December 26, 2024 • 34 mins
In this episode, Lisa explores the themes of faith, the role of God in America, and the cherished celebration of Christmas. She welcomes Emily Compagno, the insightful author of "Under His Wings: How Faith on the Front Lines Has Protected American Troops." Emily shares her journey from a successful legal career to her current role in television, along with her deep personal connection to the military. The conversation underscores the profound impact of faith on soldiers, with touching stories of resilience and divine intervention. The Truth with Lisa Boothe is part of the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Podcast Network - new episodes debut every Monday & Thursday.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
This week, as we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas,
the birth of Jesus Christ, I want to stay on
faith and the role of God and our country. So
we're going to talk about a really important book that
just came out. We're going to interview the author of
the book. The book is called Under His Wings, How
Faith on the front Lines Has Protected American Troops. It
(00:21):
is a celebration of faith and freedom, sharing first person
accounts that show the profound role the belief in God
has played in the lives of US military service members
as they have served in combat from World War One
to today, commemorating the courage, camaraderie, spirit and sacrifice of
America's heroes. You're probably very familiar with the author. Her
(00:43):
name is Emily Campano. She's a friend and a colleague
of mine. She's also the co host of Fox News
is Outnumbered. She has a podcast called The Fox True
Crime Podcast with Emily Campano. But most importantly in reference
to this episode, she is the author this amazing book.
Clearly the rest of America agrees. It is a New
(01:04):
York Times bestseller the very first week it went on sale.
But we're going to talk about this book talk about
her life, how she got into TV as well. Prior
to that, she served as an attorney in the federal government,
also practiced criminal defense and civil litigation. So we'll talk
about her time in the law, how she got into TV,
and this just very very special book, why it means
(01:25):
so much to her, why she decided to write it,
why it's so special, So stay tuned for that. And
Lee Campanno, Well, Emily, I'm so excited to have you
on this show. I appreciate you taking the time. I
always love being on with you when I'm on Outnumbered,
And I'm just so excited.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Lisa, you are the best, and the honor and pleasure
are all mine, believe me.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Thank you so much for having me today.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Well, you were the best. And also I feel like
I've learned. I mean, I always knew that you were smart,
I knew that you had an illegal background, but you've
done a lot, and so I can't wait to kind
of just dig into your life, how you got into
TV and then this amazing book that you wrote. But
so I didn't realize you were the president of the
Federalist Society in law school. So I imagine these past four
years have been really tough for you to witness, you know,
(02:15):
the weaponization of the law and or Biden and sort
of the erosion of our constitution. So you'll talk a
little bit about that, and then also just you know,
from someone who cares about the constitution and as an originalist,
you know, talk about sort of these past four years
and witnessing all of this with the bid deminstration.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
You know, I will say Lisa that I think that
the most surprising thing is not necessarily that people who
believe in big government and people who you know, proffer
big government as the answer, that they would encroach upon
our liberties and that they would try to take away
our freedoms.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
That's not a surprise.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
The surprise is the speed with which it all came
crashing down, and the speed with which so many of
our liberties and independents were taken away, how quickly law
fair was used as a weapon. You know, I at
least thought of these institutions is more sacred than that,
as a little bit more stable than that. So I think,
you know, my greatest takeaway of the last four years is,
(03:12):
I guess it's in line with what Russell Schorteau wrote
about the island of Sicily, which is where my family
immigrated from.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
And he talked about that.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
He said, Look, the island of Sicily withstood for centuries invaders,
you know, the Carthaginians and the Moors and all the things,
he said, and it was always, it was always standing.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
The people always survived.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
But he said, nothing brought it to quicker or more
devastating ruin than the Italian government. And the Italian government
did in twenty years what centuries of those invaders had not,
which is bringing the island to complete an utter ruin.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
And I see that.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
I've thought about that often in the last four years, Lisa,
because he's exactly right, that the dismantling, that the absolute
ruination of so much of this country, and again like
the frankly eradication of so many of our liberties and
independence came so quickly, came with with the.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Stroke of a pen, came with the wielding of of.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
You know, elected das and the forces behind such, and
that the prosecutorial discretions in both.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Sides, and it just kills me.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
And I think the American people, thank God, saw that
window of these last four years of what you know,
in our sort of bifurcated to through an adventure what
it could be like, and they chose, they chose wisely
to quote Indiana Jones in the Last Cruisiade.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
You know what they shoudness.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
But yes, as president of the Federalist Society, you know,
that wasn't that much. Wasn't that long ago that I
was of just my small chapter in my law school,
and at the time, my function was to ensure.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
That every debate was in fact a fair and equal debate.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
So for every speaker that was brought on campus, my
role was to a book, you know, to ensure and
book a speaker from the other side.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
And at the time, no one ever gave me flack.
It was not a big deal. People supported that. It
was actually lovely.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
It was exactly the way that debate should work, and
it was everything was policy based, ideology based, you.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Know, and balanced is the point.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
And cut to just a few years later, and we
saw the absolute censorship, the absolute destruction of free speech rights,
of any kind of of free speech or public discourse.
We saw campuses being mowed down, people enduring physical violence
at the hands of ideological censorship, of the refusal to
(05:28):
hear and entertain any kind of debate. So the moral
of the story for me is that it happens so quickly,
and it's going to be a long road.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
To put the bricks back. But I have faith that this.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Incoming administration is exactly that turnaround that we need.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Well. And I'm glad that you said all that, because
you know, you know, as Americans, you know, we're used
to being free, and you sort of don't realize how
fleeting that freedom can be, you know, And and to
your point, as you so eloquently stated about, we've sort
of seen these freedoms trampled upon these past four years,
and it sort of like woke Americans up and you
know it certainly, you know, woke me up. I'm sure
(06:05):
it woke you up too, to just how quickly we
could lose all of that, and you know, how quickly
we can lose the American dream, and how important it
is to preserve and fight for.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
It totally, and how the branches of government and the
bodies of government that I thought were so independent that
you know the reality is they are in theory that
they're made up of people. You know, the money that
the government operates with, that income that is our earned income.
There are people operating within these bodies and agencies and
(06:35):
branches of government. So when we talk about, you know,
preserving that independence, my point is, you know, when it
was just bastardized, when we saw free speech protesters, when
we saw protesters for life.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
And how do you want to call them protesters?
Speaker 2 (06:51):
When we saw demonstrators, octagenarian demonstrators that were standing tall
for the right to life, and we saw criminal prosecutions
for that, we thought incarcerations for that.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
I mean, that's the whole point.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
So I think the eye opening moment for America was like,
you know, the lady, justice is supposed to be blind,
but that only occurs when the people in those positions
operate as such. And the subjectivity that we saw, the
subjectivity that we saw in emails that were foid in
all of the I mean, don't even get me started
on the entire you know, Russia Gate and all the
(07:28):
Intelligent community and right, it's like that all of that,
those were the most farcical but dangerous, fictional, you know
creations of these bodies, right, because when we say those
things phrases like the intelligence community, when we say that,
the executive branch, when we say the judicial branch like
that that embodies this sacred independence. But it was anything
(07:49):
but so you know, we the House claiming that we
need I mean, that's that's an understatement. But again, you
know it's I think it's going to come sort of radically,
you know, do which is a big deal for sure.
