Luke Carberry Mogan, Author at Military Times

World Series of Fighting wants vets for MMA fights, and it’s not too late to apply

Luke Carberry Mogan — Sat, 13 Aug 2016 16:03:06 +0000

The World Series of Fighting’s search continues for two military veterans to fill a spot on its promotional fight card Nov. 12.

About 50 veterans have applied by submitting videos since the MMA organization began recruiting for its “Who’s the Toughest?” competition in May. WSOF President Ray Sefo, a six-time Muay Thai world champion, reviews applicants and makes the cuts. the World Series of Fighting continues its search for military veterans, with or without MMA experience, to fill its promotional fight card Nov. 12, Veterans Day weekend.

While WSOF’s website indicates it has approximately 89 fighters on its active roster,There have been almost 50 “Who’s the Toughest?” applications so far.

“Sefo whittled it down to eight … [and is] already working with them,” WSOF CEO Carlos Silva said of the first group of applicants.

Silva offered advice to veterans let Army Times in on some prime advice for service members eager to prove they are the toughest.

“Like anything, when you’re going into a job interview, be organized [and] be clear with your background [and] your video,” Silva said. “Create some really good training videos, [showing your] sparring and fighting.”

Sefo has been noted to be going about the “Who’s the Toughest?” recruitment process like he would when scouting talent for the WSOF.

Mixed martial artists, like any athletes, draw upon the excitement of the fan base. Silva recommended applicants be able to show “excitement, a lot of energy, and a lot of movement” in their video submissions.

WSOF fighter Lance Palmer with members of Ranger Road, a veteran group formed by an MMA fighter and former Army Ranger.

Photo Credit: Courtesy

Fighting experience is not necessary and remains only one aspect of the competition.

“We’re also giving guys with great stories a great opportunity … [allowing] that platform to them that they’ve provided to us,” Silva said.

Along with fighting reels showcasing training and sparring, veterans should incorporate their life stories and military experiences into their applications.

“It’s a combination of what they’ve done … for all of us and our country,” Silva said.

Silva cited examples of veterans, “guys in really rough shape,” who used MMA to “get their lives back on track” and even “save their lives.”

“[The videos] should show their discipline and their training and the respect, anything you can say about any of our veterans,” Silva said. “We want to see how that weaves into their fighting and their story.”

The idea for the competition originated during discussion of a potential reality show about “veterans who found MMA and used MMA as a way to get fit again … and reintegrate [into society] after tours,” Silva said.

The excitement and branding of the “Who’s the Toughest?” program shows promise for the reality show and future WSOF projects to finally come to fruition.

After building up the WSOF brand through several more fights, Silva hopes to be able to expand “Who’s the Toughest?” to a biannual event.

Marine veteran Sgt. Caros Fodor, who used MMA to cope with his post-traumatic stress disorder, and Sgt. 1st Class Colton Smith, an Army Ranger deployed to Afghanistan, have been representing the military community in the MMA world for years now.

Silva, surprised at the skills of the fighters recruited through “Who’s the Toughest?” hopes to sign veterans like Fodor and Smith to the WSOF.

“As it turns out, so many of these veterans are in regional promotions or have an amateur career,” he said. “It could very well develop into, if you emerge from ‘Whose the Toughest?’ you become a WSOF pro.”

WSOF also hopes to see more women applicants, Silva said.

“We’d love to have [at least] 10 female veterans with great stories that have used MMA and give them the same opportunity,” Silva said.

WSOF plans to collaborate with veterans groups on other events. WSOF featherweight fighter Lance Palmer reached out to Ranger Road, a veterans group founded by MMA fighter and former Army Spc. Mikhail Venikov, to organize an indoor skydiving event with veterans in Tukwila, Washington, in July.

