Hour 2 - Veterans Day Stories

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode Summary: Hour 2 - Veterans Day Stories

Date: November 11, 2025
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (iHeartPodcasts)

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Overview

This special Veterans Day episode centers on honoring the sacrifices and stories of American veterans, examining the evolving culture around military service, and sharing personal and historical anecdotes from both hosts, guests, and listeners. Key topics include the resurgence of enlistment enthusiasm, the challenges veterans face after service, and the importance of preserving first-hand accounts from pivotal moments in U.S. military history. The tone is a blend of gratitude, humor, candid reflection, and encouragement for civic engagement.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Veterans Day Reflections & The State of Military Service (03:01–11:40)

Guest: David Rutherford (Former Navy SEAL, Combat Veteran, Host of The Dave Rutherford Show)
Hosts: Clay Travis & Buck Sexton

• Renewed Enthusiasm in Military Service

  • David “Rut” Rutherford notes a contemporary "revival" among young Americans, fueled by prominent veteran voices and a sense that U.S. military strength is regaining focus.
    • Quote: "For veterans right now, there's a rebirth. There's a revival taking place." (03:42–03:48, David Rutherford)
  • High enlistment numbers, as referenced at the recent Patriot Awards by Pete Hegseth, seen as a barometer of faith in current military leadership.
    • Quote: "Isn't that the best actual indication of...the trajectory of the military? Do people want to join or not?" (04:21–04:37, Clay Travis)

• Why Young People Are Joining the Military

  • Rutherford draws on his own journey, influenced by family legacy, classic military films, and a quest for purpose after athletics.
    • Quote: "It was a powerful influence over me to go try and become a part of...the Navy and the SEAL teams." (07:19–07:31, David Rutherford)

• Overcoming SEAL Training and Advice to Aspiring Recruits

  • The psychological challenge of not letting teammates down was his primary motivator, not just personal willpower.
    • Quote: "The biggest thing is to recognize that there's...so much more in your reservoir of willpower than you can even imagine." (08:45–09:07, David Rutherford)
    • "I didn’t want to let the guys down next to me. That was the biggest motivator...they became the ultimate motivation." (09:14–09:29)
  • He reminds those considering service to fully understand the lifelong commitment and camaraderie involved.

2. The Ongoing Challenge of Caring for Veterans (10:52–15:06)

• Transition and Mental Health

  • Buck Sexton addresses the transition from service, noting less public attention now that combat is less active.
    • "How are we doing in taking care of our veterans though?" (11:18, Buck Sexton)
  • Rutherford details systemic gaps, citing ongoing struggles with PTSD, physical injuries, "Operator Syndrome," and the need for more focused research and resources.
    • Quote: "There are still, you know, thousands, tens of thousands of...people in the SOF community alone that took the brunt of those G-ROCK operational tempo..." (11:41–12:00, David Rutherford)
  • Recent promising initiatives: study on Ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT for veterans; need for congressional action and further research.
    • Notable Study: Stanford research validating the "Operator Syndrome" concept.

• Systemic Veteran Care Shortfalls

  • Rutherford emphasizes the urgency of developing better protocols before the next potential conflict, contrasting with past inadequate care received by post-9/11, Vietnam, Korean, and WWII vets.

3. Caller Stories: History, Heroes, and Unforgettable Encounters (21:20–37:55)

• Private Yankee Doodle and Revolutionary War Hardships

  • David in Louisiana: Cites Joseph Plum Martin’s memoir as a pivotal Revolutionary War account—his personal connection as a Navy veteran and long-time listener.
    • "His book is called 'Private Yankee Doodle.'" (22:17)

• Pearl Harbor: An Encounter to Remember

  • David in Maryland: Shared a moving story of meeting a Pearl Harbor survivor—who later met, and saluted, a former Japanese pilot present during the attack.
    • Quote: "The two just looked at each other and saluted each other, and there wasn’t a dry eye..." (27:19–27:33, Caller David)

• The Value of Preserving Veteran Stories

  • The hosts discuss the World War II Museum in New Orleans and its role in collecting stories as the WWII veteran population shrinks.
    • "If you get the opportunity... go to the World War II Museum. Take your kids." (28:30–28:55, Clay Travis)

• Lunch with General Omar Bradley

  • Dan in Prescott, AZ: Reminisces about meeting the WWII general—his one off-limits question: views on General Patton’s death, alluding to long-standing conspiracy theories.

• History Books & The Hardship of Valley Forge

  • Sharon (Caller, on the road): Praises Bill O’Reilly’s "Killing England" audiobook and recounts the trials at Valley Forge as emblematic of the sacrifices of America's earliest soldiers.
    • "These guys didn’t even have shoes. They had to tie rags to their feet..." (33:28–34:08, Sharon)

• Generational Service & Personal Connections

  • Both hosts reflect on family military backgrounds—serving in WWII, Vietnam, and the Cold War.