But I think the bigger deal is not necessarily slimming
down the government. It's the transparency that Dojes dedicated to
that I think will be really the radical part.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
I think that's a really good point, and that transparency
is really needed also, just like to bring trust back
in government, right, so many Americans, you know, we no
longer trust our government, and so that transparency is key there.
So you had a whole pre TV life, you know,
where you worked as an attorney for the federal government.
You practice criminal defense and civil litigation when you lived
in California, and the list goes on. You ever missed
(08:32):
working as an attorney? And what are you most proud
of from that chapter of life?
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Thank you for asking that I'm still licensed. I still
do a couple things sort of and so I feel connected.
What I'm most proud of is I think my work
with the incarcerated, and as a federal attorney, you know,
I represented the government. My criminal defense work was private,
(09:00):
and I saw therefore both sides. And when we talk
about the government, you know, I've spoken a lot of
you know, the bloat and the machine that it is.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
You know, a lot of the work of defense attorneys.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
It's not to say my client's totally innocent or you know,
get me off.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
It's really a lot more nuanced than that. It's to
ensure that our rights are protected.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
It's to ensure that, for example, the charges are commensurate,
that the sentence is commensurate, that the you know, again
that sacred nature of the justice system that we spoke
about earlier, that it's upheld. And there's a lot of
deep abject loneliness and sort of toxicity and the things
that your tax dollars pay for in the incarcerated system.
(09:45):
Everyone should be horrified all day, every day. And it's
a hard group of people to advocate for. A lot
of people you know have discarded them civically and socially.
But the reality is the largest group of growing incarcerated
individuals are veterans.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
They are single moms. So you know, when you when
you marry all of that together.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
There are fellow Americans, and there's a lot of gray
area within that. So I'm most proud of actual help
and providing, you know, actual actual impact to those that
have been discarded by society. And I don't I don't
miss it per se. You know, I'll be honest, Lisa,
(10:26):
because I love what we do here. It's such an
honor to serve as a messenger like I. That's incredible
to me. I don't miss the stress, that's for sure,
because the stress in that world was I felt very
it really was. You know, I don't want to say
life or death. It wasn't like that. I'm not a doctor,
but I the deep weight of futures and freedoms and
(10:49):
representation and advocacy like that's.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
I took that so seriously. So I don't miss I
think the toll it took on me I probably last
a couple of years of my life.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
I could see that bang. I mean, that's a heavy
toll to have, especially you know, as you pointed out,
and I know you, you know, you take it seriously
and it means a lot to you. So it is
a heavy toll. We've got to take a quick break
more with Emily. You know so and obviously all that
you know what we've discussed about. You know, your background
and that legal background has shaped you being a co
(11:22):
host on Outnumbered and sort of bringing that point of
view on the show. But I don't think, I know
how did you get on television? You know? So what
was your pathway? So you know, you're a lawyer, you're
doing all this this big stuff, and then how did
you get into TV? What led you to that?
Speaker 2 (11:37):
So in law school was sort of the advent, I
would say it was about that time, maybe a little
before the advent of the business model that we have
now that's sort of taken for granted in broadcasting, which
is like a subject matter expert alongside an anchor. And
so when I saw that, that became married with my
(11:58):
goals because at the time I was interested in being
an international law attorney. I had traveled around the world.
I had sailed around the world, gone to a lot
of Third World countries and mission trips in Africa and
different countries around the world, and so I felt very
strongly that the way to health affect change would be
on an international law that, like I literally said to myself,
(12:18):
the way to honor my family, that the sacrifices and
that my family has made here and that the you know,
my immigrant family and military family and all these things, like,
is to take advantage of the education we have here
in this in this country and make a.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Difference that way, like to truly.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Take advantage of the opportunities here that they worked so
hard so that we could all have. So that was
my lofty goals, and then it's that still existed. But
I fell into ironically, I fell into litigation and then
criminal law, and I was like, oh my gosh, this
is my passion, this is amazing. So at the same time,
(12:56):
you know, I was cheering in the NFL, and I
remember on my rookie card like it said what is
your goal? And I'm like, I want to be a
legal analyst, because that to me was like the perfect
end goal, to be able to be an attorney on
air help others understand it. But through the lens of
my experience, and as you pointed out, you know, it
was sort of varied, and so I felt like, this
(13:17):
is the best way to help everyone is to inform them,
to educate them, but not just rotely, not just here's
the law, but like really through the lens of my experience.
So that was the legal analyst business model that I
was going after. So after I we call it retiring.
After I retired from the NFL, and I was just
a federal attorney at that point.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Then, you know, the.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Short story is I got a shot on TV and
my first segment it was actually long, it was like
six or seven minutes, and we were talking about the
judicial appointment, the Elena Kagan at that time judicial nomination
to the Supreme Court.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
And then from there it went on and I just became,
you know, more and more regular on.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Local channels as I moved around with the federal government,
and then got on Fox and that was sort of.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
The rest is history.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
But at the same time, I was also doing a
lot of sports business analysis too, so ESPN and a
lot of sports radio, and I sort of told myself,
all right, God is going to reveal you know which
arena I'm meant to be in, and I just continued
following both until again, you know.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Fox, Fox came about and that was my dream.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
So I ended up being the news route versus the
sports business analysis route.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
I love that. Yeah, it's like we make plans and
God laugh. Yeah, yeah, like the road always leads us
to where you know we're supposed to be. All right, Well,
I want to get to your book under His Wings,
but I I've got to ask you this first. So
you also have a podcast. It's Fox News Audios Audios
the Fox True Crime Podcast with Emily Capano. So I
(14:51):
have recently got into true crime. Like there's there's all
these like funny memes about why women have so much
anxiety and stressed out. It's like because we watched a
true crime. But totally tell me, So what is the
crazy before we get through book? Which is really important.
What is the craziest story you've covered so far for
the podcast?
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Oh my gosh. Wait.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
First of all, you know it's so funny about that,
Like I'm like the because okay, this because I was
a criminal attorney, Like because you know, my days were
spent like in prisons and it was like frightening and
all the things. Literally all I watch Lisa is like
the Hallmark Chunnel.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Like that's exactly why all I can watch is.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
Like I need to lived that need a break.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
I'm like, I know.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Nothing beyond a g rated show that is all I
can handle.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
That's so funny in the serial kular world.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Look, I'm like the opposite. I'm like, I want it.
I want the grit, you.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Know, I feel like I think the most. I will
say this that.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
The most unique, the unique aspect about my pod in general,
is that everybody we have is like the closest person
to the crime.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
So many other true crime pods, someone is.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Telling the story that they read, or an attorney is
discussing it from like a you know, an analysis objective
point of view. But everyone that I have on there
like it was the person who survived, it was the
detective who caught the purp, it was the judge, it
was the prosecutor, it was the sister of the missing.
