John Frankman – Green Beret, COVID Mandates & Running for Congress: SMS #162

John Frankman – Green Beret, COVID Mandates & Running for Congress: SMS #162

On this episode of Shoot Me Straight, Eddie sits down with former U.S. Army Green Beret Captain and congressional candidate John Frankman for a powerful conversation about faith, military service, leadership, government overreach, and the personal cost of standing by your convictions. Before becoming a Green Beret, John was preparing for a very different future. Raised with a deep belief in God, John eventually converted to Catholicism as a teenager and felt called to the priesthood. He spent years studying in seminary, preparing for a life of ministry before ultimately realizing God had a different path in mind. That path led him into the Army, where he would go on to serve as an infantry officer, attend Ranger School, earn his Green Beret, and lead soldiers in some of the military's most elite units. Eddie and John dive into military leadership, the realities of Special Forces culture, and the lessons learned through failure, adversity, and responsibility. From Ranger School and Special Forces Selection to leading Green Berets, John shares what it takes to earn trust, develop resilience, and lead men in high-pressure environments where excuses don't matter and results do. But John's story takes a dramatic turn during the COVID era. As vaccine mandates swept through the military, John found himself facing a decision that would alter the course of his career. Believing the mandate violated both his religious convictions and personal conscience, he refused to comply despite mounting pressure from military leadership. He shares what it was like watching careers threatened, service members punished, and military readiness take a back seat to politics during one of the most controversial periods in modern American history. The conversation explores much more than the pandemic. John discusses faith, morality, government authority, and why he believes courage begins with a willingness to stand alone when necessary. He explains how his experiences in Special Forces shaped his understanding of leadership and why those same lessons ultimately inspired him to run for Congress. Throughout the episode, Eddie and John examine what happens when institutions lose sight of their purpose, why conviction matters more than popularity, and how faith can provide clarity when everything around you is demanding compromise. This episode is about far more than military service or politics.It's about courage, conviction, purpose, and the willingness to sacrifice comfort, status, and even a career in order to remain faithful to what you believe is right. Follow John Frankman: Instagram: @johnfrankmanfl Facebook: JohnFrankmanFL Website: FrankmanforFlorida.com Follow Shoot Me Straight: Instagram: @shootmestraightAvailable on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts Sponsors: Elevated Silence – Use code SMASH15 Firecracker Farm

Jamie Winship - Fear, Identity & Faith: SMS #161

On this episode of Shoot Me Straight, Eddie and Dave sit down with former police officer, international conflict negotiator, and bestselling author Jamie Winship for a powerful conversation about fear, identity, faith, and what it truly means to live free.Growing up in some of the roughest neighborhoods around Washington, D.C., Jamie was surrounded by violence, gangs, and constant conflict from an early age. Raised by a father who believed toughness was survival and a mother whose faith often felt rooted in fear, Jamie shares how anxiety, shame, and the need to prove himself shaped much of his early life. Everything changed after a single experience at 14 years old.Sneaking into a movie theater for the first time, Jamie watched *Serpico* and left with a calling he couldn't explain. What began as a fascination with a police officer standing against corruption eventually led him into law enforcement, where he spent years searching for something deeper than simply enforcing laws. Eddie and Dave dive into the difference between enforcing rules and truly serving people. Jamie explains how his faith transformed the way he approached policing, teaching him to see beyond behavior and into the fears, wounds, and identities driving it. He shares how simple shifts in perspective changed the way he handled domestic disputes, criminal investigations, and some of the most difficult situations officers face every day. But Jamie's story extends far beyond police work.From negotiating in some of the world's most dangerous conflict zones to working between Israelis, Palestinians, and Muslim communities throughout the Middle East, he reveals how understanding fear became the key to resolving conflicts that seemed impossible to solve. Instead of asking how to defeat people, Jamie learned to ask how to win them. The conversation takes a deeper turn when Jamie recounts a moment in Kuwait that would ultimately change the course of his life. After sensing God challenge him to confront his fear of failure and loss, he watched a massive international operation collapse, millions of dollars disappear, trusted teammates betray him, and years of work unravel almost overnight. What felt like disaster at the time became one of the most important lessons of his life. Jamie shares why fear sits at the root of so many of our struggles, how identity shapes every decision we make, and why God doesn't force people into healing—He invites them into it.This episode is about far more than policing or negotiation.It's about courage, identity, purpose, redemption, and discovering who you really are when fear no longer gets the final word.Jamie WinshipFollow Shoot Me Straight:Instagram: @shootmestraightAvailable on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple PodcastsSponsors:Elevated Silence – Use code SMASH15Firecracker Farm

