AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Stephen Siller had just completed a night shift with New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Squad 1. He was driving home to play golf with his brothers when he heard over his radio that America was under attack. 

He turned his truck around. 

When he reached the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, it had been closed. So, Stephen strapped on nearly sixty pounds of firefighting gear and ran through the tunnel toward the Twin Towers. He was never seen alive again. 

In this episode of Army Matters, LTG (Ret.) Leslie Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, to discuss his brother Stephen’s extraordinary sacrifice, the devastating days that followed, and how one family’s grief became the impetus for one of America’s largest organizations supporting military families, first responders, Gold Star families, and injured and homeless veterans. 

Guest:  Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO, Tunnel to Towers Foundation and AUSA’s 2026 Marshall Medal Recipient

What is Tunnels To Tower?

Tunnel to Towers Foundation

Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast!

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. 

Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. 

Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podcast@ausa.org. 

Disclaimer:

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

In this episode of Army Matters, LTG (Ret.) Leslie Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with Curtez Riggs, a retired First Sergeant, entrepreneur, and founder of the Military Influencer Conference. 

Growing up in Flint, Michigan, Riggs watched the economic foundation of his community disappear almost overnight as manufacturing jobs vanished. With few opportunities available, he chose the Army—not simply as a career, but as a chance to build a better future. Today, Riggs shares how his childhood and Army experiences led him to create one of the military community’s largest networks, connecting veterans, service members, entrepreneurs, creators, and industry leaders.  

Guest:  COL Chaveso "Chevy" Cook, PhDDivision Chief, Strategic Information Integration Division, The Joint Staff andCo-Founder, MilitaryMentors

Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast!

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. 

Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. 

Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podcast@ausa.org. 

Disclaimer:

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

In this episode of Army Matters, LTG (Ret.) Leslie Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with Curtez Riggs, a retired First Sergeant, entrepreneur, and founder of the Military Influencer Conference. 

Growing up in Flint, Michigan, Riggs watched the economic foundation of his community disappear almost overnight as manufacturing jobs vanished. With few opportunities available, he chose the Army—not simply as a career, but as a chance to build a better future. Today, Riggs shares how his childhood and Army experiences led him to create one of the military community’s largest networks, connecting veterans, service members, entrepreneurs, creators, and industry leaders.  

Guest:  1SG Curtez Riggs, U.S. Army Retired Founder, Military Influencer Conference andVice President, Strategy &Engagement, Recurrent Military & Defense

What is the Military Conference?

The Military Influencer Conference (MIC) brings together military professionals, veterans, and industry leaders for networking and professional development. Click below to learn more.
MIC 2026 — Military Influencer Conference 

Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast!

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. 

Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. 

Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podcast@ausa.org. 

Disclaimer:

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

Not every Soldier grows up planning to serve. 

In this episode of Army Matters, LTG (Ret.) Leslie Smith sits down with Cadet Orion Van Buskirk, a junior—otherwise known as a “Cow”—at the United States Military Academy at West Point, to explore what it means to discover service along the way. 

Raised in Eugene, Oregon, with no military background, Van Buskirk initially saw West Point as an opportunity for a free education, a challenge and a different path from his peers. But what began as a practical decision evolved into something deeper. In this conversation, Van Buskirk reflects candidly on the realities of West Point: the intensity, the structure and the moments that test resilience. He shares how the experience has reshaped his identity, from realizing he had outgrown his old environment to building lifelong bonds with fellow cadets. 

Guest:  Cadet Orion Van Buskirk, U.S. Military Academy at West Point

Cadets—from West Point, and across the country, send us your papers!

Cadets, do you want a chance to be published in Early Insights: From the Army's Future Leaders? We are proud to announce the launch of this program developed with our friends at the United States Military Academy. Submit your articles and papers to our team here in the Education & Programs department at AUSA. Email us at education@ausa.org.

Five Questions for a General

Hear Cadet Van Buskirk interview AUSA's own GEN (Ret.) Robert B. Brown and LTG (Ret.) Leslie C. Smith on Five Questions for a General, a production of the Modern War Institute at West Point. 

Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast!

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. 

Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. 

Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podcast@ausa.org. 

Disclaimer:

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.

For many veterans, the end of military service raises a difficult question: Who am I now? 

In this episode of Army Matters, LTG (Ret.) Leslie Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with retired Green Beret Ryan Hendrickson. After eight deployments to Afghanistan and surviving a life-changing blast from an improvised explosive device, Hendrickson retired, and then later returned overseas as a contractor. But, following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, he found himself confronting something many veterans struggle with: loss of identity and loss of mission.   

Then Russia invaded Ukraine. Within weeks, Hendrickson left behind the stability he’d worked to establish, and he traveled into an active war zone—not as a combatant, but simply to ask one question: How can I help? 

Guest:  SFC Ryan Hendrickson, U.S. Army Retired, Founder and CEO, Tip of the Spear Landmine Removal

Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast!

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. 

Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. 

Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podcast@ausa.org. 

Disclaimer:

AUSA’s Army Matters podcast primary purpose is to entertain. The podcast does not constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners please note that you are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSA.