#203: It Doesn't End Here - Green Beret Foundation President & CEO Charlie Iacono and Chief Warrant Officer Nick Lavery

The scoreboard may decide the winner, but it doesn’t tell the story of the game. The Stars and Stripes Classic https://greenberetfoundation.org/stars-and-stripes-classic/ pits America’s Green Berets against Navy SEALs, renewing Special Operations' greatest rivalries. But beyond the game, every operator on the field, and family member in the stands, represents an unwavering commitment to something greater than themselves. In this episode, Fran Raciopp https://www.linkedin.com/in/francisracioppijr/i sat down with the President and CEO of the Green Beret Foundation Charlie Iacono, https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesiacono/ and Chief Warrant Officer Nick Lavery https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-lavery-a691871ba/, to discuss why the Stars and Stripes Classic is much more than just a game. It is an opportunity to strengthen the Special Operations community, honor the legacy of those who served before us, and introduce the next generation to the values that define Special Operations. Charlie shares how the Green Beret Foundation https://greenberetfoundation.org/ continues to evolve beyond traditional support programs, placing families at the center of its mission and developing initiatives like Task Force Tatanka to deliver customized solutions for Green Berets, veterans, and their loved ones. Nick reflects on the mindset that carried him from catastrophic injury in Afghanistan back to an Operational Detachment Alpha, redefining resilience not as avoiding adversity, but as the willingness to confront it, adapt, and continue moving forward. Our conversation explores the unique relationship between Green Berets and Navy SEALs - fierce competitors on the field, trusted teammates in combat. From military leadership and entrepreneurship to preserving the legacy of Special Operations, we discuss why sharing these stories remains critical to strengthening the community and inspiring the next generation. The Stars and Stripes Classic is a reminder that while competition builds excellence, it is service, family, and the enduring bonds of the Special Operations community that define the legacy of the Green Berets and Navy SEALs long after the final whistle blows. Listen or watch this episode and don’t miss this year's game; August 2nd from the Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium in Columbus Ohio and being broadcast on ESPN. HIGHLIGHTS 0:00 Introduction2:25 Welcome to the Stars & Stripes Classic4:03 Preparing for the Game5:10 Character on the Field6:35 Green Berets vs Navy SEALs10:05 Green Beret Families14:56 Resiliency Matters21:04 Task Force Tatanka QUOTES “The culmination of teamwork has been fantastic.”“No plan survives first contact.”“We are more alike than we are different.”“We’re like the most stereotypical brotherly relationship that maybe exists.”“Families are the bedrock for our foundation.”“We’re not telling the story enough.”“Adversity is inevitable.”“Resiliency is defined as one’s capacity to deal with or bounce back from challenges.”“There’s no way this is how this ends.”“You have to be unapologetically confident in the decisions you make when you put together a team.”“We are continuously evolving that objective.”“The biggest challenge with opportunities is they’re continuously evolving.” The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by OneBrief https://www.onebrief.com/; enabling military leaders to make innovative, informed and deliberate decisions faster than ever before. Superhuman command wins wars. Follow the Jedburgh Podcast https://www.instagram.com/jedburghpodcast/ and the Green Beret Foundation https://www.instagram.com/greenberetfoundation/ on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform https://pod.link/1558608802, read on our website https://greenberetfoundation.org/the-jedburgh-podcast/, and watch the full video version on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jedburghpodcast as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Fran Racioppi?

  The scoreboard may decide the winner, but it doesn't tell the story of the game. The Stars and Stripes Classic pits America's Green Berets against Navy SEALs, renewing special operations' greatest rivalries. But beyond the game, every operator on the field and family member in the stands represents an unwavering commitment to something greater than themselves. In this episode, I sat down with the president and CEO of the Green Beret Foundation, Charlie Iacono, and Chief War and Officer Nick Lavery, to discuss why the Stars and Stripes Classic is much more than a game. It's an opportunity to strengthen the special operations community, honor the legacy of those who served before us, and introduce the next generation to the values that define special operations.

