Mission: Readiness Podcast

On this episode of the Mission: Readiness Podcast, host Brigadier General (Ret.) Rich Gross, U.S. Army, is joined by Major General Johnny Davis, Commanding General of U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC). Listen as they discuss General Davis’ career and what USAREC is doing to address the military recruitment crisis.

On this episode of the Mission: Readiness Podcast, host Brigadier General (Ret.) Rich Gross, U.S. Army, talks with Cindy Long, Administrator of USDA Food and Nutrition Service. They talk about how the pandemic highlighted the importance of school nutrition and what the USDA is doing to improve the systems we currently have. Take a listen!

On this episode of the Mission: Readiness Podcast, host Brigadier General (Ret.) Rich Gross, U.S. Army, is joined by Rear Admiral (Ret.) Fernandez “Frank” Ponds, U.S. Navy. Take a listen as Admiral Ponds walks us through his journey joining the Navy, and the reason behind his passion advocating for kids.

On this episode of the Mission: Readiness Podcast, General Gross chats with the new Georgia State director for Council for a Strong America, Graham Younger. As the Georgia State Director for CSA, Graham will be working closely with Mission: Readiness members as well as members of our sibling organizations. Graham tells us about his background and his vision for our work in Georgia.

In this episode of the Mission: Readiness Podcast, General Gross speaks with Brigadier General (Ret.) Sandra Alvey, USA, about her unique medical background and career in the Reserves. General Alvey is a member of Mission: Readiness' Nutrition and National Security Speakers Bureau, and speaks to the important connection between nutrition and what she has learned as a medical entomologist.

Virginia Nutrition & Food Security Event: https://bit.ly/39lGPP0

General Alvey's Op-Ed: https://bit.ly/3xM99U8

This week, General Gross welcomes back Major General Kevin Vereen, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC). MG Vereen discusses the importance of the Army’s recruiting efforts, how recruiting has been impacted by COVID-19, and USAREC recruiting efforts for 2022 coming out of the pandemic.

Today on the podcast, you can listen to a recording from a virtual event that took place on December 2, 2021. This event focused on the link between nutrition and food security in Arkansas and national security. Mission: Readiness members Major General (Ret.) Bill Wofford, USA, and Brigadier General (Ret.) Gary Profit, USA, participated in the roundtable discussion. They were joined by experts on child nutrition, food security, and food waste reduction in Arkansas.

This week, General Gross chats with National Director Ben Goodman, who is saying goodbye to Mission: Readiness for a new opportunity in his home state of Maine. They discuss Ben's time at Mission: Readiness, why he was motivated to work on early childhood nutrition issues, the progress he's seen on early childhood and nutrition policy during his tenure, and special memories he's gained over the years.

This year saw two symbolic events for the United States: withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the twentieth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. As we end the year, General Gross looks back on these milestones with three Mission: Readiness members with unique service experiences in the Post-9/11 era: Lieutenant General (Ret.) John Bradley, USAF; Brigadier General (Ret.) Jack Hammond, USA; and Brigadier General (Ret.) Dana Born, USAF. The panel shares perspective on their experience, how the world has changed, and how each continues to serve in retirement.

For more on the Lamia Afghan Foundation, visit Lamia.org.

For more on Home Base, visit HomeBase.org.

This week, General Gross chats with Fred Espinosa, Interim Director of Food and Nutrition Services for the San Diego Unified School District. Espinosa discusses his work leading the effort to serve hundreds of thousands of students, the innovative ways the District provides students fresh and nutritious options, their food waste elimination tactics, and the challenges posed by COVID-19 and how he and his team have addressed them.

In a special edition of the podcast, the Mission: Readiness team joins with Council for a Strong America's Chief Research Officer Dr. Sandra Bishop to discuss the current child care crisis. Staff also discusses the status of child care provisions in the "Build Back Better Act" currently being considered by Congress.

General Gross speaks with retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling about his distinguished service, including as the first commander of the United States Army Center for Initial Military Training from 2009 to 2011. Hertling shares his firsthand account of how Basic Training needed to be overhauled to properly train new recruits impacted by a societal shift toward poor nutrition and inactivity. Hertling reflects on his service in the military, as a presidential appointee, and in the private sector, and details the national security importance of preparing all Americans for healthy lives.

This week on the podcast, Admiral Besal interviews Congresswoman Kim Schrier (WA-08). Congresswoman Schrier is the first pediatrician to serve in Congress. They discuss the importance of establishing healthy habits early in childrens' lives and legislation the Congresswoman supports to address childhood hunger and malnutrition. They also talk about how federal nutrition programs such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) can be expanded and improved.

General Gross chats with Jimmy Buckner, Founder of the Knoxville, Tennessee – based Scarecrow Foundation. Buckner discusses his organization's XHunger initiative, which mobilizes young people to volunteer and generate resources for local food pantries. Buckner talks about his addressing hunger on the local level, and his organization's plans to grow the XHunger model nationwide.

Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-TX) joins the podcast to talk about preparing the next generation for success. Gonzales speaks with guest host Rear Admiral (Ret.) Bob Besal, USN, about lessons from his upbringing, his distinguished service in the U.S. Navy, and the role child nutrition plays in securing America's future.

Ed Gerhardt, a retired U.S. Army Brigadier General and school administrator, stops by the podcast to talk about the importance of adapting and modernizing child nutrition programs. General Gerhardt also talks about his past nutrition advocacy in Kansas, and his work as President of the Kansas Museum of the National Guard.

Dr. Parke Wilde of the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy joins the podcast to give an overview of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Dr. Wilde speaks with Mission: Readiness National Director Ben Goodman about the history of the program, how it works, new changes, and the impact that it has on children.

This week on the podcast, Megan talks to Darlena Birch, MBA, RDN, of the National WIC Association (NWA). Darlena discusses the NWA's advocacy priorities and the importance of increasing program flexibility and access. She also shares an update on NWA's upcoming efforts, including plans to celebrate National Breastfeeding Month in August.

As part of a new policy "deep dive" series on the Mission: Readiness Podcast, active members and retired U.S. Navy Admirals Bob Besal and Casey Coane talk about the history of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and why it's so important for the future of America's strength and security.

Best of the Mission: Readiness Podcast – Chef José Andrés

Rebroadcast of General Gross's conversation with the chef and humanitarian

This week, a rebroadcast of General Gross's conversation last summer with celebrity chef and respected humanitarian, Chef José Andrés. General Gross spoke with Chef Andrés about lessons from his service in the Spanish Navy, leadership lessons from his work with World Central Kitchen, and more.

On this episode of the Mission: Readiness podcast, General Allen and General Gross discuss artificial intelligence (AI), how it works, and the role of AI nationally and globally. They also discuss General Allen's recently released book co-authored with Darrell West, Turning Point: Policymaking in the Era of Artificial Intelligence.

Stephanie Slingerland, Senior Director of Philanthropy and Social Impact at the Kellogg Company, visits the Mission: Readiness podcast for a wide-ranging discussion on Kellogg's philanthropic work to address hunger. Stephanie also talks with Mission: Readiness National Director Ben Goodman about the importance of adapting and modernizing federal nutrition programs, and the important role that school breakfast plays in helping kids succeed in the classroom.

Donna Cryer, President of the Global Liver Institute, sits down with Ben Goodman for a discussion about liver health. Cryer speaks about the alarming global rise in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), severe liver inflammation and damage caused by buildup of fat in the liver. Donna explains the connection between obesity and NASH, and what the disturbing increase of the condition among children means for future health outcomes and military readiness.

Ben talks to Dr. Shelley Kimball, Research Director for the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN). They discuss the critically important work that MFAN is doing to support military families. Dr. Kimball also shares information about a new MFAN research report detailing how food insecurity impacts military families.

Mission: Readiness shares a recent conversation from the Mainely Matters Podcast, hosted by Brigadier General (Ret.) Rob Carmichael. General Carmichael interviews former Maine Adjutant General Bill Libby and Mission: Readiness National Director (and Maine native) Ben Goodman about the unique challenges rural families face in accessing early care and education.

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Michael Moss drops by the podcast to talk about his new book "Hooked." Moss' new book is a follow-up to his 2013 bestseller, "Salt Sugar Fat," detailing how the food industry formulates processed food to be more appealing and attractive to consumers. Moss speaks with General Gross about our biological response to certain ingredients, and why children may be most impacted by changes to the food industry.

Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) CEO Lisa Gable sits down with Mission: Readiness National Director Ben Goodman to speak about the disturbing rise in food allergies and why trends could impact military readiness. Later, General Gross speaks with the former Adjutants General of Arkansas and Michigan, Major General (Ret.) Bill Wofford, USA and Major General (Ret.) Tom Cutler, USAF, about progress on a long-awaited Child Nutrition Reauthorization.

In this episode, Megan talks with Council for a Strong America Illinois State Director Tim Carpenter and Colorado State Director Michael Cooke to learn about the critical work they are doing in their states. Michael and Tim discuss why they enjoy the work they do, provide updates on recent legislative activity, and share what they've been up to during quarantine.

To learn more, visit below. 

https://www.strongnation.org/locations/colorado

https://www.strongnation.org/locations/illinois

https://www.strongnation.org/articles/1513-illinois-commission-recommends-simpler-better-fairer-support-of-early-care-and-education 

 https://strongnation.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/1317/d753eb5f-2f38-49ba-9953-b66fcc6c73c4.pdf?1619629827

General Gross talks with longtime Mission: Readiness Colorado member General (Ret.) Gene Renuart, U.S. Air Force. They discuss General Renuart's impressive military career, his advice for leaders, and his advocacy work with Mission: Readiness on early childhood education and nutrition issues.