I mean, these are like the closest person to that
(16:21):
crime is whose stories we share, and that's such an
honor for me. So that being said, to answer your question,
I will say, either a couple times we've had the
criminal himself and that.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Sort of unheard of. And there was a few episodes.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
There's one in particular where it was it's crazy that
I'm using this word, but it was like the most
delightful episode I've ever had in my life. He was
a delight and he was an art forger and he
was like the most prolific art forger of all time,
and he evaded the FEDS and he like tells everyone
how to do it was just it was.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
So it was the most fascinating crazy episodes.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
And we talk about you know, crazy, like that word
whan that episode comes to mind. And then I will
say all of our survivor episode episodes, which are just
like the deeply intimate aspect of hearing these brave women
tell their stories of how they survived, sometimes the most violent.
You know, there was one young woman who at the
(17:20):
time she was pregnant, she was six months pregnant and
survived being stabbed over forty times all over her body.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Not only did she survive, but her baby survived.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
And she is the only known survivor of this particular
serial killer. Another survivor who also was the only survivor
of the Railroad serial killer in college, she watched her
her then boyfriend be beaten to death and she miraculously survived.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
I mean, their stories, I'm getting chills just saying it.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
But it's like there is nothing more riveting than these amazing, incredible,
super women that have survived these monsters among us. And
then yeah, the criminal himself again a non violent criminal.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
The arn't borger. He was just like it was, what's fascinating?
How how he how he got away with the fence?
Speaker 2 (18:03):
And I challenge you, I think anyone who listens to
that you will be rooting for him too.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
The only time.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
You've convinced me. So I'm going to have to listen.
I have to listen to that one that that does
sound interesting. And obviously just to hear all these different stories,
I'm sure that, Uh, that's got to be fun for
you to do. You know, I want to get to
this book because it's really important. You know, under His
Way you talk about, you know, why why you wrote
(18:31):
this book under His Wings, and talk about you know
what it's about. Tell us a little bit about it
and why it's important to you, why you decided to
write it.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
So it's called Under His Wings How Faith on the
front Lines has protected American troops And it's sort of
almost like three books in one, and that answers the
question of why I wrote it, why I had the
honor of writing it. And the first is, you know,
I come from a very strong military family, and my
mother's a genealogist, a family historian. So I grew up
(19:03):
having like knowing these stories, looking at these medals all
on my childhood home walls, having the photographs and the
records up and like the details going back generations and wars,
great grandfather, everyone, father, everyone. So these stories are they're
dramatic at times, you know, involving you know, my great
(19:26):
grand father. For example, a shell exploded under him in Jaalgon, France,
in World War One. He was in a coma for
thirty days. The telegram told his wife at home she
was a widow, that he had died. So for thirty
days she believed that she was a widow, and then
come to find out, you know, I mean the speed
(19:46):
with which we communicate now, imagine going through a World
war back then with that kind of delay in communication.
And then when he you know, again miraculously sort of survived.
He was restored to a non combat position and he
worked at the Pow camp because he spoke German. I
have his photographs, his purple heart, I have all of
that is in the book. And in that same actually
(20:07):
the same week that he was blown up, my great
great uncle, who was his brother in law lost his
life or that might have been the same week that
he lost his leg before he lost his life and
is buried in sur in France.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
And then one World War later, my great great aunt,
who was a US Army.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Nurse, she deployed for a year and a half in
Europe and visited her brother's grave twice. And like I mean,
there's so much more, but a few for examples of
my aunt lou she wrote letters home at least once
a week that we saved and we have, so that's
in the book, and leaning on her faith to do so.
So it's sort of this beautiful rendition of history like that,
(20:46):
the intimate details of history through my family and my
mother's legacy that I had the honor of carrying on
and then serving as a messenger for all of these
war fighters who had these just extraordinary experiences with God
and faith on the front line and being the messenger
for these stories and some of them Lisa never told anyone,
(21:06):
and the first person that they told was me, and
they trusted me to share these stories with the world,
and that is just such a humbling honor. And then
the third is, you know, as we mentioned I was
an NFL cheerleader and I had the honor of going
to Kuwait in Iraq to visit the deployed troops in
two thousand and nine. And while there, we visited Solder City,
(21:29):
which is a joint security station and bad Dad that
like no one ever went to. They never got VIPs,
they never got club visits because it was so dangerous,
super urban and for some reason, man, it was on
the itinerary, and all the guys were like, there's no
way you girls are going there. And then the guys
that were there were like, there's no way the girls
are coming here, Like there is no way NFL cheerleaders
are coming to Solder City.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
And we went and we ended up gaving.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
The black Hawk that was supposed to take us back
home was diverted for a metavac, so we ended up
getting stranded there and we spent all night there and
we called it the Solder City slumber Party. And the
colonel that then, he was a lieutenant colonel at the time,
the lieutenant colonel in charge. His name is Tim Carter,
and I remember him like to this day, I'll never forget.
(22:15):
He was like, I have three daughters at home, and
there's no way in hell I'm going to bed and
tell you girls or think that, like.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
It was so funny, and we were like we loved.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
It, like we thought it was great, and you know,
I found out later it was like so blood pressure
skyrocketing to have NFL cheerleaders like anywhere near them, let alone,
like oh my gosh, and now they're stuck here, like,
oh my Godcus, you know, it's such a safety issue
from Port Gun. So we you know, we spend the
night and it's like awesome. It was like summer camp,
you know, it was just it was like family. That
(22:43):
was so great.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
And then we never went to bed.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
We just stayed up all night hanging out with the
guys outside in the courtyard. And then we left and
he was like that is all everyone talked about for days.
For three days, was you girls coming and how fun
it was and like such a breath of fresh air
in the middle of this war to have just like
five awesome you know girls from like from the US man.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
We were bringing like all the love from home.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
And then after that three days they ran over an
ied and Colonel Carterer lost his legs and Sergeant Timothy David.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Lost his life.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Oh my god, it was.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
And he was younger than I was, younger than I
was at the time, and it was his sixth tour
of duty.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
This is Timothy David that I'm talking about.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
And so we reunited fifteen years later for this book and.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
His story of it's our story together that we share.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
And then his story of survival many times by the way,
he died multiple times, each time being resuscitated.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
He credits prayers with his survival.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
And you know, as he said, he was like God
promised me eternal leg or God promised me eternal life,
not eternal legs. His it's like you know those people
that can make you laugh and cry at the same time.
So those are those are the reasons, and those are
the stories, and it's just it is an extraordinary book
because of those voices.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
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(25:07):
protect what matters the most. So this is really a
passion project for you because as I'm hearing you sort
of describe it, I mean, you're really able to sort
of incorporate your your own experiences, Like you're talking about
how you visited Iraq and Kuwait, and I know you
also talk about other visitors with the USO, you know,
from Marilyn Monroe to Ronald Reagan and the impact that
(25:28):
those visits have. And then you're you're taught, you're abill
to share your family stories as well, and so sort
of just being re uh, you know, reminded of that
and then just also you know, as you pointed out
the story you just shared from you know, people that
you met on these visits as well, and your faith
in God as well. So it's you know, how that
must have been really special for you to be able
(25:48):
to kind of put all that together, all of your passions,
you know, your personal history, your personal beliefs, all in
one book, and to to present that to the world.