• 0:45Fran Racioppi?

  Charlie shares how the Green Beret Foundation continues to evolve beyond traditional support programs, placing families at the center of its mission, and developing initiatives like Task Force Tonka to deliver customized solutions for Green Berets, veterans, and their loved ones. Nick reflects on the mindset that carried him from catastrophic injury in Afghanistan back to an operational detachment, redefining resilience not as avoiding adversity, but as the willingness to confront it, adapt, and continue moving forward. Our conversation explores the unique relationship between Green Berets and Navy SEALs, fierce competitors on the field, trusted teammates in combat. From military leadership and entrepreneurship to preserving the legacy of special operations, we discuss why sharing these stories remains critical to strengthening the community

• 1:30Fran Racioppi?

  and inspiring the next generation of warriors. The Stars and Stripes Classic is a reminder that while competition builds excellence, it's service, family, and the enduring bonds of the special operations community that define the legacy of the Green Berets and Navy SEALs long after the final whistle blows. Listener, watch this episode and don't miss this year's game, August 2nd, from the Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, and being broadcast on ESPN. The Jedberg 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 Jedberg Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website,

• 2:15Fran Racioppi?

  and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show you why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.

• 2:25Fran Racioppi?

  Charlie, Nick, welcome to the Jedberg Podcast, second annual Stars and Stripes Classic. We're here at Subaru Park in south of Philadelphia. Nick, happy birthday, man.

• 2:36Speaker 01

  I appreciate you kicking us off with that. Yeah, thank you.

• 2:39Fran Racioppi?

  I mean, that's it. That's actually why we're here.

• 2:40Speaker 01

  Yeah, okay.

• 2:42Fran Racioppi?

  We brought you a helicopter, too.

• 2:43Speaker 02

  Yeah, we picked the game, you know, specifically on this day for you.

• 2:46Speaker 01

  I appreciate it. It's one of those days that you can both probably relate to that as you get older, you start to forget about it more and more, and then all of a sudden you're being inundated with happy birthday messages. And I'm like, oh, yeah, that is today. That is a thing. That's how my day started.

• 3:00Speaker 02

  We just gotta get a hashtag, you know, wish Nick a happy birthday.

• 3:03Speaker 01

  There we go.

• 3:04Speaker 02

  Let's get a trend in.

• 3:05Fran Racioppi?

  I think we gotta get it up on the Jumbotron.

• 3:07Speaker 02

  Oh.

• 3:08Fran Racioppi?

  So that's a task. Okay, we got that. That's the task for the team. We're gonna put it up on the Jumbotron.

• 3:12Speaker 02

  I love that.

• 3:12Fran Racioppi?

  But super exciting day. We brought the CH47 in last night. We've got the SORB behind us from the Special Operations Recruiting Battalion out of Utesoak. And here in a little bit, this premier zone around us is gonna start to get really active as everybody comes in for the semifinal weekend. But we all know there may be two PLL games, and I'll be quiet because I know there's PLL people around here. But the main event is 6:00 PM tonight with the Stars and Stripes Classic.

• 3:40Speaker 02

  Under the lights.

• 3:42Fran Racioppi?

  It's gonna be huge. So we got Green Berets versus Navy SEALs. Charlie, talk about the second annual game. I mean, we were here last year when it was at Gillette Stadium. We were down to by two. But it was a valiant effort, but every single person on that team went back into the locker room and said, we're gonna analyze what happens, and we're already looking to next year. It was very Bill Belichick-like. We're on the next year. What are we seeing out there?

