The Antihero Broadcast

Episode: Veterans of Foreign Wars vs Foreign War Veterans
Date: November 20, 2025
Host(s): Mike Diltz, Jay, Jimmy Arnett
Special Guests: Chet & Chuko (Foreign War Veterans Motorcycle Club / Ex-VFW MC)

Episode Overview

This week’s episode dives into the escalating conflict between the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) national organization and the now-separate veteran-founded VFW Motorcycle Club, who have rebranded as the Foreign War Veterans Motorcycle Club after a controversial and abrupt separation ordered by the VFW. The hosts welcome leaders of the club for a frank discussion on generational divides, recruitment failures, and the struggle for modern relevance in legacy veteran organizations. The roundtable also covers current events, updates on recent controversies (including Rob O'Neill and the Charlie Kirk incident), touches on the Epstein files, and addresses burning questions from the audience, all in the show’s distinctly irreverent, no-nonsense style.

Key Segments & Discussions

1. VFW Chronicles: Breakdown of the VFW vs Motorcycle Club Feud

• Timestamps: 06:43–25:44
• Key Points:
  • The VFW Motorcycle Club, based in San Diego since 2004, aimed to draw a younger generation of veterans to the VFW through community and charity events, helping rejuvenate local posts.
  • Despite years of service and outreach, VFW National abruptly issued a legal cease-and-desist against the club, threatening those who helped sustain the very organization.
  • The club has since rebranded to the Foreign War Veterans Motorcycle Club but continues its veteran support mission independently.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Chet: “Our only mission is to help vets, and for 20 years, we were trying to bridge the youth gap between us and the VFW.” (12:40)
  • Jay: “[The VFW] don't want outside entities or anybody that has any interest in making the VFW grow organically. They don't want any solutions and they're definitely not looking for any.” (14:08)
  • Jimmy Arnett: “The VFW is filled with old people who have done the same things the same way every time... and anybody that comes in there, whether it's riding motorcycles or... let's do something for first responders that were also veterans—nobody wants to do that stuff. Because you start interrupting the power base.” (18:38)
• Memorable moment: Hosts and guests reflect on how "old guard" bureaucracy clings to tradition, resists innovation, and potentially sees new, younger leadership as a threat to established order and perks.

2. Can the VFW Be Saved? Gatekeeping and Recruitment Blues

• Timestamps: 15:30–24:04
• Discussion of the VFW’s rigid membership requirements, resistance to non-traditional leadership, and near-inevitable demographic decline:
  • Mike, a new lifetime member, questions the possibility of real change from within and whether the old guard is simply protecting their positions (16:39).
  • Chet argues that “Anything's possible, and the VFW is doing nothing but getting older... somebody's gonna have to take the lead. Somebody who's young.” (20:27)
• The hosts point out how many local VFW posts are kept afloat by supporters and non-members—often veterans themselves who don’t meet post-WWII war deployment criteria.

3. Behind the Scenes: Current State and Survival of VFW Posts

• Timestamps: 27:06–29:59
• Hosts explore how poor business models and lack of modernization are dooming local posts, using fast-food and retail analogies to compare adaptive vs. stagnant organizations.
  • Jay: “You can't have something that was set in World War II or earlier, still looks the same when you walk in and the same memorabilia is on the wall. It doesn't work. It has to be changed, updated, modernized.” (28:41)
• The team discusses taking over local VFW posts with a surge of younger, active veterans to force a regime—and cultural—change.

4. Security and the Charlie Kirk Shooting Incident

• Timestamps: 30:02–39:41
• Jimmy recaps highlights from the Sean Ryan show with Charlie Kirk’s head of security concerning a recent attack:
  • The importance of venue site surveys, ignored warnings about roof access, and the haunting parallel with prior failures at a Trump rally.
  • The bodyguard’s debunking of various conspiracy claims and the controversy over the lack of an “exit wound” on the victim.

5. Epstein Files: Release, Conspiracy & International Intrigue

• Timestamps: 45:12–51:12
• Jimmy brings betting odds: Senate and House have almost unanimously voted to release Epstein’s files pending security redactions; Trump is expected to sign.
  • Files are rumored to include classified intel involving domestic and foreign agencies—suggesting a blackmail operation targeting politicians.
  • The legality of “underage” activity on Epstein Island is debated, with differences in international law considered.