I bet this has been a really special project for you.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
It really is just the honor of a lifetime to
serve to serve again, like I to serve as a
messenger for these warfighters, for these soldiers for this country,
and they're also soldiers in the Army of Christ, and
like to be entrusted with these very sacred personal stories,
you know, these these deeply detailed stories of what happened
(26:24):
to them, you know, in the thick of a firefight
in Iraq and the in an ambush in Vietnam, while
a pow you know, fighter pilots, gold star mothers, catastrophically
injured spouses, like people bottling PTSD, like the military chaplains.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
I mean, there's there are so every story is so.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
Unique that the person telling it their position, their branch,
what happened between them and God, what happened between them
and their answered prayers or their angel or their faith.
So yeah, I mean I to be able to serve
as there I keep repeating myself, only because I'm so
wedded to raising it this way, like to serving as
their messenger, and to be able to I hope inspire
(27:05):
others to feel bold in their faith or to feel
fellowship with others. And I know that it's already had
that impact that veterans and war fighters are have after
reading this, have come out and asked for help or
asked for fellowship.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
And that to me is I mean, that's just the
answer to my prayers.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Yeah. Absolutely, And I know you have a heart for
our military heroes and first responders. You know, you're always
doing stuff with them, so I know that you know
they have a special place in your heart. Before we go.
Do you have a favorite story from it? Or is
that like trying to pick your favorite child? Is that
is that blasphemous to try to pick a favorite story?
Speaker 2 (27:45):
You are right, they are all equal, They are all
children to me, Like, I definitely cannot pick a favorite.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
But do you want me to share, like a short one? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Just share whatever? Yeah, whatever stands out to you, whatever's
top of mine.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
I think one in particular that will really resonate with
many of your listeners and people in general. Sergeant Darryl Enfinger.
I mentioned him. He was the Vietnam infantryman. And this
is an example of it tying together all of these
threads where you know, he talked about going to the
USO tour.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
He saw Bob Hope perform in Vietnam.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
He loved it, and he talked about, you know what
that was like to have this break in what was
an endless war for them, and his war.
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Was really violent and he had given up on God.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
He was seen death every day and he was saying,
you know it was it was the good guys that
were dying. You know why, What is the difference of
having the person in front of me get blown up
and I survived.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
And he was the father, father of three kids, and.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
He had totally lost his compass in that way, and
he said, you know, look, I didn't lose my belief
in God, but I was just angry with him. And
he stopped talking to him, and he was describing the
details of being a Vietnam infantryman and it's just horrific.
And one day, in the thick of an ambush, horrific ambush,
he said, all of a sudden, he had this clear
(29:03):
vision and God presented to him what would happen if
he went left down the hill, or what would happen
if you went right, And it was like heaven and hell,
and it was life and death. And he followed God's vision,
and he followed this safe way path and it was
his miracle that he survived because of that vision, he
(29:23):
knew exactly where to go to survive that just incredibly
violent and deadly ambush where men around him were dying everywhere.
But the miracle, you know that, he argues, is it's
not life or death, because again, as we talked about,
it's eternal life. When you are a believer, so earthly,
our earthly lives are fleeting no matter what, but he
it restored his prayers, his communication with God, and it's
(29:47):
like everything that happened after as a result of this
renewed faith and strength in his prayer with God, that
it was so incredible.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
And to this day he.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Goes to the Vietnam War regularly and he has a
cup coffee, he says, with his fifty eight thousand men,
because every morning in Vietnam they would share a canteen
and of coffee. There wasn't enough for one for everyone,
and then every night not everyone would make it home.
And so now he goes where he can have his
coffee with all of them. And he's been an advocate
for Vietnam veterans and faith in their processing of their
(30:21):
grief and everything.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
So he tells the story a lot better than I do.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
But that's just a taste of, you know, the miracles
that these guys experienced on the battlefield. But then how
the true miracle and the true incredible story sometimes is
what happened after.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Yeah, I got to do an honor airflight with Vietnam
vet's for Fox and Friends and it was definitely one
of the most special days I've had, just like seeing
how important it meant you know it was for them,
and how much of a blessing it was for them
to be celebrated like that. I mean seeing like grown
men cry like you know, which I'm sure in your
interviews with a lot of these people, I'm sure it's
(30:58):
emotional too.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Yes. Yes, And one of the POWs wrote me after
actually and said after he read it, and he said,
I I cried throughout it, And he said, not for
what I endured. He was a six year tortuously captive pow,
but he said for how you told this story. And
I'm not trying to turn it back to me, but
(31:21):
just to say that, yes, like the emotions invoked during
these stories, we were cried through most of them, for sure,
you know, laughed as well.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
We always prayed before and after.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
But then to have that reaction from him of how
I I captured it, I knew that was all God,
and I was so grateful because again, the whole purpose
was to honor them, like with your honor flight. You're right,
and I'm so glad you did that, to experience that
with them, to see that reverence they hold for each
other and for their service, and to show your reverence
because I know you have a heart for it too.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
Any every patriot does you know? You can't, you can't not.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
And in course, you know, people are saying how speciful
the book is. It is in New York time, i'ms
bestseller the very first week it went on stale, which
is such an honor and a testament to you know
how special the book is and how important the messages
in the book are. You know, as we celebrate Christmas,
is there anything else you'd like to leave us with
Emily before we go?
Speaker 2 (32:14):
Ah, First of all, merry Christmas, and give that The
two lessons in the book, the penultimate one is that
you are never alone, that God is always with you.
And then secondarily to that, that you are never alone
in fellowship, and that if anyone is feeling alone at all,
just know that you are not. God is with you
and there are people here to support you.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
So please reach out. There are many of us that
will be there in a heartbeat.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
Under his wings. How faith on the front lines has
protected American troops. Go out and get it. Catch Emily
on Outnumbered. And now I've got to tune in to
the true crime podcast of this art Forger. That sounds
very interesting, So I'm going to have to watch that.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
You're gonna love it, And I was gonna say, like,
I wish I could reciprocate.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
I'm so honored to be on your pod, but like,
it's a good thing that you're not invited to my
podcast because it means you haven't had a crime happen
to you.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
So it's a good thing to not be invited on
my pod.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
As much as I would love to come on your podcast,
I'm praying that you never have a reason to interviewing
for it.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
Strange morning on one exactly, I'm like.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Yeah, I think it's the first time I've been like,
I actually do not want to go on your podcast,
but it's only because of the reasons that would bring
me to it, exactly exactly. I'll be a listener only exactly. Well,
congrats on the success of the book. It's it's so special.
So I'm so glad that you know so many people
(33:45):
see that as well, and we will continue to watch
you one out numbered and uh wish you continued success
and Merry Christmas, and my friend, I'm sure i'll see
you soon, so you.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
Are the best. Merry Christmas. I love you. Thank you
so much for this. Thank you so much for this time.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
I'm so grateful and I can't wait to have you
back on the couch in New York hopefully soon, or
better yet, me visiting you and Sunni Miami.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
I think that yes, you'll let me know yes. Love
you to Mary Christmas, I'm so proud and happy for you. Congratulations.
