Home Base Nation

Kicking off 2025, Navy Veteran Vann Morris sits with Dr. Ron Hirschberg and talks about his journey from young sailor, to Lieutenant Commander, and a man on a mission to heal America through his patriotism and infectious personality. Vann is a teacher, preacher, and leader. Retired after 30 years, his last 3 tours were at the Pentagon, the 82nd Airborne Division in Bagram, Afghanistan, and US Special Operations Command. Vann talks ...

This week three years ago, we told the story of “Operation Christmas Drop” after discovering the oldest ongoing Department of Defense mission - the world’s longest running humanitarian airdrop - to deliver critical supplies to remote islands in the Pacific. On 12/14/24, Operation Christmas Drop at Andersen Airforce Base in Guam was another success, and the 73rd annual drop delivered 220 bundles to 58 islands, helping more than 42,0...

Home Base Brain Health Summit 2024 Conversations: Marine Veteran and Chief Programs Officer of Navy SEAL Foundation Alison Messick, and Command Chief Master Sergeant (Ret) Greg Smith. On September 11th 2024, Home Base held its first Brain Health Summit. Spearheaded by Home Base Senior Directors Dr. Sofia Matta and Retired Navy Captain Dr. Joe Bonvie – The Summit highlighted brain health but at the same time aimed to cover the whole...

Marine Veteran and Home Base Florida colleague Jaime Fernandez came up to Boston this month to help bring to fruition the first Spanish speaking veteran two-week Intensive Clinical Program. Born in Nicaragua, Jaime moved to Miami at age 6, and after high school joined the Marines in 2001. After 3 tours in Iraq and back home, he would pursue degree in Human Performance at Florida Gulf Coast University, which launched a prolific care...

Happy Veterans Day! Chrystal and Mike Campbell are two Navy veterans who grew up with service on their minds, became pilots, and met while sharing the same hanger in Pensacola, FL. Mike was a Naval flight officer after graduating Wesleyan in 1981 and selected as a Blue Angel in 1987. In 1980, Chrystal was one of the first 55 women to graduate from the Naval Academy. She first served in the Philippines, and then became flight instru...

It’s fitting that the melodic lyric connecting Liverpool Football Club fans is "You’ll Never Walk Alone," when chatting with Football Veteran (and Army Veteran) Goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, who joined the Rhodesian Army in 1975, speaking about bonded brotherhood during bloody conflict – While in an ambush, Bruce yelled to a buddy, “When we get out of here, I’d like to play football for Liverpool.” Fast forward to 1980, and the grea...

Home Base Nation is Back with its 8th Season and 110th Episode of the show. In this episode Dr. Ron Hirschberg reviews some of the news and updates from Home Base since summer, highlighting the All-Star Forum Honoring Women Service Members and Veterans on 7-26-24 at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway just prior to the 15th Annual Run To Home Base. This powerhouse panel was hosted by former ABC News Chief Health and Medical Correspondent ...

In Season 7's final episode, Dr. Ron Hirschberg sits with Dr. Ali Raja, MGH's Executive Vice Chair of Emergency Medicine, in his office in the heart of the Bulfinch Building at Massachusetts General Hospital, est. 1811... 159 years prior to establishing Emergency Medicine training programs in 1970. Dr. Raja's life and work are discussed, from growing up in Houston looking towards an Air Force career - a family legacy - to a journey...

Let’s rewind 5 years-back on conversations that stick with us at Home Base, with amazing women who leave a mark on service, sacrifice and leadership, and teach us how recovery and resilience become a reality. (With - 77th USS Constitution Commander Billie J. Farrell / Air Force Veteran and TAPS Founder Bonnie Carroll / Army Veteran, Author and Cancer Survivor Brandi Benson / Navy Veteran, Home Base Marathoner, and Commercial Truck ...

