The Jedburgh Podcast

The conditions service members live in directly affect Military readiness and national security. It’s the responsibility of Congress to authorize military funding to ensure the warfighter has what they need in combat and at home. Every decision impacts the strength of the force and their families.

In this episode, Fran Racioppi sat down with Representative Mike Levin, who serves California’s 49th District and sits on the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs to discuss the policies and decisions shaping today’s military bases. From investments in infrastructure at Camp Pendleton to broader oversight of Veterans Affairs, Congressman Levin outlines why improving living conditions, facilities, and support systems is essential to maintaining a ready and capable force.

Our conversation explores the responsibility of leadership to develop a culture where reporting substandard conditions is encouraged. We also discuss the broader role of Congress in overseeing military operations, and the importance of transparency, strategy, and accountability when American forces are deployed.

Congressman Levin shares his perspective on the war with Iran, his views on the need for checks and balances, and the growing divide that has made bipartisan governance more difficult. He emphasizes that strong institutions require leaders willing to put mission over politics and to ensure that the constitutional framework guiding military action is upheld.
This is a conversation about leadership, accountability, and the systems that support those who serve. It is about ensuring readiness not just on the battlefield, but across the entire force.

Highlights:
0:00 Introduction
1:53 Welcome to the Jedburgh Podcast
3:19 California’s 49th District
6:34 Improving Military Housing
14:25 Status of the Iran War
19:37 Is Iran A Direct Threat To The US?
22:08 Iran’s State Sponsorship of Terrorism
25:20 Negotiating with Iran
28:41 Bridging the Gap

Quotes:
“It is imperative that we treat our veterans and military families with absolute respect.”
“We’ve got real issues with barracks.”
“We’re not looking for the Ritz Carlton. We’re just looking for a decent place.”
“The average member of the military needs a decent place where they can live.”
“The challenge is the lack of clarity about what they’re being asked to do.”
“They didn’t brief us on what the plan was going to be.”
“It’s a war that is unauthorized. It is a war without a clear exit plan.”
“What damage have we done to our allies around the world? A lot.”
“We know less today than we did before the war began.”
“The question is whether or not the military has actually made it a worse problem or has it actually ameliorated the problem.”
“The Iranians have been a horrible regime.”
“I don’t think the President has enough people around him telling him what he needs to hear, not what he wants to hear.”
“Use of military force should be last resort always.”
“I am personally never going to see the other side as my enemy. I see them as my political opponent.”
“Running the United States is not an easy challenge.”

The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by OneBrief; enabling military leaders to make innovative, informed and deliberate decisions faster than ever before. Superhuman command wins wars.

Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.

The opinions presented on the The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are the opinions of guests and host Fran Racioppi. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Green Beret Foundation and the Green Beret Foundation assumes no liability for their accuracy, nor does Green Beret Foundation endorse any political candidate or any political party.

There is a steady stream of headlines shaping how Veterans view the Department of Veterans Affairs. Disability benefits are being cut. The VA is being privatized. Programs are disappearing. That is the narrative. But is it the reality?

In a social media environment driven by clicks, likes, and engagement, information spreads fast, and too often no one stops to ask whether it is actually true. When it comes to healthcare, benefits, and the systems Veterans rely on, the facts matter.

In this episode, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins joins Fran Racioppi to address those concerns directly and bring clarity to what is actually happening inside the VA. This is not a surface level conversation. It’s a direct response to the questions Veterans are asking right now.

We break down the proposed disability rating regulation enforcement that rocked the Veteran community, what it was intended to do, how it was misinterpreted, and why it was withdrawn within days. We discuss the rollout of the VA’s electronic health record modernization, what’s working, what still needs to improve, and how it will impact care moving forward.

Secretary Collins also addresses the reality of community care and the claims surrounding privatization, clarifying how the VA will always deliver and fund care for Veterans. We talk about workforce challenges, hiring, and the responsibility to ensure Veterans are receiving timely and effective support with a right-sized VA staffing level.

The conversation also focuses on one of the most critical issues facing the Veteran community: suicide prevention. With the majority of Veterans not currently engaged with the VA, the approach must evolve. Outreach must expand, accountability must increase, and programs must show measurable results.

Finally, we cover housing stability through VA home loan programs and the responsibility to ensure Veterans have real options to maintain their homes, but also understand they have a personal responsibility for the financial decisions they make.

This conversation is about clarity and accountability. Because at the end of the day, the mission is simple - deliver results for Veterans.