• 4:04Speaker 02

  The culmination of teamwork over the past 365 days has been fantastic. I mean, most of these guys went back and either started men's leagues or joined men's leagues. They've been playing a lot of lacrosse, and you can see it. One of the guys who showed up, I didn't even, I didn't even know who it was because he's lost 20 pounds. He looks like he's 20 years younger and just moving like he's 20 years younger. So it's been fantastic to see the work and ethic that these men have put into this game, the preparation of this game, probably in very similar fashion that they prepare for missions. It's just all in, and they are committed not only to the foundation success of this game, but to represent the regiment that both of you have served in honorably to show the American public why they call Green Berets the tip of the spear.

• 4:46Fran Racioppi?

  Yeah, Nick, let's talk about that for a second because when we got some warriors behind us over here who are gonna be, you're really doing a fantastic job of spreading the message, something that you've been for the last several years, a staunch advocate of bringing more and more folks into the regiment, the call to serve. Why is it so important? We talk about in the lens of lacrosse through this event, but character is what matters and why does it matter out there on the field for our Green Berets?

• 5:12Speaker 01

  Yeah, I'd say it matters in the field, uh, similarly to the way it matters in an operational environment. I mean, as a Green Beret, you are entrusted to solve complex problems with unconventional solutions. And you have a, you have a game plan going into it. Whatever that planning process looks like, it could be months, it could be weeks, it could be days. But as you and I both know, no plan survives first contact. So when things start to get real and when challenges start to arise, that's where the Green Beret really is able to rise to the surface and display why we exist, because we are those adaptable, flexible, analytical thinker, problem solvers.

• 5:53Speaker 01

  And so we see that in training, we see that in operations, you see that on the field. And so I think, Coach, uh, our coaches have done a great job over the last few days with these guys to get them prepared. But everyone knows, all the boys know, like, when that whistle sounds and it's game time, like, most of that plan's gonna get derailed. And now we just gotta figure out how to, how to solve those problems and, and achieve the desired end state.

• 6:17Fran Racioppi?

  I wanna take a second and, and talk about the enemy out there today. And that's our Navy SEAL brothers. And Nick, you had some really great comments over the last couple of days about how we are super close with the SEALs and that we share a lot of commonality between them, but they're in the way. Talk about the relationship with the SEALs, what the difference is in your mind between a Green Beret and a Navy SEAL. Cause I know it drives us crazy when someone says, "What, what, what do you do in the Army?" "Oh, I was a Green Beret." "Oh, that's like a Navy SEAL." Absolutely not. But for a second, what is the difference? And, uh, why are Green Berets better, I guess?

• 6:52Speaker 01

  Oh, well, okay.

• 6:54Fran Racioppi?

  You can leave that part out.

• 6:56Speaker 01

  You know what? It's a, it's a fair question.

• 6:58Fran Racioppi?

  I mean, I don't see any Navy stuff around here.

• 7:00Speaker 01

  No, it's all good, man. It's, it's all love at the end of the day. I mean, I'd say that is a very common response from either a Green Beret or a SEAL is like, oh, you're, you're, you're like a SEAL. And I think a lot of our younger, especially team guys would take that kind of response to it is like, not only no, but like F no, I'm a Green Beret. I think that's great. There's a sense of pride to what we do and our culture and our lineage. And that's a great thing. As you get a little older, like you and I, uh, and I'll just speak for myself, when I get that kind of question, my response is more like, yeah, kinda. We're more similar than we are different. There are absolutely differences culturally and operations, but we are more alike than we are

• 7:40Speaker 01

  different, certainly compared to the masses. I think, uh, one of my good buddies, Andy Stumpf, uh, described it this way when he said, the difference between a Green Beret and a Navy SEAL is a Green Beret decided to join the army and the Navy SEAL decided to join the Navy. And like that, that might be it. No, that's a very like basic way to look at it. Um, there are certainly differences. Um, but in today's dynamic, uncertain environments that we're operating in, there aren't really that many hard and fast like buckets that we fall into because we're all having to evolve and figure out how to remain relevant and continue to solve the problems that are, that are commanded for us to solve. I'll close by this with saying, we're like the most stereotypical

• 8:22Speaker 01

  brotherly relationship that maybe exists where we tend to talk a lot of shit about each other. We're hyper competitive. We want to be seen as the best. We want the mission and that's all great. Competition breeds effects and results. But at the end of the day, if you paired a bunch of Green Berets together with a bunch of Navy SEALs together, and there was a difficult problem that needed to be solved, you would see those two units meld almost instantaneously, learn each other's SOPs, learn each other's strengths, start to fill gaps, and then sometimes within minutes, go to work as an effective cohesive unit.