In May 2024, Dr. Jarone Lee from Mass General Hospital Center for Global Health, and Global Response Medicine welcomed a Ukrainian of doctors to Boston for two weeks – to train, collaborate and build comradery for care on the frontlines. One of those physicians, Dr. Bohdan, asked if there was a piano he could play while visiting Boston. It turned out that it had been two years since he last played, which was just following the Russ...

There are 56,254 Navy Reserves, with typical civilian jobs in law enforcement, medicine, government, and business. One day-job not commonly on the list: Pro-Football. Enter Joe Cardona, who joined the New England Patriots as the 2nd highest-drafted long snapper in NFL history in 2015, and as a Reservist heads up Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron-Eight in Newport, RI overseeing 500 sailors. As the NFL's 13th annual Salute To ...

The National Memorial Day Concert features Marine Veteran Kirstie Ennis and others and a conversation with Yuliia Matvieieva, working with Ukrainian Veteran Amputees on mental and physical health - Nearly 60,000 people have lost limbs over the the past two years since the Russian envarion of Ukraine in February 2022, the vast majority being servicemembers. Yuliia came to Home Base during a two week Ukrainian physician visit to MGH,...

Bryan Fuller and John Lowry met in kindergarten on the north shore of Massachusetts in 1974. They were living the adventurous life back in elementary school, getting home just before dark – most of the time. After rooming together at UMass-Amherst, John’s path would eventually lead to medicine and Bryan to Army intelligence during the Bosnian War.  

It’s now been 50 years since these two buddies met - and along with Klara Anstey fro...

We had the pleasure to host Kingston, Ontario’s own Boston Bruins Stanley Cup winner Rick Smith at Home Base recently, and sit with our own Senior Director of Clinical Services Navy Capt (Ret.) Dr. Joe Bonvie. Joe and Rick talk about the mental and physical toll on the mind and body that happens in and outside the rink. Rick tells us about his journey post-retirement in the woods up north, and how finding new identity and purpose t...

In this episode, Dr. Ron Hirschberg talks with Navy Veteran and 7-time marathoner Yuma Haidara about her journey to the Navy, nursing, and a path to a career in commercial truck driving with Walmart. Yuma sees the road in front of her as an opportunity, and at the same time with just enough adventure. She holds a unique balance of bonding with fellow veterans, while finding strength on her own, trucking cross country, running anywh...

In this episode, Dr. Ron Hirschberg sits with Lauren Monroe and Rick Allen: Couple, and Cofounders of Raven Drum Foundation, leading events to heal and build resiliency through the arts for 23 years. Prior to experiencing a community drum circle with over 70 veterans and 1st responders hosted by philanthropist Ernie Boch Jr., Lauren takes us to 2001 - helping Rick through his own trauma with mindfulness, and describes mind-heart-co...

Commander Billie June (BJ) Farrell grew up in Kentucky and at age 10 something about the Naval Academy just clicked. Seven years later she enrolled at the Academy, and in 2004 was commissioned. Commander Farrell as served as an officer aboard the USS Vella Gulf, USS San Jacinto, and the USS Vicksburg. And on January 21st, 2022 she moved with her husband, Navy Officer Paul Farrell and two young kids to Charlestown, MA to report as t...

Retired Navy SEAL Capt. Ryan Croley founded the Warrior For Life Fund (WFLF) in 2012 after never skating or picking up a hockey stick until his mid-thirties, creating an opportunity for veterans, active duty service members, and families to meet and compete on the ice no matter the skill level, ability…or disability. Frank Simonetti played for the Boston Bruins from 1984-1988, and as a Bruins Alumni continues to help raise funds an...

On the show today, Marine Veteran, teacher in the classroom and on the track – Hal Croft, including two of his former Reading, MA High School students – Film Producer Brandon Millett, and Home Base's Executive Director Brigadier General Jack Hammond. Host Ron Hirschberg sits with Hal, Brandon and Jack to talk teaching, building bonds on and off the track and battlefield, and healing wounds of war in and out of the clinic. It was ju...