#163: America's Only Special Forces - Green Beret Foundation Chairman Ken Tovo & Board Member Chris Robinette

Green Berets solve complex challenges in service because they’re informed. Yet when they transition out, the civilian world often leaves them looking for answers. The Green Beret Foundation stands ready to ensure our nation's most elite soldiers continue to succeed post service. From the sidelines of the Stars and Stripes Classic https://greenberetfoundation.org/event/stars-and-stripes-classic-2024/, the first ever lacrosse battle between Green Berets and Navy SEALs, and the brain child of Green Beret Foundation, Fran Racioppi https://www.linkedin.com/in/francisracioppijr/ kicked off the game with Chairman of the Board retired Lt. Gen. Ken Tovo https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-tovo-4468107/ and Board Member and Green Beret Chris Robinette https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-robinette/. With penalty markers flying, we talk about the future of Green Beret Foundation support and how the reduction in conflict is creating opportunities to focus on transition support, job preparation and job placement. We also explain GBF’s position as the only VA accredited disability processing team in the Special Forces non-profit sector. Making informed decisions matters in service and beyond. Watch, listen or read our conversation from Gillette Stadium and don’t forget to check out the rest of our series from the Stars and Stripes Classic and the full game highlights. If you haven’t signed up for next year, stay tuned for more information. The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by University of Health & Performance https://university-hp.com/, providing our Veterans world class education and training as fitness and nutrition entrepreneurs. 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. HIGHLIGHTS 0:00 Introduction1:30 Welcome to Gillette Stadium2:35 Launching the Stars & Stripes Classic5:31 Supporting VA disability claims9:03 GBF transition support11:42 GBF’s acquisition strategy13:12 GBF’s vision QUOTES “We approached this as an opportunity to help the military connect to society.”“Society needs to know their military.”“Every Green Beret is going to leave the force at some point.”“We’re taking care of Vietnam veterans who didn’t get their appropriate VA benefit 30, 40 years ago.”“For many corporations, the skills piece is less important than the heart and commitment to mission. Whatever the mission is.”“Green Beret’s understand commitment to purpose and working hard.”“We’re trying to create a broad, holistic support capability for the regiment.”“It’s not a matter of if, but when the next major conflict arises.” The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation https://greenberetfoundation.org/.

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

• 0:02Fran Racioppi?

  Green Berets solve complex challenges because they're informed. Yet when they transition out, the totality of the civilian world often leaves them looking for answers. The Green Beret Foundation stands ready to ensure that our nation's most elite soldiers continue to succeed in their service. From the sidelines of the Stars and Stripes Classic, the first ever lacrosse battle between Green Berets and Navy SEALs, and the brainchild of Green Beret Foundation, I caught up with Chairman of the Board, Retired Lieutenant General Ken Tovo, and Board Member and Green Beret, Chris Robinant. With penalty markers flying for unnecessary roughness, we talked about the future that Green Beret Foundation supports, how the reduction in conflict is creating opportunities to focus on transition, job preparation, and job placement. We also explained the impact, as GBF maintains the only VA accredited disability processing

• 0:47Fran Racioppi?

  team in the special forces nonprofit sector. Making informed decisions matters in service and beyond. Watch, listen, or read our conversation from Gillette Stadium and don't forget to check out the rest of our series from the Stars and Stripes Classic and the full game highlights. If you haven't signed up for next year, stay tuned for more information. The Jedberg Podcast is brought to you by University of Health and Performance, providing our veterans world-class education and training as fitness and nutrition entrepreneurs. Follow the Jedberg Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media, listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, 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.

• 1:29Fran Racioppi?

  General Tovo, Chris, welcome to the Jedberg Podcast, live from Gillette Stadium. Stars and Stripes Classic just started, we're about halfway through the first quarter, Green Berets versus Navy SEALs, they're out there on the field right now, and I'm going to say with pride that the Green Berets just took two-minute penalty for unnecessary roughness. And my only question at this moment in time is, why did it take eight minutes for that to happen? Transitioning out of the military is about more than polishing a resume or attending a LinkedIn workshop. It's about rediscovering your purpose and forging a new path that's worthy of your service. At the University of Health and Performance, veterans are offered transformative GI Bill approved programming designed to help take them to the next level with confidence.

• 2:13Fran Racioppi?

  Nestled in the heart of the Ozarks, their 800 acre, all-inclusive campus features world-class training facilities, modern living spaces, and miles of trails for reflection and growth. Here, veterans find a structured, immersive environment where they can explore their strengths, develop new skills, and build a life that not only honors their past, but prepares the future.