• 8:57Fran Racioppi?

  And that in the real world is actually how it works because I spent two deployments as a special forces detachment commander with my higher headquarters being a Navy SEAL task unit. And my sister unit was not an ODA, it was a Navy SEAL platoon. And we were completely embedded with them and I reported to the O4 commander who was a SEAL. And it was, it was great. I mean, we worked hand in hand with those guys. And yeah, you have the rivalry and then, you know, when it's time to go to work, you get to work. And one of the things that has been, I think, front and center of this whole weekend too, is the fact that the foundation, Charlie, has been really adamant about bringing the families into this event.

• 9:41Fran Racioppi?

  Bringing the kids, bringing the spouses into this event. We've had a chance over the last couple of days to get some comments from the kids and hear from their perspective and also sit down with some of the spouses and have them talk about why, what this game means, not only to them as spouses and their children, but also their husbands and what it means and what they see from their husbands in this environment versus going, them going to work every day. So why was bringing the families into this so important for the foundation?

• 10:09Speaker 02

  You know, families are the bedrock of our foundation, literally and figuratively. We operate from a position of making sure that not only the Green Beret is supported in times of service and post-service, but also that their family is supported. We fully recognize that the family bears the burden of deployments just as much as a service member. We recognize that kids are sometimes not with their dads for an extended period of time and that wears on them. We understand that kids probably, particularly when they're younger, have an idea of what their dad does, possibly like, you know, my dad's in the army, but not really what the dad does each day when he goes to, to the team room or goes off on a mission.

• 10:54Speaker 02

  And that's probably for the best, but we want to show them and provide them an opportunity to really see their dad do something they love. And have a different uniform on, albeit a uniform that represents the heritage of the regiment, the MACV SOG uniform or last year, the Jedberg uniforms. And have that same pride that so many of us probably had as when we were kids growing up and you know, if your father didn't serve and he was off to work and you're like, that's my dad and then you go to, you know, go to work with your dad day. You don't probably really get to do that when your dad's going to a team room. So this is that opportunity. And we like to create memories that are not only bonded in experiences and programmatic

• 11:36Speaker 02

  enrichment, but we like to create experiences for the families and programs for the families that become hardwired into their family ethos. I talk a lot about promoting strength in mind, body and spirit. And not too long ago, I was on a panel and somebody asked me, said, what do you think the biggest threat to the future of the regiment is? Said, it's not an enemy. It's the breakdown of the nuclear family. We need to do a better job as benevolent organizations and bringing both the active duty warfighter, the former warfighter of their families together, creating experiences that form bonds that are unbreakable and that they will come to this game 30 years from now. Say, I remember when I used to watch my dad play in this game and who knows, maybe one of their kids will be playing in

• 12:19Speaker 02

  it. And so we're trying to create a legacy of experiences and connection to ensure that it withstands the test of time.

• 12:28Fran Racioppi?

  One of the spouses said to us yesterday, I think it was, said, I don't get to go to work with my husband. I don't get to deploy with my husband, but coming here gave me an opportunity to go to work with him and see him amongst his team, even though he doesn't, didn't know anybody here.

• 12:48Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 12:48Fran Racioppi?

  But she got to see how he interacts with those other Green Berets and how quickly they come together, how quickly they work together, how important it is for all of them. And that was really meaningful and impactful to her.