4. Humor, Humanity & Everyday Moments

• Jokes about the cold in Miami and “Valley Forge conditions.”
  • "Valley Forge, no shoes—I know what it was like ... I have to put socks on in my sandals. Down here in Miami, it's madness." (35:08–35:13, Buck Sexton)
• Iguanas in Florida as a humorous analogy to winter hardship, demonstrating the show’s blend of levity and respect.
• The episode closes with Clay introducing his son (“baby Speed”) on-air in patriotic gear, encouraging listeners to join their YouTube channel for a light-hearted holiday moment.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

"For veterans right now, there's a rebirth. There's a revival taking place."
— David Rutherford, 03:42

"I didn’t want to let the guys down next to me. That was the biggest motivator."
— David Rutherford, 09:14

"There are still, you know, thousands, tens of thousands of...people in the SOF community alone that took the brunt of those G-ROCK operational tempo, you know, and it's not just the combat deployments, it's the endless training cycles..."
— David Rutherford, 11:41

"[At Pearl Harbor] the two just looked at each other and saluted each other, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the place."
— Listener David, 27:28

"If you get the opportunity... go to the World War II Museum. Take your kids."
— Clay Travis, 28:30

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Key Timestamps

• 03:01 – Introduction of David Rutherford, transitioning to a discussion about Veterans Day
• 03:42 – Rutherford on the “rebirth” among veterans and military service
• 06:03 – Rutherford’s journey joining the Navy SEALs and reflections on patriotism
• 08:45 – The hardest part of SEAL training and the "reservoir of willpower"
• 11:41 – The ongoing challenge of addressing veterans’ post-service needs
• 21:20 – Listener call: Joseph Plum Martin, chronicling the Revolutionary War
• 24:26 – Listener’s moving encounter with Pearl Harbor survivors and Japanese pilot
• 28:30 – The importance of visiting the WWII Museum and sharing history with youth
• 30:27 – Lunch with General Omar Bradley and Patton conspiracy theories
• 33:28 – Audiobook highlights: The hardship at Valley Forge
• 38:47 – Hosts’ reflections on their families' military service
• 47:45 – Clay introduces his son on air, celebrating Veterans Day with family

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Concluding Thoughts

The episode brings together voices from across generations—combat veterans, historians, and everyday Americans—to highlight the meaning of Veterans Day beyond parades and platitudes. It underscores the enduring bonds of military service, embraces lighter moments of shared humanity, and calls for ongoing commitment to caring for those who have served. For anyone wanting to hear real, heartfelt stories and perspectives on America's military tradition, this episode is both a poignant tribute and a lively listen.

Transcript

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Second hour of play and Buck kicks off right now. And we are very pleased to be joined by our friend David Rutherford. He's a former Navy seal, served a combat tour in Afghanistan. He's also the host of. Of the Dave Rutherford show on the Clay and Buck Podcast network, which is growing, growing, growing every month. It is a fantastic program. Recommend you all go check it out. Dave, we call you Rut. So for Anyone who's confused, Mr. Rut, tell us first off, your thoughts on this Veterans Day. Speaking for yourself and your fellow veterans out there, what's your top level view? How's it going.

[David Rutherford]

Clay? Thanks for having me on again. I think for veterans right now, there's a rebirth. There's a revival taking place. And what Pete is doing, I mean, every time I see Joe Kent post something, I want to go get my kid on and, you know, sign back up. And I just think right now there's a revitalization, and the numbers are showing that people are wanting to go in, they're wanting to serve. They believe that the president is fired up to, you know, make the American military the mightiest force in the world again. And I think it's. It's a real positive moment for everyone.

[Clay Travis]

When you see those enlistment numbers, and Pete Hegseth came out at the Patriot Awards, and he was talking about them on Thursday night. And I know that on this Veterans Day, they're shining a bright light on it. Isn't that the best actual indication of how the Secretary of War, as we now have it renamed, but the Secretary of Defense for the last 30 or 40 years, isn't that the ultimate judgment on him and on the trajectory of the military? Do people want to join or not?

[David Rutherford]

Yeah, I mean, absolutely, it is. I mean, you went to that. I mean, I love that there was this incredible gala, right? You saw the Marine Corps balls. You saw vice president speak at vance, speak at 1. You know, the E5 model represented at the highest levels. Yeah, people are stoked in. The numbers reflect that. You know, I think it's, it's, you know, the other. The other great challenge is because we're not in a very substantial kinetic environment right now. That it's difficult to tell, you know, whether it'll last because that's the real testament do people stay in over when there's high levels of combat. But right now I think young people, young American, 24 year old men are revitalized with this idea that I can go and serve in the military that my uncle, that my father, that my grandfather, that my great grandfather served in and I'm going to get that genuine say sense of real patriotism and service.