Thank you. That was Emily Campagno, a co host of
Outnumbered and author of Under His Wings. What a special book.
We appreciate her time. We appreciate you guys at home
for listening every Monday and Thursday, but you can listen
throughout the week. Also want to think John Cassio and
my producer for putting the show together. Until next time.
This week, as we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas,
the birth of Jesus Christ, I want to stay on
faith and the role of God and our country. So
we're going to talk about a really important book that
just came out. We're going to interview the author of
the book. The book is called Under His Wings, How
Faith on the front Lines Has Protected American Troops. It
(00:21):
is a celebration of faith and freedom, sharing first person
accounts that show the profound role the belief in God
has played in the lives of US military service members
as they have served in combat from World War One
to today, commemorating the courage, camaraderie, spirit and sacrifice of
America's heroes. You're probably very familiar with the author. Her
(00:43):
name is Emily Campano. She's a friend and a colleague
of mine. She's also the co host of Fox News
is Outnumbered. She has a podcast called The Fox True
Crime Podcast with Emily Campano. But most importantly in reference
to this episode, she is the author this amazing book.
Clearly the rest of America agrees. It is a New
(01:04):
York Times bestseller the very first week it went on sale.
But we're going to talk about this book talk about
her life, how she got into TV as well. Prior
to that, she served as an attorney in the federal government,
also practiced criminal defense and civil litigation. So we'll talk
about her time in the law, how she got into TV,
and this just very very special book, why it means
(01:25):
so much to her, why she decided to write it,
why it's so special, So stay tuned for that. And
Lee Campanno, Well, Emily, I'm so excited to have you
on this show. I appreciate you taking the time. I
always love being on with you when I'm on Outnumbered,
And I'm just so excited.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Lisa, you are the best, and the honor and pleasure
are all mine, believe me.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Thank you so much for having me today.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Well, you were the best. And also I feel like
I've learned. I mean, I always knew that you were smart,
I knew that you had an illegal background, but you've
done a lot, and so I can't wait to kind
of just dig into your life, how you got into
TV and then this amazing book that you wrote. But
so I didn't realize you were the president of the
Federalist Society in law school. So I imagine these past four
years have been really tough for you to witness, you know,
(02:15):
the weaponization of the law and or Biden and sort
of the erosion of our constitution. So you'll talk a
little bit about that, and then also just you know,
from someone who cares about the constitution and as an originalist,
you know, talk about sort of these past four years
and witnessing all of this with the bid deminstration.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
You know, I will say Lisa that I think that
the most surprising thing is not necessarily that people who
believe in big government and people who you know, proffer
big government as the answer, that they would encroach upon
our liberties and that they would try to take away
our freedoms.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
That's not a surprise.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
The surprise is the speed with which it all came
crashing down, and the speed with which so many of
our liberties and independents were taken away, how quickly law
fair was used as a weapon. You know, I at
least thought of these institutions is more sacred than that,
as a little bit more stable than that. So I think,
you know, my greatest takeaway of the last four years is,
(03:12):
I guess it's in line with what Russell Schorteau wrote
about the island of Sicily, which is where my family
immigrated from.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
And he talked about that.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
He said, Look, the island of Sicily withstood for centuries invaders,
you know, the Carthaginians and the Moors and all the things,
he said, and it was always, it was always standing.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
The people always survived.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
But he said, nothing brought it to quicker or more
devastating ruin than the Italian government. And the Italian government
did in twenty years what centuries of those invaders had not,
which is bringing the island to complete an utter ruin.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
And I see that.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
I've thought about that often in the last four years, Lisa,
because he's exactly right, that the dismantling, that the absolute
ruination of so much of this country, and again like
the frankly eradication of so many of our liberties and
independence came so quickly, came with with the.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Stroke of a pen, came with the wielding of of.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
You know, elected das and the forces behind such, and
that the prosecutorial discretions in both.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Sides, and it just kills me.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
And I think the American people, thank God, saw that
window of these last four years of what you know,
in our sort of bifurcated to through an adventure what
it could be like, and they chose, they chose wisely
to quote Indiana Jones in the Last Cruisiade.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
You know what they shoudness.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
But yes, as president of the Federalist Society, you know,
that wasn't that much. Wasn't that long ago that I
was of just my small chapter in my law school,
and at the time, my function was to ensure.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
That every debate was in fact a fair and equal debate.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
So for every speaker that was brought on campus, my
role was to a book, you know, to ensure and
book a speaker from the other side.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
And at the time, no one ever gave me flack.
It was not a big deal. People supported that. It
was actually lovely.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
It was exactly the way that debate should work, and
it was everything was policy based, ideology based, you.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Know, and balanced is the point.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
And cut to just a few years later, and we
saw the absolute censorship, the absolute destruction of free speech rights,
of any kind of of free speech or public discourse.
We saw campuses being mowed down, people enduring physical violence
at the hands of ideological censorship, of the refusal to
(05:28):
hear and entertain any kind of debate. So the moral
of the story for me is that it happens so quickly,
and it's going to be a long road.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
To put the bricks back. But I have faith that this.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Incoming administration is exactly that turnaround that we need.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Well. And I'm glad that you said all that, because
you know, you know, as Americans, you know, we're used
to being free, and you sort of don't realize how
fleeting that freedom can be, you know, And and to
your point, as you so eloquently stated about, we've sort
of seen these freedoms trampled upon these past four years,
and it sort of like woke Americans up and you
know it certainly, you know, woke me up. I'm sure
(06:05):
it woke you up too, to just how quickly we
could lose all of that, and you know, how quickly
we can lose the American dream, and how important it
is to preserve and fight for.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
It totally, and how the branches of government and the
bodies of government that I thought were so independent that
you know the reality is they are in theory that
they're made up of people. You know, the money that
the government operates with, that income that is our earned income.
There are people operating within these bodies and agencies and
(06:35):
branches of government. So when we talk about, you know,
preserving that independence, my point is, you know, when it
was just bastardized, when we saw free speech protesters, when
we saw protesters for life.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
And how do you want to call them protesters?
Speaker 2 (06:51):
When we saw demonstrators, octagenarian demonstrators that were standing tall
for the right to life, and we saw criminal prosecutions
for that, we thought incarcerations for that.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
I mean, that's the whole point.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
So I think the eye opening moment for America was like,
you know, the lady, justice is supposed to be blind,
but that only occurs when the people in those positions
operate as such. And the subjectivity that we saw, the
subjectivity that we saw in emails that were foid in
all of the I mean, don't even get me started
on the entire you know, Russia Gate and all the
(07:28):
Intelligent community and right, it's like that all of that,
those were the most farcical but dangerous, fictional, you know
creations of these bodies, right, because when we say those
things phrases like the intelligence community, when we say that,
the executive branch, when we say the judicial branch like
that that embodies this sacred independence. But it was anything
(07:49):
but so you know, we the House claiming that we
need I mean, that's that's an understatement. But again, you
know it's I think it's going to come sort of radically,
you know, do which is a big deal for sure.
But I think the bigger deal is not necessarily slimming
down the government. It's the transparency that Dojes dedicated to
that I think will be really the radical part.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
I think that's a really good point, and that transparency
is really needed also, just like to bring trust back
in government, right, so many Americans, you know, we no
longer trust our government, and so that transparency is key there.