• 13:01Speaker 02

  Yeah. Yeah. I think as an outsider looking in, kind of, you know, with recruitment and the work that you do and trying to get the awareness out there, there is such an incredible story to be told from a service perspective and all the branches, not just the army and not just particularly the special forces. But we're not telling it often enough in different environments. You see a lot of great stories are told and it's within the community and there's connectivity and fellowship, but it's not outside. And the whole premise of why we're here, why the Jedberg Media Channel exists is to bridge that gap, to bring the stories to the American public, to get them to understand and to say, you know what?

• 13:45Speaker 02

  As one guy said to me on the team who's just recently gotten out of school and is now a new Green Beret, I said, what prompted you to go SF? Went to a great school, probably could be working in finance right now in, you know, New York City. And he said, I was sitting in my locker room at the end of my senior year and I said, this cannot be the last time I'm in a, I'm in a team room. This cannot be the last test of my physical prowess and whether or not I am an elite athlete, elite operator. He says, so I made the decision, I'm going to do it. And this is our ample recruiting ground for all branches of service, but particularly for these two communities, the SF community, the NSW community.

• 14:28Fran Racioppi?

  Well, when you talk about not wanting it to be your last time in a team room, the man sitting next to you right there had that same discussion with himself. Nick, I want to ask you about resilience because we're going to see resilience displayed here on the field today. You know, it's not, every play is not going to go perfectly. You know, last year didn't go perfectly. We talked about the preparation that went into this year from our team to come back out and take that field later on tonight. But when we look at resiliency and we really assess that at a very high level in special operations, special forces, Green Beret assessment and selection, so many of those tests are designed around, you're testing a candidate's ability to be resilient when things don't go well. Why is that so important for our Green Berets?

• 15:13Fran Racioppi?

  When faced with a challenge, Green Berets adapt, overcome, and keep moving forward. Now's your chance to stand with them. Join the 1952 Society with a monthly gift of just $19.52 to provide critical medical devices for wounded, ill, and injured Green Berets. Your support fuels their recovery, helping them return to duty or continue serving their communities. A Green Beret's mission never stops. Neither should our support. Join the 1952 Society today and stand with those who stand for us.

• 15:46Speaker 01

  The world doesn't cooperate, man. And certainly the, the enemy or your adversary cooperates even less. That's adversity is inevitable, brother, in, in life. I don't care what you do for a living or your hobbies, your, your lifestyle. Uh, adversity is inevitable. Resiliency is defined as one's capacity to deal with or bounce back from challenges. That's it. And like, that is the game of life. And in our world, in our lives as team guys in the special forces regiment, we are being intentionally thrust into highly challenging environments. You know, so whether it's a selection, you're going through the Q course, are you preparing for either of those two things?

• 16:28Speaker 01

  Life on the teams, in training, in an operational environment. Adversity is inevitable. And in our world, that's going to get amplified by a factor of 10 at a minimum. And so, you know, at the end of the day, you do have to have a different level of both mental and physical toughness to be an asset in this world. And, and so this isn't for everybody. This lifestyle, this profession, this isn't for everybody. I would argue however, that it is for anybody that is willing to put in enough work, enough sacrifice, enough discipline and dedication to build yourself into the machine that is necessary to make it to the teams and then to stay on the teams as that asset.

• 17:13Fran Racioppi?

  And for anyone who doesn't know, you lost your leg in Afghanistan and then became the first Green Beret to return to an O D A and then redeploy back to Afghanistan.

• 17:27Speaker 01

  Right.

• 17:27Fran Racioppi?

  With that mindset of it won't be my last day on that team.

• 17:32Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 17:32Fran Racioppi?

  And you're going to get back there.