[Buck Sexton]

Dave, take us back if you would to your decision to join up. Just what it was like going through what was going through your head, what your feelings were about it, the motivations, your sense of what it would mean to be in the Navy and of course to join the teams, become a Navy seal. Like just take us back to that moment because I think for a lot of people who today maybe are considering once again, you know, we have younger audience members who are listening who might be thinking about it, we have college age people listening who might be considering it. What was your mindset like when you first decided I'm going to throw my hat in the rhythm?

[David Rutherford]

That's a great question, Buck. I, you know, for me I was, I was struggling to try and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I, you know, my athletic career hadn't worked out the way I hoped at college level and, and I was just in this position where it's like what is the meaning of my life going to represent and you know, my great great uncle was in Rose Theodore Roosevelt's cabinet. You know, I, I had, you know, it's been several generations since anybody had served but you know, I, that legacy and link I think was a driving force as well as just my, you know, I was a Gen Xer, I was influenced by Rambo and Commando and all the incredible movies that you know, showed American military might and power at the highest levels. Top gun, Navy SEALs and, and that consumed me. I was like this is the, this is the thing that's going to put me on my way, help me figure out what I'm made of if I'm, if I represent something bigger than myself and, and something that'll give me purpose and meaning to figure out the longer term idea of what I might ultimately become. So yeah, it was a powerful influence over me to go try and become a part of, you know, not only the DoD, but the Navy and the SEAL teams and down all the way to the guys that were next to me that I served with.

[Clay Travis]

So we're talking to David Rutherford Encourage you to go subscribe to his podcast. It's a part of the Clay and Buck podcast network. It's Veterans Day. You are a Navy seal, and I don't know if we've ever asked you this question, but when you were going through the process of becoming a Navy seal, what was the toughest thing to you about the Navy SEAL process itself? Was it. Was there a moment where you thought, I cannot push myself any further? And we've got a lot of people out there, a lot of young guys that. That listen to us and maybe aspire to be a Navy SEAL one day. What would you say they should know? What would you say they should do?

[David Rutherford]

I think the biggest thing is to recognize that there's. You have so much more in your reservoir of willpower than you can even imagine, you know, in these programs. Whether it's buds or it's selection or the Q course or mar socks or whatever, amazing selection process from all the different soft units. Like, you have to realize you have what it takes. It's just a question of believing in yourself. And then for me, the biggest thing is I didn't want to let the guys down next to me. That was the biggest motivator. Like, I'm going to be honest, I thought about, you know, quitting all the time. I mean, the pain of just going through it, being wet, being Sandy, being miserable, having people scream at you, the whole thing. But what it does for me is it just motivated me to be better for the guys next to me, and then they became the ultimate motivation. So, you know, I think when you're thinking about what it is, first and foremost, the number one thing. And I just had a call with a young man the other day who's in college, and, you know, really thinking about it, and the thing I. I say the most is, is do the deep dive. Understand what you're committing to understand. You know, Bongino Dan put a great text out or tweet out today where he said, you know, the ultimate thing is service, serving the men and women that are next to you in the line of fire. And that is the thing that is the driving force, ultimately. I know guys that have 800 combat missions. I know a couple guys that have 500, 400, you know, multiple silver stars, five bronze stars with valor. These are the ultimate heroes. And you ask them, why did you serve? Why did you fight as hard as you did? And the ultimate thing always comes down because of the man that was next to me. And so, you know, that's the driving force if you want to participate with the, with the very highest caliber of committed human beings to you and your success, then these programs are right for you.

[Buck Sexton]

Dave, I wanted you to also weigh in on how are we doing. You know, there was this whole period during the GWAD era where a lot of people who served and a lot of people who saw combat were being brought back in and going through the transition back into civilian life. That is less of a focus now in the general public discussion than it was because you point out we're not really in an active combat zones the.

[Clay Travis]

Way we were before.

[Buck Sexton]

How are we doing in taking care of our veterans though? Because whether it's we have Tunnel to Towers, for example, a great sponsor here on the program, you know, there are some veterans who have long term needs who still need that assistance from whether it's psychological or physical wounds. You know, is the VA getting the attention it needs under this administration? You know, I'm wondering how we're doing on that front.