So you had a whole pre TV life, you know,
where you worked as an attorney for the federal government.
You practice criminal defense and civil litigation when you lived
in California, and the list goes on. You ever missed
(08:32):
working as an attorney? And what are you most proud
of from that chapter of life?
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Thank you for asking that I'm still licensed. I still
do a couple things sort of and so I feel connected.
What I'm most proud of is I think my work
with the incarcerated, and as a federal attorney, you know,
I represented the government. My criminal defense work was private,
(09:00):
and I saw therefore both sides. And when we talk
about the government, you know, I've spoken a lot of
you know, the bloat and the machine that it is.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
You know, a lot of the work of defense attorneys.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
It's not to say my client's totally innocent or you know,
get me off.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
It's really a lot more nuanced than that. It's to
ensure that our rights are protected.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
It's to ensure that, for example, the charges are commensurate,
that the sentence is commensurate, that the you know, again
that sacred nature of the justice system that we spoke
about earlier, that it's upheld. And there's a lot of
deep abject loneliness and sort of toxicity and the things
that your tax dollars pay for in the incarcerated system.
(09:45):
Everyone should be horrified all day, every day. And it's
a hard group of people to advocate for. A lot
of people you know have discarded them civically and socially.
But the reality is the largest group of growing incarcerated
individuals are veterans.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
They are single moms. So you know, when you when
you marry all of that together.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
There are fellow Americans, and there's a lot of gray
area within that. So I'm most proud of actual help
and providing, you know, actual actual impact to those that
have been discarded by society. And I don't I don't
miss it per se. You know, I'll be honest, Lisa,
(10:26):
because I love what we do here. It's such an
honor to serve as a messenger like I. That's incredible
to me. I don't miss the stress, that's for sure,
because the stress in that world was I felt very
it really was. You know, I don't want to say
life or death. It wasn't like that. I'm not a doctor,
but I the deep weight of futures and freedoms and
(10:49):
representation and advocacy like that's.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
I took that so seriously. So I don't miss I
think the toll it took on me I probably last
a couple of years of my life.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
I could see that bang. I mean, that's a heavy
toll to have, especially you know, as you pointed out,
and I know you, you know, you take it seriously
and it means a lot to you. So it is
a heavy toll. We've got to take a quick break
more with Emily. You know so and obviously all that
you know what we've discussed about. You know, your background
and that legal background has shaped you being a co
(11:22):
host on Outnumbered and sort of bringing that point of
view on the show. But I don't think, I know
how did you get on television? You know? So what
was your pathway? So you know, you're a lawyer, you're
doing all this this big stuff, and then how did
you get into TV? What led you to that?
Speaker 2 (11:37):
So in law school was sort of the advent, I
would say it was about that time, maybe a little
before the advent of the business model that we have
now that's sort of taken for granted in broadcasting, which
is like a subject matter expert alongside an anchor. And
so when I saw that, that became married with my
(11:58):
goals because at the time I was interested in being
an international law attorney. I had traveled around the world.
I had sailed around the world, gone to a lot
of Third World countries and mission trips in Africa and
different countries around the world, and so I felt very
strongly that the way to health affect change would be
on an international law that, like I literally said to myself,
(12:18):
the way to honor my family, that the sacrifices and
that my family has made here and that the you know,
my immigrant family and military family and all these things, like,
is to take advantage of the education we have here
in this in this country and make a.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Difference that way, like to truly.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Take advantage of the opportunities here that they worked so
hard so that we could all have. So that was
my lofty goals, and then it's that still existed. But
I fell into ironically, I fell into litigation and then
criminal law, and I was like, oh my gosh, this
is my passion, this is amazing. So at the same time,
(12:56):
you know, I was cheering in the NFL, and I
remember on my rookie card like it said what is
your goal? And I'm like, I want to be a
legal analyst, because that to me was like the perfect
end goal, to be able to be an attorney on
air help others understand it. But through the lens of
my experience, and as you pointed out, you know, it
was sort of varied, and so I felt like, this
(13:17):
is the best way to help everyone is to inform them,
to educate them, but not just rotely, not just here's
the law, but like really through the lens of my experience.
So that was the legal analyst business model that I
was going after. So after I we call it retiring.
After I retired from the NFL, and I was just
a federal attorney at that point.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Then, you know, the.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Short story is I got a shot on TV and
my first segment it was actually long, it was like
six or seven minutes, and we were talking about the
judicial appointment, the Elena Kagan at that time judicial nomination
to the Supreme Court.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
And then from there it went on and I just became,
you know, more and more regular on.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Local channels as I moved around with the federal government,
and then got on Fox and that was sort of.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
The rest is history.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
But at the same time, I was also doing a
lot of sports business analysis too, so ESPN and a
lot of sports radio, and I sort of told myself,
all right, God is going to reveal you know which
arena I'm meant to be in, and I just continued
following both until again, you know.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Fox, Fox came about and that was my dream.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
So I ended up being the news route versus the
sports business analysis route.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
I love that. Yeah, it's like we make plans and
God laugh. Yeah, yeah, like the road always leads us
to where you know we're supposed to be. All right, Well,
I want to get to your book under His Wings,
but I I've got to ask you this first. So
you also have a podcast. It's Fox News Audios Audios
the Fox True Crime Podcast with Emily Capano. So I
(14:51):
have recently got into true crime. Like there's there's all
these like funny memes about why women have so much
anxiety and stressed out. It's like because we watched a
true crime. But totally tell me, So what is the
crazy before we get through book? Which is really important.
What is the craziest story you've covered so far for
the podcast?
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Oh my gosh. Wait.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
First of all, you know it's so funny about that,
Like I'm like the because okay, this because I was
a criminal attorney, Like because you know, my days were
spent like in prisons and it was like frightening and
all the things. Literally all I watch Lisa is like
the Hallmark Chunnel.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Like that's exactly why all I can watch is.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
Like I need to lived that need a break.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
I'm like, I know.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Nothing beyond a g rated show that is all I
can handle.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
That's so funny in the serial kular world.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Look, I'm like the opposite. I'm like, I want it.
I want the grit, you.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Know, I feel like I think the most. I will
say this that.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
The most unique, the unique aspect about my pod in general,
is that everybody we have is like the closest person
to the crime.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
So many other true crime pods, someone is.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Telling the story that they read, or an attorney is
discussing it from like a you know, an analysis objective
point of view. But everyone that I have on there
like it was the person who survived, it was the
detective who caught the purp, it was the judge, it
was the prosecutor, it was the sister of the missing.
I mean, these are like the closest person to that
(16:21):
crime is whose stories we share, and that's such an
honor for me. So that being said, to answer your question,
I will say, either a couple times we've had the
criminal himself and that.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Sort of unheard of. And there was a few episodes.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
There's one in particular where it was it's crazy that
I'm using this word, but it was like the most
delightful episode I've ever had in my life. He was
a delight and he was an art forger and he
was like the most prolific art forger of all time,
and he evaded the FEDS and he like tells everyone
how to do it was just it was.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
So it was the most fascinating crazy episodes.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
And we talk about you know, crazy, like that word
whan that episode comes to mind. And then I will
say all of our survivor episode episodes, which are just
like the deeply intimate aspect of hearing these brave women
tell their stories of how they survived, sometimes the most violent.