Ranger Road were given tickets to Palmer’s Featherweight title fight at the XFINITY Arena in Everett, Washington, the following Saturday night, July 30, where he reclaimed his title from Alexandre Almeida by a majority decision. Also on the WSOF 32 fight card, Fodor squared off and beat his brother Ben “Phoenix Jones” Fodor by a unanimous decision.

“We hope to build a really nice platform,” Silva said. “Both benefiting veterans, raising awareness for their needs, giving back, and gives them a national platform to showcase their skills as well.”

The results of the “Who’s the Toughest?” search and Sefo’s training regimen are set to debut in the Octagon on Nov. 12, live on NBCSN at WSOF35. A day after Veterans Day, four WSOF program recruits will be on the fight card, duking it out in two matches.

“Between now and then, WSOF will be releasing digital vignettes on the website, letting you get to know them and see Ray’s training,” Silva said.

Veterans interested in “Who’s the Toughest?” can go here to learn more and here to apply.

Military Times honors 2016 Service Members of the Year with D.C. gala

Luke Carberry Mogan — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 01:34:58 +0000

Service members, Congressmen, friends and families gathered Thursday in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the 2016 Military Times Service Members of the Year.

The winners, nominated by their peers, were recognized for exceptional achievement not only on the job, but also in their communities. In addition to a celebration on Capitol Hill, the service members each received a scholarship from Kaplan University, transferable to a spouse or college-age child.

“You remind us what is good and honorable about our nation,” said Peter Lundquist, President and CEO of Sightline Media Group, the parent company of Military Times.

SOLDIER OF THE YEAR: CAPT. ZACHARIAH FIKE

Capt. Zachariah Fike, the 2016 Army Times Soldier of the Year

Lt. Gen. Flora Darpino, the Army’s 39th Judge Advocate General, presented Fike with his award.

“Taking care of soldiers never stops because we are soldiers for life,” she told the crowd. “And as soldiers for life we take care of those who come before us.”

Purple Hearts Reunited has been successful in returning more than 200 lost medals to veterans or their families. By April 2017, Fike, himself a Purple Heart recipient, hopes to return 100 World War I medals, in time for the war’s 100th anniversary.

MARINE OF THE YEAR: GUNNERY SGT. BRIAN DOWNING

Gunnery Sgt. Brian Downing, the 2016 Marine Corps Times Marine of the Year

When he learned the living conditions his platoon was dealing with, Downing worked to renovate the building structure to meet the Marines’ needs. Downing, enlisting the help of his Marines, repaired 90 barrack rooms, common areas and duty posts.

For this effort, Downing is noted as improving the quality of life for than 1,000 Marines.

Downing’s own men have called him “the greatest mentor” and “a father figure.” He’ll soon be joining them on deployment. They are alread en route to the Mediterranean aboard the amphibious assault ship Wasp.

SAILOR OF THE YEAR: HOSPITAL CORPSMAN 1ST CLASS SAMUEL JOHNSON

Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Samuel Johnson, the 2016 Navy Times Sailor of the Year

Jonhson, a member of Navy Environmental and Preventitve Medicine Unit 2 in Norfolk, Virginia, knew just how hard it was for veterans returning from tours overseas.

After having deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan four times over a 10-year career, Johnson found it difficult to readjust back at home.

Withdrawn and feeling alienated, Johnson found strength and camaraderie through Team Red, White & Blue, an organization that plans social and sports functions for the veteran community.

Johnson assumed a leadership position in the local chapter and grew the Hampton Roads chapter from a small to group to more than 1,200 members.

“I don’t think you could find anyone more humble about being a great human being,” said Chief of Naval Personnel Adm. Bill Moran.

AIRMAN OF THE YEAR: STAFF SGT. CLIFFORD ‘DYLAN’ CRAWFORD

Pararescueman Staff Sgt. Clifford Dylan Crawford, the 2016 Air Force Times Airman of the Year

In April 2015, Crawford volunteered to assist rescue efforts in Nepal following two severe earthquakes that ravaged villages across the area.