[David Rutherford]

I still believe there is an immeasurable amount of work to be done. Yeah, I see the director of the VA going on all the shows and he's saying the right things and. But there are still, you know, thousands, tens of thousands of, of of people in the soft community alone that took the brunt of those g rock operational tempo, you know, and it's not just the combat deployments, it's the endless training cycles, right. That also have a really profound effect. And that's why for me, I really kind of linked myself to Dr. Chris Freeh and the framework of Operator syndrome. You know, I started a little nonprofit to really try and figure out how to address the 17 different medical and behavioral health challenges that long term exposure to high training tempos and high deployment cycles has an impact on people. You know, you can't send a guy, you know, doing 14, 15 deployments and not expect there to be some long term damage. And that's why, you know, the very. There was actually just a new study from Stanford Dr. That did a case study with 200 special operations guys that and he used the operator syndrome framework. And that study validated the original paper and book written by Dr. Chris Freeh, that this is a reality, right. That long term exposure causes metabolic destabilization. It causes behavioral health challenges in different ways. Yes, ptsd, but also survivor's guilt, extensive existential challenges, intimacy issues, right. Then you have neurogenic issues from blast wave exposure, endocrine dysfunction, and then the orthopedic injuries, the perpetual living in pain. And so I think there's still a lot of work to be done. There's a lot of work to be done at the administrative level to at least bring in the Stanford Doc and Dr. Free. I would love to see them be able to testify on Capitol Hill and tell the people that are in charge of the funding to carve out a little bit of funding to do research on operator syndrome. I mean, we've seen the most, the most substantial thing I think we've seen has been on the state level. You saw former governor Perry work with the lawyer, Hubbard was his name. And they got $50 million in to do research on ibogaine and 5 emo DMT, which is the vets program initiative that really helps guys, one, get sober, come off prescription drugs, and then the other to reestablish neuroelasticity and establish new brain patterning that can help facilitate putting some of those demons to rest. So there's a lot of work to be done, a lot of guys still struggling. And what I would really love is that for the next kinetic war that could take place, which at right now could be anywhere, I hope that we have a better plan in place to take care of them as opposed to what the gwat guys, the Vietnam guys, the Korean, and then Also World War II guys did not receive.

[Buck Sexton]

David Rutherford, thank you for your service, our friend. We appreciate you, appreciate what you did for the country and also would recommend all of you listening, go check out the David Rutherford show on the Clay and Buck Podcast network. Rut always appreciate you man. Thank you for giving us your time today.

[David Rutherford]

God bless you guys. Thank you Buck for your service too, buddy.

[Caller]

Take care. God bless.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

Welcome back in Clay Travis Buck Sexton Show Veterans Day edition of the program. A lot of different stories we are following. Bunch of people Want to weigh in variety of different topics relating to Veterans Day. Let's take some of these calls. David In Louisiana, we were talking about some of the things that veterans went through. And you're saying Jonathan Plum Martin, who was a famous diarist who fought in the Revolutionary War with the Continental Army. I have not read it. I've seen it excerpted quite a lot because he is one of the foremost chroniclers of what life was like for soldiers in those eras. What did you come away with, your biggest impression being, David?

[Caller]

Yeah, I just want to correct something. His name was Joseph Plum Martin and his book is called Private Yankee Doodle. It is.

[David Rutherford]

It's pretty easy to get.

[Caller]

And I'm a 20 year veteran, I'm a retired Navy. And I wanted to wish Buck a happy Veterans Day and really enjoy your show. And before, I just wanted to say one thing. The last time I talked to somebody at this number, it was the great Rush Limbaugh. So it's a very, I'm very excited to talk to you guys because I think you are some. A great, it's a great way to keep on the old Rush show. So thank you very much for what you guys do.

[Clay Travis]

Well, thank you for the call. Thank you for your service. And yes, we're gonna fire producer Greg for leading me over the middle and writing the wrong person's name down in the, in the, the roster there. But it is the Plum Martin. If you watch or read anything relating to the Revolutionary War that is a huge part of the discussion. Are you interested at all, Buck? I believe it debuts in the next few days in the new Ken Burns Revolutionary War documentary. Have you seen him doing a bunch of media lately on it? Um, I'm gonna be honest with you. I'm actually, because I'm reading the Rick Atkinson books right now, the trilogy he's only two volumes in. I'm somewhat interested to see what Ken Burns puts together. The Civil War documentary that he did back in the 90s was and is a work of art. And I know a lot of people have watched additional Ken Burns documentaries since he is of the left. But, but I didn't he do the.

[Buck Sexton]

Central Park Five documentary?

[Clay Travis]

I don't remember whether he did that.

[Buck Sexton]

Right.

[Clay Travis]

I mean, Kit Burns, he did baseball, he did the Civil War, which is really, really well done. The Civil War documentary is. And it was a PBS huge success story back in the day. I mean, he's probably the most famous documentary historic historian in the maybe the world, certainly the United States. Let's see David in Maryland, you Got a story for us about Veterans Day.

[Caller]

Hi, Clan Buck. Can you hear me?

[Clay Travis]

Okay, we gotcha.

[Buck Sexton]

Mm.