Highlights
0:00 Introduction
2:31 Welcome to the Jedburgh Podcast
3:31 Dispelling Disability Rating Misconceptions
10:43 Running A Wartime VA
16:24 Electronic Health Record Modernization
20:09 Is the VA Privatizing Healthcare?
27:51 VA Employee Moral
34:22 Cutting the VASP Program
39:06 Preventing Fraud
43:13 Veteran Suicide Prevention

Quotes
“No one that already had a disability rating was ever going to lose anything.”
“I take full responsibility.”
“Nobody’s getting judged differently.”
“We’re the largest integrated healthcare system in the country. We don’t act like it.”
“There’s no plan for privatization.”
“80% of all new doctors go through the VA in some form.”
“Privatization is thrown around to scare employees and veterans.”
“We’re never going to privatize. Definitely not under my watch. And there’s no mechanism to privatize.”
“There are people invested in a broken system.”
“I have to compete for doctors and nurses with every hospital in the country.”
“Our problem was we had too many people in the wrong places.”
“What are you doing that’s stupid?”
“60% of death by suicide by Veterans have not had any contact with the VA.”
“The VA many times was more concerned about itself than we were about actually finding metrics for the veteran.”
“Capitol Hill has become more driven by the five minute YouTube clip.”

The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by OneBrief; enabling military leaders to make innovative, informed and deliberate decisions faster than ever before. Superhuman command wins wars.

Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.

99% of all US businesses and almost 46% of American employees are, or work for, a small business. Although a small business is defined as having less than 500 employees, American small businesses are responsible for over 88% of net job growth. That means that America's economy, and the world's economy, rest on the backs of small businesses.

The Small Business Administration plays a critical role in the success of small businesses; including those owned and operated by American Veterans. From business planning, strategy design, funding and specialty certification programs the SBA is one of the primary pillars creating and supporting economic impact.

In this episode, Fran Racioppi sat down with Bill Briggs, Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, to break down the SBA’s 3C’s and a D: Capital, Counseling, Contracting and Disaster. Deputy Administrator Briggs explained the real challenges business owners face, especially around cash flow, capital access, and navigating competitive marketplaces. He shared the history of the SBA and its grounding in the Small Business Act of 1953, when the post war period identified that small businesses are not only important to the global economy, but they are crucial to America’s national defense.

200,000 service members transition each year from the military into the civilian sector. Some will start businesses as entrepreneurs. Others will enter the workforce. All will need counseling, support and a system designed to give Veterans access to opportunity and the chance to succeed post service.

Finally, we address how the SBA is improving accountability, cracking down on fraud, and ensuring programs are delivering real results for those they are designed to support.

Highlights
0:00 Introduction
2:16 Welcome to the Jedburgh Podcast
4:01 Small biz is big biz
4:57 SBA Team
8:13 Access to Capital
11:58 Counseling Resources
16:14 Access to Contracts
22:01 Disaster Loans
25:33 The Formation of the SBA
27:16 Made in America Loans
29:54 Working Families Tax Cut Bill
33:10 Stopping Fraud
35:51 Importance of Service
39:08 Boots to Business
52:02 Daily Habits

Quotes
“We’re taking it to the next level in terms of right sizing, streamlining, and improving the overall performance of the agency because the mission is so important.”
“Access to capital is one of the top three issues that are always facing small businesses.”
“What we’re trying to do under this administrator and this President is trying to improve our systems to scale and deploy more capital effectively with our lending partners and investors.”
“I always say to people you have to have that education before you walk in to try to get that loan.”
“Your job is to compete to solve the mission, not to say ‘I’m a certification, I deserve something.’”
“Having a competitive, innovative national small business ecosystem is not only part of our economic security but our national security.”
“We’re trying to bring back American manufacturing .”
“Our priorities are manufacturing, critical technology, and food production and technology.”
“Our economic agenda is centered on fair trade, tax cuts, deregulation, and energy dominance.”
“There’s something for everyone in the Working Families Tax Cut Bill.”
“We have a zero tolerance policy for fraud.”
“The day you start your business is not the day you get paid.”
“We’re overhauling how we deliver our boots to business.”

The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by OneBrief; enabling military leaders to make innovative, informed and deliberate decisions faster than ever before. Superhuman command wins wars.

Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.

Service is an honor and a burden carried by more than just those who don the Green Beret. Service is borne by the family that stands in the shadows every step of the way. Through training, deployments, uncertainty, the highest highs and the lowest lows, it’s the family that waits for their Green Beret to return.

