Welcome to my official X account. As an original member of Delta Force, I share insights on military & corporate leadership, mentoring, ethics, & moral injury. My book “Blasting Through” is under review at the Pentagon with a hopeful release for Christmas 2026. Stay tuned.

Do you know the meaning behind the placement of currency coins on soldiers’ headstones? In America’s military, leaving a penny simply means that you visited. A nickel indicates that you and the deceased trained at Basic Combat Training/Recruit Training/Basic Military Training “boot camp” together. Leaving a dime means that you served with the deceased in some capacity. By leaving a quarter, you are telling the family that you were with the soldier when he/she was killed. The practice of leaving a certain denomination of coin seems to have started around June 2009 from a website.

Our nation and way of life face constant internal and external threats. As a soldier, my duty was to protect against these challenges, first in EOD by removing unexploded ordnance hazards, and later in Delta Force working to free those held by terrorists or hostile states. It’s vital that we study our 250-year history to learn from our successes and our mistakes. Revisionist history deprives us of those essential lessons.

People often ask me what plans must be followed before any nation puts “boots on the ground.” Here it is: 1. Clear, realistic goals. 2. An established timeline. 3. Vigilance against mission creep. 4. A nation-building plan. 5. A clear exit strategy.

I’ve been named a recipient of the newly established Ordnance Order of Thomas J. Kane. I’ll be presented with the award during EOD week in May 2027. COL Thomas J. Kane is considered the father of Army Bomb Disposal. In May of 2026, the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps Association initiated a program to ensure that Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel receive recognition for their deeds that go above and beyond the norm. To recognize and honor the best of the best within the specialty, the association created the "Ordnance Order of Thomas J. Kane." The first three awards went to the Army names on the EOD Memorial, LTC Ret. Robert E. "Bob" Leiendecker, and to me. I am honored to have been selected for this award.

Have you heard of the term “PMIE”? It stands for Perpetration and Betrayal-Based Morally Injurious Events.” In a 2017 study, “Distinguishing War-Related PTSD Resulting from PMIEs” (authors Alexander Jordan, et al), the connection between PMIEs and PTSD sampled 867 Marines who experienced heavy ground combat while deployed overseas. The results showed that over a third of the Marines reported exposure to PMIEs. The researchers concluded that guilt and shame are not adequately addressed within the current classification of PTSD as defined in the DSMV (Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition). PTSD tends to focus on danger-based experiences, while shame and guilt are being overlooked in PTSD diagnosis and treatment. This study and many others are pointing to the psychological struggles of guilt, shame, and anger that are contributing to suicidal thoughts. We must educate and continue to study this phenomenon. Our active duty and veteran populations deserve to get the specific help they need.

If you want to hear the entire backstory of the mixup between my friend Bill Cronin and me, listen to this excerpt that Bud Gibson has provided here.

I thought this was a really funny video about me. Just to be clear, though, I was not part of General Schwarzkopf security detail during Operation DESERT STORM.  My mission was the destruction of the Iraqi underground Command and Control complex Taji #2. youtube.com/shorts/IMThtkEsZ…

Written by Justin Reeves & hosted by Michael Droberg, this video is well-researched. I had no idea that it existed. One of my daughters sent it to me. Thank you, Justin, Michael, & “Forgotten History,” a 10th Legion Pictures Production. Well done. youtu.be/fjs4jOmD7RE?is=cC3d…

Allow me to explain the philosophy and a little history about why showing competence and ease while performing a variety of skills is key in low visibility operations. A lot of you have asked about Delta Force and whether we were all Rangers before going through assessment and operations training. Many in OTC 1 and OTC 2 were composed mainly of Special Forces and Rangers — a lot of Vietnam veterans, a lot of MACV-SOG veterans. But Col. Beckwith’s vision was that Delta, as a counterterrorist unit, needed people of different experiences. So, it was opened to all MOSs — not just Special Forces, infantry, Ranger. Recently, I was explaining to Benjamin Braddock, a journalist with IM 1776, that Col. Beckwith believed we needed people of alternate skills and backgrounds as operators. For example, if we needed somebody to operate a bulldozer, somebody who could jump on, start it up, and move it off an airfield, that was a skill we might need. Or we might need somebody who could portray being a cook, someone who could look like they know their way around a kitchen, for example. We needed a variety of skill sets, and we all learned a multitude of specialized abilities so that that we could perform them without being noticed.

Excellent, @JohnNavarSr. I also want to thank my X followers for supporting this amazing project.

The Heroes in Conversation Forum asked me about U.S. ideals, like freedom, liberty, & justice. They asked me which of these values resonated most deeply with me during my deployments. I said: Justice. Without justice, there can be no lasting freedom or liberty. Your thoughts?

The first woman in EOD was CMSgt Linda Cranford. She was the first woman to graduate from EOD in 1974 and entered EOD School as an E-4 Sgt. Check out the backstory of how Linda got into EOD School on a dare. Tap on the link below to see the details. It's a great testament to the spirit of what it takes to be EOD. Thank you, Linda, for the interview. xitter.cf/BlastingThrough/status…

Do you have a funny family story? My father joined the Navy at age 17. His mother signed for him. He had only completed 11th grade when he enlisted on 14 November 1944 for the duration of the war plus six months. He was assigned to Landing Ship Tank (LST) 266, Landing Craft Tank (LCT), Mark 6, 766. He was honorably discharged on 29 July 1946. In the fall of 1948, he enrolled in the Senior High School at Morley, Michigan. By then, he was 21 years old. He got paid under the G.I. Bill to attend high school. My mother didn’t grow up in Morley, so when her family moved there, she also was a senior. When they met, she didn’t know that my father had served in the Navy, so she figured that because he was so much older, he must have been one of the “slow kids.” This has always been a funny Vining family story.

I talked with Erik Lawrence last week. He has a book out that’ll be helpful to many. Here’s the link: vssbooks.com/

Some of you have mentioned that your parents signed a consent for you to join a service branch before your 18th birthday. (Photos below) Share your stories in the comments.

Does anyone else save documents? Back in July, I posted about the time the Army thought I’d gone AWOL. I had two orders, one for EOD School and one for deployment to Korea. EOD School had priority over other orders. Recently, I found the letter sent to my parents asking them to disregard the “administrative error.” I always think it’s important to save documents like this. Just for peace of mind.

Habits become who you are. Who you are determines what you’ll achieve.

Thank you everyone. You’re amazing.