/watch us on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and PodbeanEmail: [email protected]

Ep 4 Part 2 Starring: Senior Master Sergeant (Retired) Chris "Gun Ready" JetteTechnical Sergeant (Retired) Ashley CoxFormer Staff Sergeant Daniel "DD" DeleonFormer Staff Sergeant Tim WolfeGuest co host former Captain Jon ShipleyDiscussed One Minute Drill: ⁠One Minute Drill⁠

Ep 4 Part 1 Starring:Senior Master Sergeant (Retired) Chris "Gun Ready" JetteTechnical Sergeant (Retired) Ashley CoxFormer Staff Sergeant Daniel "DD" DeleonFormer Staff Sergeant Tim Wolfeguest Co host former Captain Jon ShipleyDiscussed One Minute Drill: One Minute Drill

Featuring Master Sergeant (Retired) Ben Narro and Former Staff Sergeant Bryan Alexander

Episode 2 of Death on Call — AC-130 crew camaraderie, chaos, and confessions. Host JL Pelt (former AC-130U Spooky loadmaster) talks with Spectre veterans: Captain Stan Hain (AC-130H loadmaster 2007–2010, 3100+ hours, 700 combat, current MC-130J CSO) and former Captain Jon Shipley (AC-130 EWO, cross-flow H/U model, chief tactics/chief EWO in the 16th SOS).They dive deep into the Spectre vs. Spooky sibling rivalry, moving the 16th SOS from Hurlburt to Cannon AFB, the razor’s edge between supreme confidence and arrogance, the unrelenting “perfection standard” drilled into gunship crews — where one mistake could kill 14 brothers/sisters or leave good people on the ground dead — and the lasting mental health toll: the brain rewired for life-or-death decisions, the struggle to deprogram that impossible standard in civilian life, the exhaustion of always chasing perfection, the numbness to risk, and how that intensity shaped (and sometimes haunted) them long after the last flight.Plus tail swaps gone sideways, eating 4,000+ calories of Otis Spunkmeyer muffins per flight, running with the bulls in the Azores, the weight of heritage (Spirit & Jockey impact areas), and what carrying the gunship legacy really means — pride, brotherhood, and the invisible scars.If you want the raw truth about Spectre life — the triumphs, the shenanigans, the dark humor, and the real mental health cost of that perfection-or-death mindset — this is it.🔔 Subscribe for more AC-130 gunship crew stories, mental health discussions from high-stakes aviation, Spectre vs. Spooky tales, and never-before-heard confessions.💬 Drop your thoughts: How did the gunship “perfection standard” affect you or someone you know? Share below.#AC130 #Spectre #AC130H #GunshipStories #Loadmaster #EWO #AFSOC #16thSOS #4thSOS #GWOT #CombatAviation #AirForceVeteran #SpecialOperations #GunshipLegacy #MilitaryPodcast #VeteranStories #MentalHealthMilitary #PerfectionStandard #PTSDVeteran #DarkHumorMilitary #GunshipCrew #AC130History #TailSwap #AzoresShenanigans -- CONNECT WITH US -- Listen/watch us on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Rumble and Podbean Email: [email protected]

Episode 1 of Death on Call — raw, unfiltered gunship stories from two legends: former AC-130U Spooky gunner/loadmaster Major (Ret.) Daniel “Deuce” Blight (1,600+ gunship hours, 1,800+ total combat, 7 deployments) and Brian “Beld” Beldon (2,800 flight hours, 2,000 combat, early GWOT gunship era).From the shock of first stepping onto the gunship, insane training pressure, hydraulic fires & runaway guns, shenanigans, the infamous “round jettison port” incident, balls-to-the-face pranks over the Atlantic, smoking in the bubble, crew rivalries, the shift from Wild West ROE to micromanaged ops, and the unbreakable brotherhood forged in chaos — they pull no punches on what it really meant to live in that flying howitzer during the height of GWOT.If you want the real, no-BS look at gunship life — the laughs, the close calls, the dark humor, and the toll it took — this is it.🔔 Subscribe for more AC-130 gunship crew confessions, combat tales, and never-before-heard stories.💬 Drop your favorite gunship memory or wildest deployment story in the comments.#AC130 #SpookyGunship #GunshipStories #AC130U #Loadmaster #Gunner #AFSOC #4thSOS #GWOT #CombatAviation #AirForceVeteran #SpecialOperations #GunshipLegacy #MilitaryPodcast #VeteranStories #DarkHumorMilitary #GunshipCrew #AC130History #Spectre #RunawayGun #HydraulicLeak.-- CONNECT WITH US --Listen/watch us on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Rumble and PodbeanEmail: [email protected]