• 17:34Speaker 01

  Yeah, I mean, just as Charlie was just talking about that with this kid you were talking to. I was getting flashbacks in my hospital room at Walter Reed going, there's just flat out no way this is how this chapter of my life is going to end. Right? Like I got stitched up by a dude who I taught how to use the machine gun he used on me and my friends. Killed three of my friends next to me, wounded another seven. Like, there's no way this is how this ends. I knew that right there and then. I hadn't a clue as to how I might get back into that lifestyle. But I did decide the what. I knew what I was gonna do. And then I just think, generally speaking, when you can answer that, what am I gonna do question, which is something that all of us face sometimes countless times a day.

• 18:18Speaker 01

  Whether it's on the back end of a difficult day at the office, or a a conversation with your spouse that didn't go all that great. It's like, what am I gonna do? And that loop does not ever end until you answer the question and decide that is what I'm gonna do. And you plant a flag that serves as a beacon, as a target in the future to begin moving towards. Now you can revamp all your energy towards the how am I gonna do a question? Which is an entirely different problem set. And really, we're talking about an equation here. At the end of the day, man, it's an equation and you know the end state. You might have a couple constants in that equation. You probably have a whole shit ton of variables. And your job is to slowly and steadily turn variables into constants until you get to your desired end state.

• 19:03Speaker 01

  And that, that's really it, man.

• 19:04Fran Racioppi?

  Yeah. Yeah, it's about the mission. And we gotta set those missions for ourselves. And when we do that, whether that be our military objective, or our personal goals, whether it be nutrition, or fitness, or our professional goals in our jobs as, as an entrepreneur and a CEO. You've got to set that vision. You have to set that mission. And then you have to build your team around you, starting with yourself. To be able to been to execute that every single day, day in and day out, really to the highest level.

• 19:36Speaker 02

  Yeah. You know, General Tovo said it best a couple a couple of weeks ago, we were at an event, uh, my my home state, uh, where I grew up in Rhode Island and we had about sixty, sixty guys or so that came out to learn about the regimen. Hear from General Tovo and his experiences when, when he was over, overseas, leading men. And a young man asked a question and identified, I'm new to business and trying to build this sales team. You know, what is your advice to me? And General Tovo, you know, paused and his incredible leadership wisdom and took a few seconds to think about it and said, You have to be unapologetically confident in your decisions when you put together a team. And that's something that I've had to say to myself over the last six or so weeks.

• 20:20Speaker 02

  We say that about this team that we assemble. We have tremendous amount of guys that wanted to play on this squad. They wanted to represent the regiment and had great qualifications to do so, but it's hard to say, all right, which ones? We have 30 spots, you know, when you have over 100 that want to play. It's a, that's a lot of roster trimming, you know, from an initial inquiry stage to, to the guys that are going to put on the uniform today. And it's, uh, the way I look at it, whether it's from business perspective, whether it's from a, uh, perspective of, of athletics, is you have to assemble a team to win. We play this game to win, you know, whether it's business, life, you know, sports. And I think the confidence that we have in what we are doing and how we are evolving at the Greenberry Foundation

• 21:04Speaker 02

  is setting the stage, not just for the next year. It's really the next 20 years, the next 30 years, the next 40, 50, 60 plus years. We were the first to market and we will be the last that, you know, says like, hey, our mission is done. Because we are continuously evolving that objective. We accomplish one, we secure it as Nick's book talks about, and we move on to the next one. And we've got a lot of really exciting things coming down the pipeline. And the Stars and Stripes classic is just a small micro piece of that larger puzzle.

• 21:34Fran Racioppi?

  Yeah. One of the things we talked about, uh, when you and I sat down back at Soft Week was Task Force Tatanka.

• 21:40Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 21:40Fran Racioppi?

  And, you know, when we talk about identifying a mission and going after it, I think one of the most, I'd say the motto that I would put behind this whole initiative is this opportunity from need. There's a lot of organizations out there who create programs. Greenberry Foundation has programs. And oftentimes what we see is somebody comes to the foundation and they say, well, you have X, Y, and Z programs, but I need, my problem's B. And what we're doing through Task Force Tatanka is saying, that's fine. We're going to go out and find you a solution for B. And just because we don't have a defined program today that says, yes, we do that, doesn't mean that we can't do it. And so we're creating as a foundation that opportunity from the need that is presented to us.