You know, there was one young woman who at the
(17:20):
time she was pregnant, she was six months pregnant and
survived being stabbed over forty times all over her body.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Not only did she survive, but her baby survived.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
And she is the only known survivor of this particular
serial killer. Another survivor who also was the only survivor
of the Railroad serial killer in college, she watched her
her then boyfriend be beaten to death and she miraculously survived.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
I mean, their stories, I'm getting chills just saying it.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
But it's like there is nothing more riveting than these amazing, incredible,
super women that have survived these monsters among us. And
then yeah, the criminal himself again a non violent criminal.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
The arn't borger. He was just like it was, what's fascinating?
How how he how he got away with the fence?
Speaker 2 (18:03):
And I challenge you, I think anyone who listens to
that you will be rooting for him too.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
The only time.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
You've convinced me. So I'm going to have to listen.
I have to listen to that one that that does
sound interesting. And obviously just to hear all these different stories,
I'm sure that, Uh, that's got to be fun for
you to do. You know, I want to get to
this book because it's really important. You know, under His
Way you talk about, you know, why why you wrote
(18:31):
this book under His Wings, and talk about you know
what it's about. Tell us a little bit about it
and why it's important to you, why you decided to
write it.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
So it's called Under His Wings How Faith on the
front Lines has protected American troops And it's sort of
almost like three books in one, and that answers the
question of why I wrote it, why I had the
honor of writing it. And the first is, you know,
I come from a very strong military family, and my
mother's a genealogist, a family historian. So I grew up
(19:03):
having like knowing these stories, looking at these medals all
on my childhood home walls, having the photographs and the
records up and like the details going back generations and wars,
great grandfather, everyone, father, everyone. So these stories are they're
dramatic at times, you know, involving you know, my great
(19:26):
grand father. For example, a shell exploded under him in Jaalgon, France,
in World War One. He was in a coma for
thirty days. The telegram told his wife at home she
was a widow, that he had died. So for thirty
days she believed that she was a widow, and then
come to find out, you know, I mean the speed
(19:46):
with which we communicate now, imagine going through a World
war back then with that kind of delay in communication.
And then when he you know, again miraculously sort of survived.
He was restored to a non combat position and he
worked at the Pow camp because he spoke German. I
have his photographs, his purple heart, I have all of
that is in the book. And in that same actually
(20:07):
the same week that he was blown up, my great
great uncle, who was his brother in law lost his
life or that might have been the same week that
he lost his leg before he lost his life and
is buried in sur in France.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
And then one World War later, my great great aunt,
who was a US Army.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Nurse, she deployed for a year and a half in
Europe and visited her brother's grave twice. And like I mean,
there's so much more, but a few for examples of
my aunt lou she wrote letters home at least once
a week that we saved and we have, so that's
in the book, and leaning on her faith to do so.
So it's sort of this beautiful rendition of history like that,
(20:46):
the intimate details of history through my family and my
mother's legacy that I had the honor of carrying on
and then serving as a messenger for all of these
war fighters who had these just extraordinary experiences with God
and faith on the front line and being the messenger
for these stories and some of them Lisa never told anyone,
(21:06):
and the first person that they told was me, and
they trusted me to share these stories with the world,
and that is just such a humbling honor. And then
the third is, you know, as we mentioned I was
an NFL cheerleader and I had the honor of going
to Kuwait in Iraq to visit the deployed troops in
two thousand and nine. And while there, we visited Solder City,
(21:29):
which is a joint security station and bad Dad that
like no one ever went to. They never got VIPs,
they never got club visits because it was so dangerous,
super urban and for some reason, man, it was on
the itinerary, and all the guys were like, there's no
way you girls are going there. And then the guys
that were there were like, there's no way the girls
are coming here, Like there is no way NFL cheerleaders
are coming to Solder City.
Speaker 3 (21:51):
And we went and we ended up gaving.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
The black Hawk that was supposed to take us back
home was diverted for a metavac, so we ended up
getting stranded there and we spent all night there and
we called it the Solder City slumber Party. And the
colonel that then, he was a lieutenant colonel at the time,
the lieutenant colonel in charge. His name is Tim Carter,
and I remember him like to this day, I'll never forget.
(22:15):
He was like, I have three daughters at home, and
there's no way in hell I'm going to bed and
tell you girls or think that, like.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
It was so funny, and we were like we loved.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
It, like we thought it was great, and you know,
I found out later it was like so blood pressure
skyrocketing to have NFL cheerleaders like anywhere near them, let alone,
like oh my gosh, and now they're stuck here, like,
oh my Godcus, you know, it's such a safety issue
from Port Gun. So we you know, we spend the
night and it's like awesome. It was like summer camp,
you know, it was just it was like family. That
(22:43):
was so great.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
And then we never went to bed.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
We just stayed up all night hanging out with the
guys outside in the courtyard. And then we left and
he was like that is all everyone talked about for days.
For three days, was you girls coming and how fun
it was and like such a breath of fresh air
in the middle of this war to have just like
five awesome you know girls from like from the US man.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
We were bringing like all the love from home.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
And then after that three days they ran over an
ied and Colonel Carterer lost his legs and Sergeant Timothy David.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Lost his life.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Oh my god, it was.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
And he was younger than I was, younger than I
was at the time, and it was his sixth tour
of duty.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
This is Timothy David that I'm talking about.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
And so we reunited fifteen years later for this book and.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
His story of it's our story together that we share.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
And then his story of survival many times by the way,
he died multiple times, each time being resuscitated.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
He credits prayers with his survival.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
And you know, as he said, he was like God
promised me eternal leg or God promised me eternal life,
not eternal legs. His it's like you know those people
that can make you laugh and cry at the same time.
So those are those are the reasons, and those are
the stories, and it's just it is an extraordinary book
because of those voices.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
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(25:07):
protect what matters the most. So this is really a
passion project for you because as I'm hearing you sort
of describe it, I mean, you're really able to sort
of incorporate your your own experiences, Like you're talking about
how you visited Iraq and Kuwait, and I know you
also talk about other visitors with the USO, you know,
from Marilyn Monroe to Ronald Reagan and the impact that
(25:28):
those visits have. And then you're you're taught, you're abill
to share your family stories as well, and so sort
of just being re uh, you know, reminded of that
and then just also you know, as you pointed out
the story you just shared from you know, people that
you met on these visits as well, and your faith
in God as well. So it's you know, how that
must have been really special for you to be able
(25:48):
to kind of put all that together, all of your passions,
you know, your personal history, your personal beliefs, all in
one book, and to to present that to the world.
