{"id":6036,"date":"2026-03-24T20:24:55","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T20:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/general-mark-hertling-boots-on-the-ground-loom-trumps-unlimited-military-power\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T20:24:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T20:24:55","slug":"general-mark-hertling-boots-on-the-ground-loom-trumps-unlimited-military-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/general-mark-hertling-boots-on-the-ground-loom-trumps-unlimited-military-power\/","title":{"rendered":"General Mark Hertling. Boots on the Ground Loom. Trump\u2019s Unlimited Military Power."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm\/?e=\" width=\"100%\" height=\"210\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><b>What I Told My Son When He Wanted to Join the Army. Election Threats Are Rising. Broken DHS Makes Us All Less Safe. If I Don\u2019t Return: A Father\u2019s Wartime Journal.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Author, National Security Analyst, Contributor at The Bulwark, and retired Army General Mark Hertling is back on Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff at a moment when America is at war abroad and under strain at home. They attack the latest national security headlines from the war in Iran and the political wars at home. And Hertling is bringing hard truth, deep experience, and real hope. From Iran\u2019s widening conflict and Trump\u2019s reckless use of the most powerful military on Earth, to the rising threat of attacks here at home and the very real possibility he\u2019ll try to mess with our elections, Rieckhoff and Hertling break down what\u2019s really happening, what keeps this retired General up at night, and where the true \u201ccircuit breakers\u201d are inside the Pentagon, Congress, and our democracy. They dig into war crimes, strategy (or the lack of it), the courage our leaders are missing, and the new consensus forming in the streets against the Iran war, ICE in our airports, and the slide toward authoritarianism.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>They also go below the headlines and into the heart: Hertling\u2019s powerful new book, <\/span><i><span>If I Don\u2019t Return: A Father\u2019s Wartime Journal<\/span><\/i><span>, started as a Green Army notebook he wrote for his young sons before Desert Storm\u2014part war journal, part guide to character, leadership, friendship, marriage, and what it really means to serve. He shares emotional stories about sending his own kids into the military, why fitness and vaccines are now national security issues, and how toxic \u201cmanosphere\u201d masculinity from Trump\u2019s inner circle is warping our culture\u2014and our kids. They flex for cameras, do bad pullups, and cut vaccines. And push a fake and dangerous picture of what healthy looks like. And from Mr. Rogers and Looney Tunes to TAPS, the National Ability Center, and the next generation of leaders he\u2019s now teaching in the classroom, this is an unfiltered, urgent, and inspiring conversation you won\u2019t hear anywhere else\u2014and the kind of independent content that helps you stay vigilant, stay informed, and stay hopeful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>-WATCH <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/7W6odTkj3S0\"><span>full video of this episode here<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>-Pickup <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ballastbooks.com\/ballast-bookstore\/if-i-dont-return\"><span>a copy of the General\u2019s moving new book:<\/span><i><span> If I Don\u2019t Return<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span>-Join <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/independentveteransofamerica.org\/no-more-forever-wars\/\"><span>IVA and stand up to Trump\u2019s Forever Wars<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>-Learn more about Paul\u2019s work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/independentveteransofamerica.org\/\"><span>Independent Veterans of America<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>-Learn more about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/americanveteransforukraine.org\/\"><span>American Veterans for Ukraine here<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>-Remember <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/shorts\/do8wjRtDZJ4?feature=share\"><span>Independent is an Attitude<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>-Learn more about<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/theheadstrongproject.org\/\"><span> The Headstrong Project <\/span><\/a><span>for Veterans, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.taps.org\/\"><span>Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)<\/span><\/a><span>, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/health-care\/health-needs-conditions\/mental-health\/\"><span>Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area<\/span><\/a><span>. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It\u2019s a show of strength. <\/span><span>If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Connect with Independent Americans:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Subscribe on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@independentamericans\"><span>YouTube<\/span><\/a><span>, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0F1lzdRbTB0XYen8kyEqXe\"><span>Spotify<\/span><\/a><span>, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff\/id1457899667\"><span>Apple Podcasts<\/span><\/a><span>, and all podcast platforms<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Read more at<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/independentamericans.substack.com\"> <span>Substack<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>Support ad-free episodes at<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/independentamericans\"> <span>Patreon<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Connect: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/IndependentAmericansUS\/\"><span>Instagram<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0 \u2022 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/indy_americans\"><span>X\/Twitter<\/span><\/a><span> \u2022 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/indyamericans.bsky.social\"><span>BlueSky<\/span><\/a><span> \u2022 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IndependentAmericansUS\/\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PaulRieckhoff\"><span>X<\/span><\/a><span>, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/paulrieckhoff\/\"><span>Instagram<\/span><\/a><span>, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.com\/@paulrieckhoff\"><span>Threads<\/span><\/a><span>, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/rieckhoff.bsky.social\"><span>Bluesky<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8211;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/independentamericans\/posts\"><span>Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community<\/span><\/a><span> of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8211;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/independentamericans.us\/merch\/\"><span>And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch<\/span><\/a><span> now in time for the new year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/righteous.us\/\"><span>Righteous Media<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>And now part of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bleav.com\/shows\/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff\/\"><span>the BLEAV network<\/span><\/a><span>!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href=\"https:\/\/pcm.adswizz.com\">pcm.adswizz.com<\/a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Author, National Security Analyst, Contributor at The Bulwark, and retired Army General Mark Hertling is back on Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff at a moment when America is at war abroad and under strain at home. They attack the latest national security headlines from the war in Iran and the political wars at home. And Hertling is bringing hard truth, deep experience, and real hope. From Iran\u2019s widening conflict and Trump\u2019s reckless use of the most powerful military on Earth, to the rising threat of attacks here at home and the very real possibility he\u2019ll try to mess with our elections, Rieckhoff and Hertling break down what\u2019s really happening, what keeps this retired General up at night, and where the true \u201ccircuit breakers\u201d are inside the Pentagon, Congress, and our democracy. They dig into war crimes, strategy (or the lack of it), the courage our leaders are missing, and the new consensus forming in the streets against the Iran war, ICE in our airports, and the slide toward authoritarianism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6037,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-episodes","entry"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ia-promo-square-ep474.jpg",1400,1400,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ia-promo-square-ep474.jpg",1400,1400,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ia-promo-square-ep474.jpg",1400,1400,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ia-promo-square-ep474-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ia-promo-square-ep474-300x300.jpg",300,300,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ia-promo-square-ep474-1024x1024.jpg",750,750,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ia-promo-square-ep474.jpg",1400,1400,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ia-promo-square-ep474.jpg",1400,1400,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ia-promo-square-ep474.jpg",1400,1400,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/author\/admin\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/category\/episodes\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Episodes<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Author, National Security Analyst, Contributor at The Bulwark, and retired Army General Mark Hertling is back on Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff at a moment when America is at war abroad and under strain at home. They attack the latest national security headlines from the war in Iran and the political wars at home. And&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6036"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6036\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}