[Caller]

Hi. Hey. I got an amazing story to tell you. I was out in Hawaii for work about 15 years ago, and I took a day at the end of my trip to go see the Pearl harbor, and I went through all the exhibits, and then I took the ship over to the Arizona.

[Clay Travis]

Yes.

[Caller]

Went inside, and there was an old gentleman. There was in the center. If you've ever been there, there's a center opening. He was standing next to the center opening, and I couldn't really hear him much because it was crowded. But later on, I walked over to listen to him, and it turned out he was actually on the ship. And he was on the second. He was on the second tallest crow's nest. And he got blown out, and he woke up in the water. And so I. I stayed after. I didn't even get on the ship back because I wanted to talk to him. It was so amazing.

And he.

And he said, you want to know why I think it blow blew up? And I said, of course I do. He said, well, we just put a catapult on about a year before to send off float planes to do some reconnaissance, and we had to put the charges somewhere.

[Clay Travis]

Stick with us because we've got a heart out here. If we'll keep him over, we'll bring him. That's one of the places I'd like to go. Pearl Harbor. Look, our friends at Prize Picks have got an incredible opportunity for you. If you're out there and you just like sports, you like football, you like baseball, you like basketball, whatever you're into soccer, golf, they have an awesome opportunity to make sports a little bit more fun for you. Go to prizepix.com right now. Use code clay. When you play $5, you get $50 deposited in your account. You can have a lot of fun. Again, $5, $50 deposited in your account. We'll have another pick for you on Thursday as we do every single week. That is prizepix.com code clay. You can play in California, Texas, Georgia, if you're feeling left out. Prizepix.com Code Clay.

[Buck Sexton]

Welcome back in here to Clay and Buck. Do we still have that caller who's telling us a really interesting story? Did he stay through with us?

[Clay Travis]

Yes, David. And Maryland is still there.

[Buck Sexton]

All right, David, so. So. So you can go. We now we have some time. It is Veterans Day, and you were telling a story that we all wanted to hear, so. So you can just give us a little A quick recap. Tell us where you are. Set the scene, because some listeners will have rejoined us, and we'll let you take this thing all the way. Go for it.

[Caller]

Okay, sure. So. So I was the gentleman. I was talking to the gentleman after the ship left, and we were the only two in there. And he said, you know, want to know why I think the ship blew up like it did? Was because we had just put about nine months before we put a catapult on, and we used to. We would send off float planes with special charges to go out to do reconnaissance. And he said that the powder they used for that was very volatile. We had no place to store it except in the magazine. So we set it around the inside of the charges for the regular guns, which wasn't as volatile. And he thought that was. He thought that would contributed to the explosion. And then it actually gets better. Clay and Buck, because while we were standing there, just the two of us, the next ship came up to drop people off. Here comes everybody up. And the very last group coming up, where was an older gentleman with two women on either side, women on either side of them helping him up the ramp. And up the guy came and he turned and it was a Japanese guy, and he had an interpreter there. And he said he was on one of the planes that had dropped the bombs on Pearl Harbor. And the two just looked at each other and saluted each other, and there wasn't a dry eye in the place. It was unbelievable. He said he'd always wanted to be there. This was the first time he could go. Wow, Harbor.

[Clay Travis]

Well, thank you for calling in and sharing that story on Veterans Day. Buck, have you ever been to Pearl Harbor?

[Buck Sexton]

Have not. No, have not been.

[Clay Travis]

I have never been either. I would like to go. Let me give a super endorsement here. The World War II Museum in New Orleans.

[Buck Sexton]

I've been to that of amazing.

[Clay Travis]

Incredible. It's an incredible spot. And the reason why it comes to mind here is they put veterans. Veterans would come and stand in the main lobby that fought in World War II for years and years. Veterans from the New Orleans area, veterans traveling and tell their stories to people who came to tour the World War II memorial. And there are so few World War II veterans left among us now that I am so grateful that they have done a phenomenal job of chronicling so many of those stories so they aren't lost to history with just so many interviews that have been done with so many of our brave World War II veterans. And if you get the opportunity, you go to New Orleans, I know it's a huge tourist town. I know everybody gets out on Bourbon street and gets hurricanes and has a phenomenal time in that city. Please take the time to go to the World War II Museum. Take your kids. The last time I was in New Orleans was the super bowl last year and, or I guess early this year, I was really impressed at the number of kids that were in town to go to the game. Kind of a cool thing to get to do as a kid, but that mom and dad were taking them to as part of being down in that and in town for that game, that they were taking them also to the Super Bowl. A lot of Chiefs, a lot of Eagle fan bases. But when I was there, the number of kids that I saw was very impressive. So if you get the opportunity to go tour that museum, I can't recommend it any higher at all. It truly is extraordinary. Let's see. Dan in Prescott, Arizona said you got to have a lunch with General Omar Bradley. How did that happen?

