SGT. Major Mike Vining

For episode 182, we welcomed Sgt. Major Mike Vining to Spear Talk! Mike Vining served 31 years in the US Army before retiring as a sergeant major. For a one-year tour of duty to Vietnam between 1970 and 1971, Vining served with the 99th Ordnance Detachment as an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician. His team was responsible for destroying Rock Island East, the largest enemy ammunition cache in the war.

Vining later attended and graduated from the first Operator Training Course (OTC-1) in 1978 and went on to participate in Operation Eagle Claw, Operation Urgent Fury for the assault on Richmond Hill Prison, Operation Just Cause, Operation Desert Storm, and Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti. He also served as the explosive investigator of the Downing Assessment Task Force for which he investigated the truck bombing at Al Khobar Towers, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on June 25, 1996.

In our discussion, we covered the legendary meme of his that goes around the internet daily, the breakdown between leadership and mentorship, being a part of the history and creation of the Delta Force, what EOD training consisted of, staying involved in the veteran community, dealing with PTSD / depression, his love of mountain climbing, and so much more!

#sgtmajormikevining #deltaforce #veteranaffairs

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