Walter White - Crime, Prison & Salvation: SMS #160

On this episode of Shoot Me Straight, Eddie and Dave sit down with Walter White — the man many know as the “real Walter White” — for a raw and unforgettable conversation about trauma, crime, addiction, redemption, and the life-changing power of faith.What began as a childhood marked by devastating loss, abuse, and silence became the foundation for a life that spiraled into crime at an early age. From losing his mother as a child and enduring years of abuse behind closed doors, Walter opens up about the pain, bitterness, and brokenness that shaped his early years and set him on a path he never expected.Eddie and Dave dive deep into the realities of childhood trauma, the masks people wear to survive, and how unresolved pain can quietly dictate the direction of an entire life.Walter shares how a chance encounter with a career criminal introduced him to the world of auto theft, insurance fraud, and organized crime — a world that quickly became his escape from the life he was desperate to outrun. What started with stolen vehicles and underground operations across multiple states eventually evolved into something far darker.After serving time for his role in a large-scale auto theft ring, Walter found himself pulled even deeper into the criminal underworld — this time becoming one of Alabama’s most prolific meth cooks, building an operation so massive it would later draw national attention and earn comparisons to Breaking Bad.But this episode isn’t about glorifying crime.It’s about what happens when a life built on money, power, and control finally collapses under its own weight.Walter opens up about addiction, prison, losing his family, and the moment everything changed when he encountered God inside a jail cell. He shares how faith-based recovery transformed his life, how he found forgiveness for the abuse he endured, and how redemption gave him a purpose he had spent decades searching for.Now, as he works to release his upcoming book and share his full story with the world, Walter reflects on what it means to truly be free.This episode is about far more than crime.It’s about pain, survival, forgiveness, second chances, and the reality that no one is too far gone for redemption.Walter WhiteFollow Shoot Me Straight:Instagram: @shootmestraightAvailable on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple PodcastsSponsors:Elevated Silence – Use code SMASH15Firecracker Farm

Chad Jensen - Police, SWAT & Federal Indictment: SMS #159

On this episode of Shoot Me Straight, Eddie and Dave sit down with former police officer and SWAT operator Chad Jensen for a brutally honest conversation about law enforcement, brotherhood, corruption inside the justice system, and what happens when the people enforcing the law become targets of it themselves.What started as a childhood fascination with cops and motorcycles turned into a lifelong pursuit of service. From growing up in Southern California and becoming a reserve officer at 30 years old, to grinding through the academy, patrol, motors, and SWAT, Chad shares what policing was really like during one of the most volatile eras in California law enforcement. Eddie and Dave dive deep into police culture — the camaraderie, dark humor, relentless standards, and the brotherhood that forms in high-stress environments where mistakes can cost lives. They talk about why SWAT teams and military units bond the way they do, the importance of accountability, and how humor often becomes the only way to process years of trauma and chaos. But this episode takes a hard turn when Chad opens up about the incident that changed his life forever.During a routine overtime shift at the LA County Fair, a chaotic crowd encounter escalated in seconds. What he believed was a standard use-of-force incident — one that was cleared internally and dismissed in state court — eventually caught the attention of the FBI. What followed was years of investigations, federal indictments, public humiliation, and a system he once believed in turning against him. Chad walks through the reality of being federally indicted as a police officer, the intimidation tactics used by investigators, the emotional toll it took on his family, and the moment he realized the federal government wasn’t searching for the truth — they were building a case. From being marched through federal buildings in shackles to watching his entire career collapse overnight, it’s a firsthand account of how quickly everything can be taken away. This episode is about far more than policing.It’s about identity, purpose, loyalty, corruption, resilience, and what happens when the system you dedicated your life to no longer sees you as one of its own.Chad JensenFollow Shoot Me Straight:Instagram: @shootmestraightAvailable on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple PodcastsSponsors:Elevated Silence – Use code SMASH15Firecracker Farm

Ryan Kuperus - Iraq, Brotherhood & the Corps: SMS #157

On this episode of Shoot Me Straight, Eddie and Dave sit down with Ryan Cooprider for a no-BS conversation about the Marine Corps, Recon, deployment life, and the reality behind the warrior mindset.Ryan’s story starts on a dairy farm in upstate New York, where hard work wasn’t optional. From milking cows and throwing hay bales to chasing football, lacrosse, and eventually the military, he shares how growing up in that environment built the foundation for the discipline and grit that would shape the rest of his life.After joining the Marine Corps straight out of high school, Ryan quickly found himself deep in the grind of infantry life—boot camp, brutal ship deployments, and the chaos surrounding the early Iraq invasion. He talks about the harsh realities of grunt life, the culture shock of military discipline, and how the Marine Corps breaks you down and rebuilds you through accountability, pressure, and brotherhood.Eddie and Dave dive into the difference between infantry and Recon, and how one deployment alongside Force Recon changed Ryan’s entire outlook. Watching those teams operate opened his eyes to a different level of professionalism, leadership, and purpose—and from that point on, he knew he wanted more.Ryan shares stories from life on ship, the frustration of missing major combat opportunities during the invasion, the politics of trying to move into Recon, and the challenge of deciding whether to stay in, get out, or chase the next level somewhere else. From Okinawa to Iraq to reserve life back home, he opens up about the tension between ambition, loyalty, and figuring out where you truly belong.This episode is about grit, identity, military brotherhood, and the pursuit of becoming the kind of man who earns respect—not just in title, but in how he carries himself every day.Follow Shoot Me Straight:Instagram: @shootmestraightAvailable on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple PodcastsSponsorsElevated Silence – Use code SMASH15Firecracker Farm