[Caller]

Well, in 78, our unit at Fort Bliss, which is where General Bradley was stationed or retired, our unit was best on post and I was fortunate enough to be best on post also. And General Bradley came and visited our unit and I was selected to have lunch with him. And the two star general that pushed him around instructed me that I could ask him anything except his view on how General Patton died. And he was very accommodating, he was very nice, he was still in uniform, still a wonderful gentleman. But I did not ask him how General Patton died. And I always wanted to. He autographed his book for me and I've seen several documentaries on it, but never quite satisfied with, with the answer.

[Clay Travis]

Wait. Thank you for the patent.

[Buck Sexton]

Died in a car accident, right?

[Clay Travis]

I'm assuming there must be a conspiracy theory associated with that. I did not know that. But yes, I didn't know that either. That's why I'm asking.

[Buck Sexton]

I didn't know there was anything.

[Clay Travis]

I'm like, what there? Is there a conspiracy that. Why would Omar Bradley have not. General Bradley have not been wanted. You asking that question, do you have any idea?

[Caller]

Yes, after reading several books, the accident was such a small accident. Nobody else was injured. There were just a lot of things that don't add up. You could, you could ask Bill O'Reilly. He wrote Killing Patton.

[Clay Travis]

And yes, we will ask Bill O'Reilly. He's scheduled to be on in the next couple of days.

[Buck Sexton]

So what we got Uncle Bill Thursday. So we'll mark this one down for him.

[Caller]

What?

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, well, we'll ask him about this. Is there anything specific that you wanted us to dive into with Uncle Bill?

[Caller]

I said just the specifics around his view on how patent.

[Buck Sexton]

Gotcha. Sure, sure.

[Clay Travis]

That's a good tease for Sharon, who's on the road right now, and she says Bill O'Reilly is going to be on with us Thursday. You just listened to one of his books out there, by the way. You should. But Buck, I bought your book. So I have spent the money for Buck's new book, which will be out in February, which will arrive, I believe, at my house on publication day. You should also go buy balls, especially if people don't have balls in your life. Maybe they can get it through the, through the book. But, Sharon, you just read Bill O'Reilly's got a hugely successful series on history, and you just read one of them.

[Caller]

Yes, I just drove from western Montana and I'm heading home to Indianapolis. I'm in Illinois right now, But I spent two days on I90 listening to Killing England, and it was fantastic. I mean, I've read other of his books, Killing, Killing Witches, and I can't remember anything else right now. But anyway, it was a fantastic book. And when you mentioned Valley Forge, I had to call in because it was just insane. Insane. These guys didn't even have shoes. They had to tie rags to their feet, and the British would track them through the snow because of the blood that they left behind.

[David Rutherford]

It's unbelievable.

[Clay Travis]

It really is. I mean, again, having just read. Thank you for the call, Sharon. Stay safe on the road as you travel back to Indianapolis. Having just read about Valley Forge, Buck, nobody had shoes. I mean, think about how cold it is wherever you are. And imagine walking around in those rags and dealing clay.

[Buck Sexton]

It's, it's honestly, you know, this is kind of, this is hitting home for me today in south Florida. It's 50 degrees here, my friend. I mean, there are iguanas like Valley.

[Clay Travis]

This is. People are falling apart in Florida, right?

[Buck Sexton]

You got iguanas falling out of the trees. You got everyone walking around in ski parkers because the only clothing they have that's warm, that's cold weather, is for when they go skiing. It's. It's pandemonium out here in the 50s, my friend. So Valley Forge, no shoes. I, I know what it was like. I know. It was like for those guys, I'm walking around here, I have to put socks on in my sandals. Down here in Miami, it's madness.

[Clay Travis]

It is. It is Miami's version of Valley Forge. I People think I'm joking about that, but the iguanas freeze in the trees and fall out. Iguana popsicles.

[Buck Sexton]

When it gets cold there, they're not dead, they're just. They. Their heartbeat slows down so much or their system slows down so much that they essentially pass out and they fall out of trees. And by the way, they are pretty big. These things get way.

[Clay Travis]

Imagine knocked out or killed by a iguana falling out of the tree. That'd be a tough way to get.

[Buck Sexton]

That's ever happened. But I just could tell you when you see one and it's lying there and it's all because this happens. They're. They're considerable. They will whip you with their tail, too. So when they wake up, you don't want to be. And they have little sharp teeth. This is why I'm telling you.

[Clay Travis]

Amazing that they just go to, like, they just freeze like that and truly fall out of the trees. In Florida, you know.

[Buck Sexton]

You know, they're. They were. They're escaped pets. They're an invasive species.