• 2:35Speaker 01

  Well, I'll just say there's been plenty of legal roughness so far in the game. It's been pretty exciting to watch. Down 1-0 at the point, but I think that's not going to stand. So, in fact, there we go. It's now 1-1. Green Berets just scored.

• 2:47Fran Racioppi?

  All right. So, this entire day, this game, was really the brainchild of Charlie Iakono, the CEO of Green Beret Foundation. You guys as board members were the ones who had to approve that thing. But just for a second, talk about when Charlie came to you and said, "Hey, I want to do this lacrosse game. We're going to do it next year at Gillette Stadium, and we're going to face the Navy SEALs on the field." What'd you think?

• 3:15Speaker 01

  Yeah, well, it was an easy sell for me. We had actually talked a couple of years ago. I had a young woman who was a boxer and wanted to get a Navy SEAL Foundation versus Green Beret Foundation boxing event going. And for one reason or another, we never could pull it off. So, and I had talked to Charlie about, you know, "Boy, it'd be great to do something like that." And of course, he came back with that idea on steroids. I had the opportunity to meet with the founders of the P L L at one point for a helmet ceremony and just mentioned to them, and they jumped on it. So, the Reveal Brothers really, I think, took Charlie's idea and helped put it into action. So, really, kudos to the P L L as well for really making this help get this across the line.

• 3:59Speaker 02

  Yeah, I mean, I think Charlie's done a great job, like, not just building the programs and services since he's been on board, but thinking about how to expand the brand and build partnerships and work with corporations. And this is a no-brainer event in terms of, like, getting everybody into Gillette Stadium, you know, partnership with the P L L. All of those things are just fantastic that, you know, we took that as an idea and now put it into motion.

• 4:21Speaker 01

  Yeah, and it takes, and it's even beyond frankly, you know, the Green Beret Foundation and Navy SEAL Foundation. We approach this as an opportunity to help the military connect to society, right? We do have a recruiting crisis in the military right now, and part of that is, society needs to know their military. And this is an opportunity, I mean, it was great before the game, we've got SEAL Foundation, got the Navy SEALs to bring up some of their boats and some of their guys, we've got some of our vehicles, and so, you know, you're watching these, the youth of America getting a chance to talk to Green Berets and Navy SEALs, get behind a gun, you know, talk about what they do and connect. And I think that's important.

• 4:56Fran Racioppi?

  Yeah, we can't make it this mythical thing that lives out there. And we got to remember that at the end of the day, the guys who were on that field, you know, the units that we all served in, I mean, we were still regular people who came from society, identified that there was, we wanted to give back, we wanted to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. We went out there and we rose our hand and we went and did it. And that's what these guys are doing.

• 5:18Speaker 01

  And I think, you know, that's the other connection that I think is necessary for the youth of America to see that, hey, this is something that's achievable for them. This isn't, you know, it's a high bar, but it's not an impossible bar, right? If you want to be in a Green Beret, you can get there, it's going to take hard work, it's not going to be given to you for free, but you can achieve it if you want, just like every guy out on the field at one point in their career.

• 5:41Fran Racioppi?

  Yeah. So, I want to talk about for a second, the programatics of the foundation. Okay, last time we spoke, sir, we went into, you know, detail, kind of, what are the different initiatives, whether it be scholarships, whether it be casualty support, whether it be assistance on the VA disability front. And that's really taken front and center of so much of what the foundation is doing right now. Can you give just an update on how far that program has come over the last year, and why the, specifically the VA disability piece, has become a central tenet of the foundation?

• 6:11Speaker 01

  Yeah, we went through a strategic review several years ago, which Chris was a part of the volunteer team to lead and he can kind of tell you, you know, the, some of the outcomes of that. But one of the things that, that we got from that team was the need to transition the weight of our effort away from casualty support, just because of the tempo of the war. Fortunately, we were taking fewer casualties, but that where the real need was in the community was in, in transition and in, in kind of mental health and spiritual health. And so those kind of going forward have been really where we put the, the focus of our, of our programmatic spend. Every Green Beret is going to leave the force at some point.

• 6:53Speaker 01

  And whether they do five years, 10 years, or do a career of 30 years, they're going to pass through the VA system, which is a difficult system to navigate, particularly to acknowledge all the wear and tear that a, a Green Beret goes through in his training and his operational cycle. So we made the commitment a few years ago as a board to fund this VSO program. And it's, it's really grown beyond, I think, really our expectations. I mean, we're not just taking care of folks that are in uniform today. We're taking care of Vietnam veterans who didn't get their appropriate VA benefit 30 and 40 years ago. So it's really important.