• 22:25Fran Racioppi?

  I tell my my team in FR6, we don't do everything, but we can do anything.

• 22:31Speaker 02

  Exactly.

• 22:31Fran Racioppi?

  Just give us 48 hours, we'll call you.

• 22:32Speaker 02

  Exactly.

• 22:33Fran Racioppi?

  And that's what we're doing.

• 22:34Speaker 02

  Yeah, you know, and the reality of it is, is opportunities, I don't like to call them needs because quite frankly, like needs is is one of those things that, you know, that word is so loosely thrown around. I think it actually makes guys into charity cases and and it's quite frankly, one of the reasons why we're so proud of our name and the way we are stood up. Like, nobody that we support is a charity case, right? They just need to be repositioned, tool, you know, given the tools to be successful in their next chapter. You know, work on some mechanics on some things and then redeploy them back into to a setting that they feel comfortable and confident in. The biggest challenge, I think, with the opportunities is that they're continuously evolving.

• 23:13Speaker 02

  And so Task Force Tatanka looks at that from a perspective of like, all right, we've got our, you know, four cornerstone initiatives that we're always going to be in. And then we're going to force multiply, build a build an extensive network, work with people like Nick to talk about it. To make sure that people out there are aware of the incredible resources that are out there. And we're going to also continue to consolidate the marketplace. The oversaturation of the nonprofit marketplace in the SF space alone, or GreaterSoft, is abundant and that's okay, right? But it's not sustainable. We know that. If if you talk to the ultra high net worth individuals, if you talk to

• 23:55Speaker 02

  leading executives that are leading the corporate charitable arms of a Bank of America or Penske, they they tell you we want to give, but we don't want to have to give to 60 because we're not going to be able to have and drive as much impact. So how do we do that? Well, you know, through a portfolio program, an official program, a consolidation effort, there are opportunities to ensure that all organizations have an opportunity to be at the table, to be able to showcase their support. But we don't need to build just for the sake of building. And that's quite frankly, it's a waste of time. Because if you're going to build something right, it takes a long time. Our VSO program's been

• 24:34Speaker 02

  seven plus years in the making and has had huge impact, but with a massive investment from the community, from the board of directors at the Green Beret Foundation, from John Armanzani, who founded the program, it's been a lot of work. And so I always like to say, like, before we jump, right, let's check the pack, let's check the chute, like, let's make sure everything's good. And if we still need to add things to it, great, we can add to it. But let's not just jump for the sake of jumping.

• 25:01Fran Racioppi?

  Yeah. Well, being out here today, we're going to get front and center with a whole new generation of folks who are going to see what we're doing. We're getting the shout out here a second ago, out here in the premier zone. We have a couple of heckler kids already who are flexing their muscles behind us while you were talking. But that's what we want. We want guys who may look like this behind us today and are going to look like these guys here. Eventually, Nick, they're going to look like us.

• 25:26Speaker 01

  Hopefully with all limbs intact.

• 25:28Fran Racioppi?

  Yeah, maybe more like your size, but more like me, something like that. But that's the goal. And that's what we want. And so Charlie, appreciate everything the foundation is doing. This is a great presence here, great partnership with the PLL. And we want to get everybody out there to greenberetfoundation.org, get involved. And then we got to get everybody to really take the leadership lessons from Nick. Check out Objective Secure, his book that he wrote. And I say that genuinely because I don't like a lot of books that people write about leadership. There's a lot of noise there, but this man, Nick Lavery, knows what he's talking about. And I really did enjoy reading that. And I put those lessons to use. And I spent a career in the military and built a company after that. And still was like, damn, man, Nick knows. Think about that?

• 26:11Speaker 02

  Just a kid from South Boston, brother.