[Clay Travis]

Oh, yeah.

[Buck Sexton]

Here in South Florida. They are absolutely not native. They came from South America. They are not native to Miami, but man, have they taken to this habitat. And unfortunately, they're really rough on foundations for buildings. They burrow and they dig. So they can be a pest. They can be dangerous to building structures. Sort of like the boa constrictors and pythons that they have here now. Also pets that were released. The pets that I like, though, we have parrots that have been released. And the parrots are fun. They're nice. They're not native either. There are very few of these species that people associate with alligators and crocodiles. The only place in the world where they coexist in the same ecosystem is here. And they are native to South Florida. Manatees, obviously, They're. You know. And then the sharks, which we've talked about a lot, but a lot of the things you think of as Florida animals, they're pets that people brought here.

[Clay Travis]

Bruce, in Hastings, Minnesota, you got a call for us about the World War II Museum.

[David Rutherford]

Yeah, you know, I just hopped in.

[Caller]

My truck, turned it on. Heard you guys talking about that. And just to let you know, they are still collecting stories. They. My dad's a World War II bad. He turns 100 on Saturday.

[Clay Travis]

Oh, that's awesome. Congratulate him for us. Sorry to cut you off, but congratulate him for 100 on us. And so they're still collecting the stories.

[Caller]

Yeah, he was shot down over Tokyo in a B29 and POW in Japan for the last several months of the war. So they're still collecting stories. It's on my bucket list to get down there and see the place myself. So who.

[Buck Sexton]

Thank you so much, by the way. Real quick, Bruce, any tips? I mean, when it's 50 degrees in Minnesota, you guys, do you sleep shirtless outside on your lawn, like, because that doesn't bother you at all, right? That's like a balmy day in Minnesota.

[Caller]

Pretty pretty much. I was up at my cabin this weekend. It was about 19, and I was sweating.

[Buck Sexton]

So, you know, there we go. Yeah. See, man, these minute Minnesota people, they would out. They would outlast us. Florida people are so funny that you.

[Clay Travis]

As a New Yorker, you dealt with cold winters quite a lot because New York City, the wind is brutal through so many of those buildings and everything else. You're now down in Miami. When we were in Fort Wayne, Indiana, we stepped off the plane, it was a little chilly in Fort Wayne. You were ready to just head straight back to Miami. You're like, it's 54 degrees. I don't know why people live in this.

[Buck Sexton]

I wanted to light a little. A little fire and. And just keep my hands, you know, over it outside because it was so cold in Indiana. I think it was in like the high 50s. I don't know how you guys deal with this stuff. It's really, really tough. So, you know, we're working on it, though. We're working on it. We'll take some more. Call Clay, who did you have if your grandparents generation military service on that side?

[Clay Travis]

Yeah. And my uncle is actually 84. He's dealing right now with. With cancer. I'm glad you mentioned this. He listens and tries to watch as he can, but he was in Vietnam and so. And worked on while in Vietnam. He was in charge of helicopter maintenance, repair. And one of the crazy things, I think I mentioned this before on the show, but one way, they ensured that everybody who would build the helicopters was as steadfast in their. In their rehabilitation. And then their fixing of the helicopters was every time they fixed one, they had to be the first guys to go up in it. So for anybody that has been in a helicopter, they would bring them in, say, hey, they're. They need maintenance, they need to be fixed. And then you go right up in it. So the way that you knew that you were working on it and making sure that it was as good as anybody could be. So he flew all over Vietnam, my.

[Buck Sexton]

Helicopters, my mother's father. So My maternal grandfather, who's passed away years ago, but he was an officer on the USS Bataan, which is one of those converted, converted aircraft carriers. It was essentially they did this quick fix to these ships to make them into. I think they're called CR, not CRVs. I forget there's some, some designation for them. But yeah, he, he was, he initially was a pilot and did some, did some training, pilot training. But I just remember reading about how I think we lost, was it 15,000 or 30,000 people to flight accidents in the Pacific theater. Not shot down, never found them, just, just the plane crashed in the ocean and that was that. Going between theaters of conflict, not, you know, like transport. Essentially. I think it was something like either 15 or 30,000. Some astonishing. With training accidents and astonishingly high numbers. So yeah, there's a lot of, a lot of ways that people are taking risks when they, when they serve. All right, look, something really happy here. My family absolutely loves the early Christmas presents I got for them. I combine things in clay. I got my mom her birthday gifts, plus my mom and dad their Christmas gifts. And it was all Cozy Earth stuff. And they're absolutely loving it.

[Clay Travis]

I got my mom already Christmas shopping done. This is unbelievable. Six weeks out.