From the 2nd Annual Stars and Stripes Classic, Fran Racioppi sat down with Bianca Baldwin and Fran Wesseling, the spouse and mother of Major Darren Baldwin; a Green Beret who came home from combat, but was never the same.

Darren’s journey began at the United States Military Academy, where he played lacrosse and built the foundation of discipline, teamwork, and commitment that would carry him into Special Forces.
During a deployment, Darren was forced to return home early due to what initially seemed like minor health issues. Further evaluation revealed lesions on his brain, marking the beginning of a long and uncertain fight. Diagnosed with Progressive Traumatic Brain Injury, Bianca and Fran answered a family’s hardest call to service.

They shared with me the critical role a family plays in the success of a Green Beret, why strength is important, and how caregiving gives hope to the wounded and their loved ones.

Darren passed away from his combat-related illness, and to honor his life, Bianca and Fran carry forward his legacy through the MAJ(R) Darren Baldwin Silver Star Families Support Fund and through the support of the Green Beret Foundation, ensuring that other families will never fight alone.

This episode is about the service of a family during, and after that of their Green Beret.

HIGHLIGHTS
0:00 Introduction
1:51 Welcome to the Stars & Stripes Classic
3:38 Who was MAJ Darren Baldwin
10:14 Silver Star Families Fund
15:02 Progressive Traumatic Brain Injury
22:20 Resources Available

QUOTES
“Both of my boys slept with a lacrosse stick.”
“He had a dedication and grit that goes beyond most.”
“Ultimately deeply grateful that his legacy and memory lives on.”
“It was like trying to make a right of a wrong.”
“That’s kind of how our story started and my story as a caregiver.”
“I was always his wife but became his 24/7 caregiver.”
“The vast majority of people, including the military, don’t even know what Silver Star families are.”
“The fund provides all kinds of medical equipment and new technologies.”
“It’s difficult and thankless work to be a caregiver.”

The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by OneBrief; enabling military leaders to make innovative, informed and deliberate decisions faster than ever before. Superhuman command wins wars.

Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.

Cars aren’t just a mode of transportation. They’re a passion. An image. A lifestyle. For many families, they are the bond that brings together father and son. For Frank Viola, cars are the legacy of his son, Green Beret SSG Alex Viola.

Alex graduated as a Green Beret in 2011 and then went on to get his Combat Dive Certification. In September 2013, his team deployed to Afghanistan as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom. On November 17, 2013 Alex lost his life to an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) while on dismounted patrol.

After the loss of their son, Frank and his family faced the unimaginable challenge of how to move forward. The answer came from something Alex loved deeply: cars. Alex was a true car guy, and restoring vehicles with his dad was one of the ways they spent time together.

What began as a simple idea to honor Alex’s memory turned into the SSG Alex Viola Memorial Car Show. The first event was held in freezing weather with modest expectations, but the community showed up, raising twenty thousand dollars that first year alone.

Today the event has grown into something far greater than anyone imagined. Nearly four hundred cars fill the lot each year, and the show has raised nearly seven hundred thousand dollars to support charitable causes, including the families of Green Berets through the Green Beret Foundation.

Host Fran Racioppi sits down with Frank Viola to share how this fundraiser is more than impressive horsepower and jaw-dropping donations. It’s a powerful story of resilience, community, and how one family's determination not only honors a fallen hero but has also remarkably reunited their own distant family members and created a new, unbreakable bond with Alex’s former Green Beret teammates.

Highlights
0:00 Introduction
1:57 Welcome to the Jedburgh Podcast
2:22 Who was SSG Alex Viola?
6:11 Why a Car Show?
10:05 How loss brought the family together
12:34 Alex’s Team
16:03 The 2025 Show
17:02 Working with the Foundations
18:36 Advice for Future Green Berets

Quotes
“Alex was a father’s dream of a son.”
“His whole thing was to be out there in the ditches with the guys.”
“Alex was a car guy.”
“In a million years, we never expected anything like it.”
“We have a goal of reaching $1,000,000 in donations.”
“There’s been some of my cousins that I’ve never met, but because of this, now we’re really close.”
“They’re like our own kids.”
“Losing Alex was probably the worst thing that could ever happen to any parent.”
“It’s just been a win win all the way around.”
“They know we’re always going to do the right thing.”
“The whole theme of both organizations is supporting the families of fallen and wounded warriors’ families.”
“I don’t think that anyone can just become a Green Beret. You have to be a special kind of person.”
“It’s either you have it or you don’t.”

The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by OneBrief; enabling military leaders to make innovative, informed and deliberate decisions faster than ever before. Superhuman command wins wars.

Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.