• 7:30Speaker 02

  Yeah, I mean, I think that's right. Like, you know, when I, you know, came onto the board, there was still significant spend and support we were doing to casualty support. But, you know, in just the last few years, that started to wane a little bit, but the need did not shrink in terms of the community. And not only did we make an investment in particularly things like the, the VA disability like care rating, like it's now becoming sort of the forefront and almost coming home. Like I'm at a 20 year mark from when I first came in and like a lot of my friends that are so active, they're at the retirement age and like literally guys I was at dinner with last week when I was, you know, for Liberty were like, hey, I gotta do my packet. Do you have not, you have any idea how it works? It's like, not only do I know how it works, like we've essentially cornered the market on doing that and doing that well for a lot of folks. You know, I'm on a text thread with guys on my former ODA that, you know, are still like,

• 8:15Speaker 02

  um, you know, not feeling great. I'm kind of breaking down. They've just recently gotten out or like, you know, they're coming up. Their 20 year mark and I was like, look, guys, like this service was designed and built to solve that real need. And you know, not only is it is at a need that I think that we've installed kind of at the right time, we're very proficient at it with the staff. They're exceptional in terms of getting results, getting people, you know, appropriate ratings, getting through that process and almost in a sort of a fire for gateway. If you talk to some of the people that have gone through it, they're, you know, connecting with us online, issuing a basic, you know, set of paperwork and minimal churn in terms of updating records and are coming away with solid ratings. So we've done, I think, the right thing for the community and getting that set up.

• 8:56Fran 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 Berets mission never stops. Neither should our support. Join the 1952 Society today and stand with those who stand for us.

• 9:28Fran Racioppi?

  I think it's important to, as the first quarter ends here, and we'll give an update on the game where we're unfortunately, we're down four to one at this point, but they're gonna, they're gonna reset here during this quarter break. I think it is important that we understand when folks are transitioning out, they might feel good today at the moment of transition, but so many things manifest themselves later on. And I think when we talk about what's the call to action, how do we get people to realize, you know, this is something you guys need to do, it's something you want to do. And it's, you have to go to that advocate from GBF who sits in your special forces group, go talk to them and get that process going because it might take a year, two years, four or five years even for things to come up. And then we don't want to back into it. We want to address it head on.

• 10:13Speaker 01

  The other thing that I think it's important to talk about is that our transition program has grown over the last six months to be much more than just the VSO transition, the Veterans Affairs piece. We've partnered with, I think, about a dozen corporations right now who are helping with targeted job placement.

• 10:31Speaker 01

  Green Berets, they've got gaps to fill and they want good proven performers who are complex problem solvers. You know, the very definition of SFMCOs often. So we've put together a whole program that that kind of helps ease the transition from uniform service back into civilian world. And that includes, you know, kind of the the job placement aspect.

• 10:52Fran Racioppi?

  Yeah, I think the the next Ridge Line 2.0 program is the one you're talking about. And I agree, the Army and Special Forces has already put our operators through a selection process. And employers can in effect use that process and say, this person's already been assessed and selected for excellence. Now let's take that and give them a skill because they may lack a hard skill. But we know they have the soft skills. We know they have the character. We know they have what we want in to build a great organization. And we can teach them what they need on a daily basis. Once they're in their organization.

• 11:27Speaker 01

  Well, they've proven the ability to learn.

• 11:29Fran Racioppi?

  Yeah.

• 11:29Speaker 01

  I mean, they've proven the ability to learn complex skills, difficult skills. And so the skills for many corporations, the skills piece is less important than the the heart. It's complex problem solving, but it's also the commitment to mission, whatever the mission is and the ability to to do what it takes to accomplish a mission. And whether that's in a business suit or in a uniform, that's that's one of the, I think, differentiators that Green Berets bring to civilian life is that they understand commitment to purpose and working hard.

• 11:58Speaker 02

  Yeah, I I think a lot of the, you know, Ridge Line 2.0, putting people, you know, in a position to succeed in the next chapter, you know, helping people with mind, body and spirit, and then also kind of the next chapter of employment, employability, education, what that looks like, helping guys make, you know, informed choices of what's next. I mean, so they can continue to contribute. And as, you know, General Tov has said, like, being part of the mission is, I think, a big factor and a big component of what's in that DNA. But putting people in a position to do that again in the next chapter is important, I think.

• 12:28Fran Racioppi?

  Over the last six, 12 months, there's been a number of acquisitions that the foundation has made, whether it be scholarship funds or different support mechanisms recently. And I had the opportunity to go to Alaska. With the Warrior Sportsman, you know, where we're taking guys and getting them out there in the environment, but really bringing them together, you know, giving them an opportunity to be with guys they haven't seen for a long time. Why is this acquisition strategy important?

