Scott DeLuzio:    00:03    Thanks for tuning in to the Drive On Podcast, where we talk about issues affecting Veterans after they get out of the military. Before we get started, I’d like to ask a favor if you haven’t done so already, please rate and review the show on Apple podcast. If you’ve already done that, thank you. These ratings help the show get discovered so it can reach a wider audience. And while you’re there, click the subscribe button so that you get notified of new episodes. As soon as they come out. If you don’t use Apple podcasts, you can visit DriveOnPodcast.com/subscribe to find other ways of subscribing, including our email list. I’m your host, Scott DeLuzio and now let’s get on with the show.

Scott DeLuzio:   00:44    Hey everyone. Today, my guest is James Conner. James is a Marine Corps Veteran, a personal trainer and nutrition specialist. I actually think I’m over oversimplifying these things a little bit. He has a number of certifications and qualifications for both nutrition and fitness, and I’m sure I won’t do it all justice. So, James, I’ll let you introduce yourself and tell people a bit about your background.

James Conner:   01:08    All right, Scott. Well, thanks for having me on the show. As you said, I am a Marine Corps Veteran. I did 20 years in the Marine Corps. I went in at the end of the 90s as an Infantryman. So, I did my first 10 years as a rifleman, got a bunch of deployments under my belt doing that, some peace time work, pre 9/11 post 9/11, and a few tours to Iraq.  Probably the most important one was in 2004, when we went into Fallujah in November and secured the city that time. That was out of California and then I moved to the East coast and reactivated 19, which is known as the walking dead. That battalion had been deactivated and they were bringing it back. So, I went over there and help form that up as a Sergeant.

James Conner:    01:59    And then I had an opportunity to jump into the brand-new Marine Corps, special operations command. They were trying to fill the units and then they also had a schoolhouse that they had to staff. And when I went over and met with their recruiter, he saw some of the work that I had done in the past. And he said, I see you need a break from deployments, but I could definitely use you at the schoolhouse. I said, cool. So, I went to the schoolhouse and it was a great experience, coming out of the infantry and then go into play with the big boys and playing by big boy rules. I went to airborne school and then when I came back, they had restructured the unit and I basically got promoted out of a job because I picked up a Staff Sergeant and they only had one billet for a non-reconnaissance staff sergeant. And so, I still had a regular infantryman designation. At that point I decided to switch jobs and move into counterintelligence and human intelligence. And that’s where I finished out my career in there. I did a few deployments with various special operations units. I did a tour in Germany managing Marine Corps, counterintelligence, operations in Europe and Africa. Then I came back to the States and pretty much was counting the days until I retired.

Scott DeLuzio:    03:17    Like a lot of people do. I’m sure. Yeah. So, now you run a website, WellnessForVets.info is the website. And tell us a little bit about that. What’s the background on that and what is it that you do there?

James Conner:    03:35    So, it ties in with how I ended up in Europe this time around. And somebody asked me that question one time and I gave a very long and convoluted answer. So, I’ll try to give you a better on...