• 26:13Speaker 01

  That's it, brother. Trying to figure it out.

• 26:15Speaker 02

  Yeah. Yeah. No, well, Fran, I mean, obviously, you're a big part of it. And I don't think we thank you enough on a regular basis on the media channel. I mean, your team, what the viewership doesn't see behind here is a ton of people that are committed to not only this media channel and the creative enterprise that you created, that we've created with you at the Green Beret Foundation, but honestly, just the absolute dedication and bringing incredible stories to the public. And this isn't Just talking to guys like myself and Nick, I mean, I'm sure the viewership would probably rather listen to Nick than Charlie Iacono, but I will say if you look at the catalog of guests that you've had on and the ones that we know are forthcoming, stay tuned. It's gonna be a great season.

• 26:55Fran Racioppi?

  We're just getting started.

• 26:56Speaker 01

  I gotta add on to that real quick, man. Do what you want with this bit, but I've witnessed the beginning of this with you as a one man task force. And that's how it starts, brother. That's how the entrepreneurial vision begins. You're a one man task force. You're doing all the things. You know, you're learning new equipment and strategy and tactics and you're in the grind and you're cold calling and cold bumping. Hey, I got this idea. No one gives a shit. No one believes in you. It's just like you're a pain in the ass. You just stay on that grind. Just keep nurturing it and keep watering it and just keep taking those really hard steps forward. And eventually it starts to gain a little bit of traction. You start to catch the attention of, you know, larger organizations that want to start to pull more resources into it.

• 27:41Speaker 01

  And I mean, look at you now, man. You got a whole crew. It's amazing. I've decided to get to know your whole team. Great people. You're interviewing the Sajer Major of the Army, which seems like on a weekly basis. You know, and so, I mean, I just want to say me to you as a fellow entrepreneur who's still very much in the infantile stages and figuring things out and messing things up on what seems like a daily basis. It's just great to see another Green Beret move into the private world and still have that same sense of determination to build something of your own that you can plant a flag behind and be proud of and continue to create impact. And you're doing just that, man. So I appreciate you, man.

• 28:18Fran Racioppi?

  Yeah, thank you both. It's been a good journey. You have both been a big part of it. And so, thank you. It is. The mission continues.

• 28:27Speaker 01

  Yes, sir.

• 28:28Speaker 02

  Forty-four million views so far?

• 28:31Fran Racioppi?

  That's just in the last fifteen or sixteen months, so.

• 28:34Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah. We were talking about impact, right? Everybody starts a podcast, right? Come on. This is

• 28:40Fran Racioppi?

  Takes years.

• 28:41Speaker 02

  Yeah, takes years. Just like we were talking about. And it's, uh, but it gets back to that story. Right? I mean, you need a storyteller and you tell a great story. So thank you for everything you're doing for the Green Beret Foundation, for our community, for the American public, quite frankly. And, uh, yeah, it's gonna be great.

• 28:57Fran Racioppi?

  All right. Let's get those seals off the X.

• 29:00Speaker 02

  Yeah, absolutely. Thanks, buddy.

• 29:03Fran Racioppi?

  Appreciate you, brother. Thank you. Yeah, man. American Jedbergs went on to form the foundation of the United States Special Forces and the Special Activities Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Thanks for listening to the Jed Burke Podcast, an official program of the Green Beret Foundation. I'm your creator and host, Fran Rychovny. Join us next week for a new episode on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check us out on YouTube for full episodes, highlights, and other long and short form content. If you like what you heard, give us a like and leave a review. Follow the Jed Burke Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X, or Threads. Send your comments and inquiries to [email protected]. As former members of Special Operations Forces, the Jed Burke Media Channel, and the Green Beret Foundation remain committed to supporting all generations of US Army Special Forces

• 29:48Fran Racioppi?

  and their families. Thanks for joining us on this episode. How you prepare today determines success tomorrow.