• 12:54Speaker 01

  Well, I think our philosophy is essentially that we're trying to create a broad holistic support capability, say the regiment, right, for Green Berets, current and former, and their families, and also consolidate the marketplace to some extent. Fundraising has become tougher in this economy and in this environment. You know, in some senses, in society, it's that the wars are over, the military, you know, is presumed to be sitting at home station, not needing the support that it needed before, which of course is nothing further from the truth. The military is engaged around the world. So our thesis, if you will, is that as we consolidate the market, it'll help with the fundraising aspect and bringing in

• 13:36Speaker 01

  the revenue necessary to support the programs that we provide. It's just, it's a tougher environment than it used to be for fundraising, and consolidation is one way to answer that.

• 13:45Speaker 02

  Yeah, I think there's also just an efficiency in like the services essentially, right? Like you find best-in-class partners. I mean, if we dedicated ourselves to build some of these functions, it would take years versus consolidate these mergers allow us to start that delivery of service today at a very high level for folks that like essentially need it now. So there's a lot of efficiencies on, you know, just the program side of how you think about building a holistic mechanism and delivering that speed to market also, like it's sort of just the inherent outcome by finding good partners.

• 14:14Fran Racioppi?

  Yeah. As you look forward now over the course of the next, you know, remainder of 2024 into 2025, what's your vision and what's your call to action for the team?

• 14:23Speaker 01

  Well, I think we want to continue to build the brand. Events like this really get the word out, um, kind of both internally to the community. Um, you know, we've got folks that came to play with the team today and brought their families who really had not as much awareness as you'd hope about what Green Beret Foundation does. And so we use this weekend event to inform and educate to some extent. And so we hope to continue to expand that understanding in the community that we serve. But we're also trying to, um, expand awareness out in a broader community, both in the corporate world and other foundation, you know, potential donors, so that we can build the revenue base needed to support the regiment.

• 15:03Speaker 02

  Yeah, I mean, the future, I think, is very uncertain in a lot of ways of like what the organization needs to prepare for. So I view it as like, we want to keep the foundation in an athletic position for success in the future, right? It's not a matter of if, but when the next major conflicts arise. And so we want to have the mechanisms to continue to immediately pick up, for example, if casualty service became an immediate demand, immediate need, we're financially prepared to do that, the service and the program staff are prepared to do that. But in the interim between like those, I would call them like wave top periods, we want to continue to deliver, you know, high value, high need services to the community where they live or where they're at. And so I think it's important to always be aware of where does that organization service need to be at any given time?

• 15:48Speaker 02

  And are we building the right things? And are we positioned to be successful when the environment changes? And it can turn on a dime, right? So yeah, I think about that a lot, you know, just making sure the organization's in a very athletic position and adaptable to meet the need of Green Berets. Because that need is, you know, highly unpredictable when and if and how we'll have to respond to that.

• 16:06Fran Racioppi?

  And that's exactly what we're hearing out of the commanders right now. Huge hit by our boys right there.

• 16:12Speaker 01

  Unfortunately, there's also a flag up in the air on it.

• 16:16Fran Racioppi?

  He's gonna go take a two-minute break.

• 16:19Speaker 01

  Which isn't helping the overall score here. It's not looking very good right now for the Green Berets, but I feel confident we'll come back strongly here at some point.

• 16:27Fran Racioppi?

  Well, we got a lot of the game left. Look, I appreciate you taking a few minutes and sitting down with us. We're gonna get back out there and keep watching us cheering these guys on. But events like this are what's going to continue to draw awareness to how important both of these organizations are. Certainly, we're biased towards the Green Beret Foundation and the Green Berets, but we need people to get out there and join not only the Green Berets, but the Navy SEALs too. And we gotta build a force that's capable of doing everything you were just talking about. And that's being adaptable and ready to go when the nation has that call.

• 16:53Speaker 01

  Yeah, exactly. We need to be ready ahead of need so that we're not lagging, right? I mean, as Chris talked, it's an uncertain future. At its most optimistic, it's an uncertain future. And we just know by history, our Green Berets will be called to action again, and we need to be ready to support them when that happens.

• 17:09Fran Racioppi?

  And if our boys aren't ready and SEALs are sitting around doing nothing, we'll give them some action. Thanks for joining.

• 17:16Speaker 01

  Sounds good.

• 17:17Fran Racioppi?

  Awesome.

• 17:23Fran Racioppi?

  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 Jedburgh Podcast, an official program of the Green Beret Foundation. I'm your creator and host, Fran Rychlin. 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 Jedburgh 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 Jedburgh Media Channel, and the Green Beret Foundation remain committed to supporting all generations of US Army Special Forces and their families.

• 18:07Fran Racioppi?

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