A pararescueman from the 31st Rescue Squadron at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, Crawford dug out trapped civilians and evacuated them to a hospital via helicopter.

Over the course of three weeks, Crawford was responsible for saving the lives of 44 Nepalese people.

On May 12, 2015, Crawford was called to respond to a missing U.S. helicopter that contained U.S. Marines, Nepalese soldiers, and injured civilians. The wreckage was eventually discovered. Everyone on board was killed, and Crawford helped to recover their remains and bring them home.

COAST GUARDSMAN OF THE YEAR: LT. CMDR. MEGAN DREWNIAK

Lt. Cmdr. Megan Drewniak, the 2016 Navy Times Coast Guardsman of the Year

Drewniak is a role model for fellow Coast Guardsman even when she is not in uniform.

Responsible for creating Sector Miami’s mentorship program and women’s leadership program, she sought to support her fellow Coast Guard women in balancing their lives as mothers, wives, and service members.

Drewniak was also awarded this year’s Coast Guard John G. Witherspoon Award for Inspirational Leadership.

“She is a person who exudes passion…confidence…[and] a love for their neighbor,” said Vice Adm. Fred Midgette, the deputy commandant for operations.

Off-duty, Drewniak volunteered her time as a fitness instructor and encouraged her fellow members to take charge of their lives through exercise. She opened a free CrossFit gym on-base.

How America’s farming woes threaten national security

Luke Carberry Mogan — Fri, 08 Jul 2016 15:37:28 +0000

Retired military officials told lawmakers this week that worldwide food stability poses a serious threat to U.S. national security, arguing that more emphasis needs to be placed on farming careers.

“There’s no doubt in my mind farming saved my life,” says Marine veteran Robert Elliot, who teaches the trade to other vets who are just starting out. The USDA says that such work can instill vets with a sense of purpose akin to military service.

National Guard Col. Eric Ahlness, National Guard Maj. Gen. Darren Owens and Army Maj. Gen. James Sholar, all retired, testified Thursday before the House Agriculture Committee about the growth needed in the American agricultural sector. Practices learned there that can benefit farmers overseas, helping to alleviate the potential for conflicts over scarce resources, they said.

“We have to be good global citizens,” Sholar said. “What we have to do as a nation, give them the fish or teach them how to fish, we have to do both.”

Only about two percent of the U.S. population work in farming today, Sholar said. He and lawmakers noted that as that number decreases, so does the risk of vulnerability in the nation’s food supply.

“From the USDA we know we need about 100,000 more farmers in the next 10 to 15 years, the average age of farmers is just shy of 60 now,” said Rep. Chris Gibson, R-N.Y., a retired Army colonel.

Owens said without a strong American agriculture sector, “we would be dependent on other nations.”

U.S. Department of Agriculture officials have made a push in recent years to target veterans for open farming careers, noting that 45 percent of veterans come from rural areas. Various nonprofit organizations have offered similar programs, many of which do not require prior previous farming experience.

But Sholar, who is also an agronomy professor, said results so far have been mixed. Many recruits are interested in the agriculture industry, but getting individuals to actually take over farming work remains difficult.

The retired officers noted the expected jump in global population in coming years only adds to the importance of stable farming practices, saying food instability can add additional stress to regions already in conflict.

The global population is estimated to grow from seven billion to nine billion people by 2050, reported all three retired officers.

“[Starving] people are more likely to become extremists,” said Ahlness, who led an agribusiness development team to Afghanistan in 2011. The team taught local farmers to build co-ops and grow alternative crops to fit the climate.

Sholar added that “if you’re hungry, nothing to do, no resources, that makes [populations] more vulnerable to be attracted to these [terrorist] groups.”

Owens stated that as “discontent” increases in destabilized regions from food insecurity, food, drug, weapons and human trafficking are expected to rise as well.

The end goal is to not only make developing countries self-sustainable and stable, but also to create a future trading partner to the United States, the officers said.