[Buck Sexton]

I'm a very efficient fellow, sir. Very efficient. Not just on the tennis court, efficient in life. I got them the bubble blanket in like a lavender color. My mom absolutely loves this thing. The sheets, they're the favorite sheets I've ever gotten them and they're so soft. I will carry and I sleep with the Cozy Earth sheets on our bed every night. I got my mom a set of PJs and some new towels. Cozy Earth brought Christmas to the Sextons this year. Just get yourself set up with this now. Their products are fantastic. They have so much stuff I really recommend just start with the sheets because they're better than the sheets that you have time for an upgrade. Everybody start with the sheets. Then maybe throw some towels in some clothing, some of the blankets you're gonna love. Cozy Earth, your one stop shop for all of your holiday shopping and Christmas needs. So you just need to go check these out. Backed by a 100 night sleep trial money back guarantee, 10 year warranty. Go to cozyearth.com that website is cozyearth.com use my name Buck as your promo code on top of their site wide sale for up to 40% off so you can get a great deal. Get your shopping done early. Get these fantastic products. Go to cozyearth.com today. Use code Buck and share luxury this season. My mom and dad absolutely love this stuff. You're gonna love it too. Get it for yourself. Get it for family. Cozyearth.com promo code Buck News you can.

[Clay Travis]

Count on and some laughs too. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.

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[Buck Sexton]

Buy Gold and get free Silver. You heard that right. For every $5,000 you invest in a gold purchase from Birch Gold Group this month they will send you a free patriotic Silver round that commemorates the Gadsden and American flags. The offer is valid up to Veterans Day. Gold is up over 50% this year. Birch Gold can help you own it by converting an existing IRA or 401 into a tax sheltered IRA in physical gold. Plus they'll send you free Silver honoring our veterans on qualifying purchases. And if you're current or former military, birchgold has a special offer. They'll waive custodial fees for the first year on investments of any amount with an A rating. With a Better Business Bureau and tens of thousands of happy customers, I encourage you to diversify your savings into gold from Birch Gold. Text my name, buck to the number 989898 for a free info kit and to claim your eligibility for free Silver with qualifying purchase through Veterans Day. Again, text my name Buck to 989-898. There are a number of reasons I'm proud to say PureTalk is my wireless company. They don't just talk the talk, they walk the walk. Especially when it comes to supporting our veterans.

[Clay Travis]

This month PureTalk is choosing to support canines for warriors, an incredible organization that rescues and trains dogs, then pairs them with veterans struggling with ptsd. These are men and women who served with honor, but when they come home, that brotherhood, that support network they had in the military too often disappears. Canines for Warrior steps up to fill that gap, giving these heroes purpose, companionship and healing.

[Buck Sexton]

That's exactly why PureTalk, a veteran led company, supports them. Choose a wireless company who shares your values. And with talk, text and plenty of 5G data for just $25 a month, you could also be saving a lot of Money.

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[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

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[Clay Travis]

Welcome back in Clay Travis, Buck Sexton show. We're gonna continue to take your calls, but on the mic right now, if you can hear it bouncing around a little bit is a super cute baby boy who is a chunk in his, in his Veterans Day gear.

[Buck Sexton]

Can I just say baby, baby. Speed wants to say with his American flag attire. Thank you to all of our veterans. He's very, he's very thankful and very.

[Clay Travis]

Proud, including his grandpa who is a. And all of their family, which are longtime military family. We'll take some of your calls when we come back. But this is a bribe to go subscribe to YouTube. If you are having a rough day and you want to see a chubby, happy baby boy, then you have to go to YouTube. Type in my name, Clay Travis. Type in Buck Sexton. Go subscribe to the YouTube channel and I guarantee you that this video will put a smile on your face.

[Buck Sexton]

He is fascinated by the microphone. We might have a future podcaster here, my friend. Or a D lineman based on the way these legs are going to be. He's, he's a big. I don't think we got a, I don't think we got a quarterback here. I think we got. Somebody's gonna be tackling people.

[Clay Travis]

He's gonna be in the. Oh, you can hear him. He's starting to. He's making his first. Is making his debut on the air. He's gonna be in the trenches creating running back holes.

[Buck Sexton]

Say something. Say mama. We got mama. No. Okay, another time. He's a little shy right now, apparently.

[Clay Travis]

We back final hour next.

[Buck Sexton]

Wishing the holidays could come early. If you own or manage your business, they can. With help from iHeartRadio, people are already shopping for their loved ones and hunting for deals wherever they can find them, including right here. They're listening to the radio.

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

They're listening to podcasts.

[Buck Sexton]

They could be listening to you.

[Clay Travis]

Don't wait for everyone else to kick off the holidays.

[Buck Sexton]

Get your best season of the year.

[Clay Travis]

Up and running today.

[Buck Sexton]

Call 844-844-IHEART or visit iheartadvertising.com.

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

This is an iheart podcast.