I bet this has been a really special project for you.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
It really is just the honor of a lifetime to
serve to serve again, like I to serve as a
messenger for these warfighters, for these soldiers for this country,
and they're also soldiers in the Army of Christ, and
like to be entrusted with these very sacred personal stories,
you know, these these deeply detailed stories of what happened
(26:24):
to them, you know, in the thick of a firefight
in Iraq and the in an ambush in Vietnam, while
a pow you know, fighter pilots, gold star mothers, catastrophically
injured spouses, like people bottling PTSD, like the military chaplains.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
I mean, there's there are so every story is so.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
Unique that the person telling it their position, their branch,
what happened between them and God, what happened between them
and their answered prayers or their angel or their faith.
So yeah, I mean I to be able to serve
as there I keep repeating myself, only because I'm so
wedded to raising it this way, like to serving as
their messenger, and to be able to I hope inspire
(27:05):
others to feel bold in their faith or to feel
fellowship with others. And I know that it's already had
that impact that veterans and war fighters are have after
reading this, have come out and asked for help or
asked for fellowship.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
And that to me is I mean, that's just the
answer to my prayers.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Yeah. Absolutely, And I know you have a heart for
our military heroes and first responders. You know, you're always
doing stuff with them, so I know that you know
they have a special place in your heart. Before we go.
Do you have a favorite story from it? Or is
that like trying to pick your favorite child? Is that
is that blasphemous to try to pick a favorite story?
Speaker 2 (27:45):
You are right, they are all equal, They are all
children to me, Like, I definitely cannot pick a favorite.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
But do you want me to share, like a short one? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Just share whatever? Yeah, whatever stands out to you, whatever's
top of mine.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
I think one in particular that will really resonate with
many of your listeners and people in general. Sergeant Darryl Enfinger.
I mentioned him. He was the Vietnam infantryman. And this
is an example of it tying together all of these
threads where you know, he talked about going to the
USO tour.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
He saw Bob Hope perform in Vietnam.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
He loved it, and he talked about, you know what
that was like to have this break in what was
an endless war for them, and his war.
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Was really violent and he had given up on God.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
He was seen death every day and he was saying,
you know it was it was the good guys that
were dying. You know why, What is the difference of
having the person in front of me get blown up
and I survived.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
And he was the father, father of three kids, and.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
He had totally lost his compass in that way, and
he said, you know, look, I didn't lose my belief
in God, but I was just angry with him. And
he stopped talking to him, and he was describing the
details of being a Vietnam infantryman and it's just horrific.
And one day, in the thick of an ambush, horrific ambush,
he said, all of a sudden, he had this clear
(29:03):
vision and God presented to him what would happen if
he went left down the hill, or what would happen
if you went right, And it was like heaven and hell,
and it was life and death. And he followed God's vision,
and he followed this safe way path and it was
his miracle that he survived because of that vision, he
(29:23):
knew exactly where to go to survive that just incredibly
violent and deadly ambush where men around him were dying everywhere.
But the miracle, you know that, he argues, is it's
not life or death, because again, as we talked about,
it's eternal life. When you are a believer, so earthly,
our earthly lives are fleeting no matter what, but he
it restored his prayers, his communication with God, and it's
(29:47):
like everything that happened after as a result of this
renewed faith and strength in his prayer with God, that
it was so incredible.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
And to this day he.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Goes to the Vietnam War regularly and he has a
cup coffee, he says, with his fifty eight thousand men,
because every morning in Vietnam they would share a canteen
and of coffee. There wasn't enough for one for everyone,
and then every night not everyone would make it home.
And so now he goes where he can have his
coffee with all of them. And he's been an advocate
for Vietnam veterans and faith in their processing of their
(30:21):
grief and everything.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
So he tells the story a lot better than I do.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
But that's just a taste of, you know, the miracles
that these guys experienced on the battlefield. But then how
the true miracle and the true incredible story sometimes is
what happened after.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Yeah, I got to do an honor airflight with Vietnam
vet's for Fox and Friends and it was definitely one
of the most special days I've had, just like seeing
how important it meant you know it was for them,
and how much of a blessing it was for them
to be celebrated like that. I mean seeing like grown
men cry like you know, which I'm sure in your
interviews with a lot of these people, I'm sure it's
(30:58):
emotional too.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Yes. Yes, And one of the POWs wrote me after
actually and said after he read it, and he said,
I I cried throughout it, And he said, not for
what I endured. He was a six year tortuously captive pow,
but he said for how you told this story. And
I'm not trying to turn it back to me, but
(31:21):
just to say that, yes, like the emotions invoked during
these stories, we were cried through most of them, for sure,
you know, laughed as well.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
We always prayed before and after.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
But then to have that reaction from him of how
I I captured it, I knew that was all God,
and I was so grateful because again, the whole purpose
was to honor them, like with your honor flight. You're right,
and I'm so glad you did that, to experience that
with them, to see that reverence they hold for each
other and for their service, and to show your reverence
because I know you have a heart for it too.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
Any every patriot does you know? You can't, you can't not.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
And in course, you know, people are saying how speciful
the book is. It is in New York time, i'ms
bestseller the very first week it went on stale, which
is such an honor and a testament to you know
how special the book is and how important the messages
in the book are. You know, as we celebrate Christmas,
is there anything else you'd like to leave us with
Emily before we go?
Speaker 2 (32:14):
Ah, First of all, merry Christmas, and give that The
two lessons in the book, the penultimate one is that
you are never alone, that God is always with you.
And then secondarily to that, that you are never alone
in fellowship, and that if anyone is feeling alone at all,
just know that you are not. God is with you
and there are people here to support you.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
So please reach out. There are many of us that
will be there in a heartbeat.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
Under his wings. How faith on the front lines has
protected American troops. Go out and get it. Catch Emily
on Outnumbered. And now I've got to tune in to
the true crime podcast of this art Forger. That sounds
very interesting, So I'm going to have to watch that.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
You're gonna love it, And I was gonna say, like,
I wish I could reciprocate.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
I'm so honored to be on your pod, but like,
it's a good thing that you're not invited to my
podcast because it means you haven't had a crime happen
to you.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
So it's a good thing to not be invited on
my pod.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
As much as I would love to come on your podcast,
I'm praying that you never have a reason to interviewing
for it.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
Strange morning on one exactly, I'm like.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Yeah, I think it's the first time I've been like,
I actually do not want to go on your podcast,
but it's only because of the reasons that would bring
me to it, exactly exactly. I'll be a listener only exactly. Well,
congrats on the success of the book. It's it's so special.
So I'm so glad that you know so many people
(33:45):
see that as well, and we will continue to watch
you one out numbered and uh wish you continued success
and Merry Christmas, and my friend, I'm sure i'll see
you soon, so you.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
Are the best. Merry Christmas. I love you. Thank you
so much for this. Thank you so much for this time.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
I'm so grateful and I can't wait to have you
back on the couch in New York hopefully soon, or
better yet, me visiting you and Sunni Miami.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
I think that yes, you'll let me know yes. Love
you to Mary Christmas, I'm so proud and happy for you. Congratulations.
Thank you. That was Emily Campagno, a co host of
Outnumbered and author of Under His Wings. What a special book.
We appreciate her time. We appreciate you guys at home
for listening every Monday and Thursday, but you can listen
throughout the week. Also want to think John Cassio and
my producer for putting the show together. Until next time.
Host
Lisa Boothe
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