6. Deep Dive: Rob O'Neill, Bin Laden Raid, and the After-Action Report Debate

• Timestamps: 57:49–75:49
• Major moments:
  • A video surfaces where O’Neill openly claims after-action reports (AARs) are “not always honest” and are crafted to “report to the officer... especially if it's on tape.” (58:48)
  • Host reactions are shock and frustration—“How do you just say that? They lie in their after action reviews?” (59:02) with discussions about credibility within law enforcement/military and the impact of such statements.
  • Quote: “...If we can't trust the testimony of other operators, if the AAR is not 100... I guarantee you there are guys at damn neck that are rolling over in their grave right now.” – Jimmy (62:27)
  • Debate over conflicting versions of the raid and who fired shots, the chain of truth in elite team reports, and how public statements like O’Neill’s can undermine trust.
• Memorable segment: Discussion on slander/defamation and how verifiability separates damaging fact from opinion (68:39).

7. Venezuelan Updates: US Policy, Target Lists, and Geopolitics

• Timestamps: 75:54–82:07
• NYT leak of US military target lists for Venezuela (airstrikes on drug and military targets).
• Insight into routine Pentagon planning vs. news headlines; speculation that leaks serve as warnings or soft power.
• Discussion of strategic necessity: securing South America as friction with China continues to build towards 2028.

8. Satellites, Space Travel, and Tangent Zone

• Timestamps: 82:07–93:06
• Freeform discussion of the International Space Station’s scheduled “de-orbit,” the feasibility of Mars travel, physics, light-years, and the impossibility of verifying astronomical claims firsthand.
• Notable banter: “There's no trees on Mars—how are we going to breathe?” – Jay (86:22)

9. Law Enforcement Culture, Whistleblowing, and the Sal Cases

• Timestamps: 99:39–109:04
• A frank exchange on why police brass and agencies shun transparency, fearing exposure via podcasts/social media.
• The latest in the Sal Adirati case: prosecution struggles to find credible expert witnesses, the grand jury process, and the emotional toll on the wrongly accused officer.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the VFW’s decline:
  Mike Diltz: “In 10 to 15 years, I predict that 90% of VFW posts will be closed down... they’re going to be shut down, bought out, and turned into bars with successful business plans.” (22:02)
• On after-action honesty:
  Rob O’Neill (video): “We don’t mention that we shot them all, we didn’t mention that guys did shoot Osama bin Laden after I had killed him. We didn’t mention those, but they happened. What does that tell you? After action report is not 100% correct.” (60:52)
• On law enforcement witness credibility:
  Jay: “If you get caught on a body camera saying to a citizen, oh, we make up all the time on reports... you’re not credible witness anymore. Every defense attorney would rip it apart.” (71:51)
• On government bureaucracy:
  Jimmy Arnett: “It’s like running a charity and saying, this guy pulled on a motorcycle, we’re not going to take his ten-dollar bonus... because he looks like a criminal. It just… doesn’t make any sense.” (26:22)
• On whistleblower risk:
  Jay: “If I get sniped telling the truth about what’s right, then so be it.” (103:32)
• On the closed universe theory:
  Jimmy Arnett: “It’s a closed system, guys. Nothing gets in, nothing gets out. Wasn’t designed for us to get in or out.” (89:26)

Additional Highlights

• Merch and Patreon: New Antihero Broadcast merch announced; Patreon subscribers get exclusive behind-the-scenes and early access (55:02–57:49).
• Audience Engagement: The chat is lively and interactive; several new Patreon/YouTube members join throughout the show.
• Humor & Tangents: The crew riffs on everything from war crimes investigations to whether the North Pole is real, offering a mix of irreverent humor and real talk.

Conclusion

This episode is essential listening for veterans, first responders, or anyone interested in the internal divides of legacy organizations and the difficulties of generational change. Through candid interviews, debate, and the Antihero team's trademark sarcasm, the show spotlights how mission-driven groups can lose their way, why leadership resists innovation, and how modern platforms offer whistleblowers and reformers a new voice. As always, the episode ties in current events and listener Q&A with engaging sidebars, making for a raw, informative, and thoroughly entertaining broadcast.