Retired đŞ | GWOT veteran | Host of Boots & Chutes Unfiltered đď¸ | I spent 30 years telling Soldiers not to do stupid shit. Now I have an X account. đşđ¸đ
Lost in the S-3 Shop
Joined February 2026
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đ¨ OUT NOW đ¨
HE DIDNâT THINK HE WAS RANGER MATERIAL.
His first sergeant had other ideas.
Retired SFC Jonathon âJonâ Baxley went from leading a scout/sniper team in Baghdad to putting the next generation through Ranger School.
Combat. Mortars. Self-doubt. And the leader who gave him the push that changed his career.
Jon calls himself âjust a normal guy with some cool stories.â
Weâll let you be the judge.
đď¸ His episode of Boots & Chutes Unfiltered drops TODAY.
đ Who believed in you before you believed in yourself?
Watch. Listen. Follow all our socials, like, subscribe, and share!
youtu.be/xPU7kzNf-EU?si=Bj-nâŚ
đ¨OUT NOW đ¨
HE DIDNâT THINK HE WAS RANGER MATERIAL.
His leader knew he had the potential and took the step to force Jon to commit.
Retired SFC Jon Baxley shares how one leaderâs push changed his career.
đď¸ Boots & Chutes Unfiltered. No script. No BS.
đ Who believed in you before you believed in yourself?
Watch the full episode NOW. Like, subscribe, and share.
The EP is pinned to the top of my profile; check it out.
@Boots_N_Chutes
@cmrowe77
#BootsAndChutesUnfiltered #JonBaxley #RangerSchool #GWOT #VeteranPodcast
Every time I ran past Towle Stadium, I thought of this; it was way before my time at the center of the universe, Fort Bragg, but you still thought about it as you ran by.
They beat the shit out of that guy!
On this day, October 27th 1995, then Sergeant William Kreutzer (top left in video) opened fire with a Ruger 10/22 on a formation of 82nd Airborne Infantry Division (Falcon Brigade specifically) Soldiers at Towle Stadium on Fort Bragg, NC. The Soldiers were in their PT uniforms and formed up for a Brigade run.
For those who have never been to Towle Stadium, it's a giant bowl (photo of it at the time at end of video) and quite literally the perfect place to commit mass murder.
SGT Kreutzer was armed with a PacWest pre-ban AR15 (more accurately a CAR-15 variant), the Ruger 10/22 already mentioned, and a Gen2 Glock 17. He waited until the formation of Soldiers started moving through the bleachers (most of the field was surrounded by bleachers back then) and were channelized with nowhere to flee.
The exact number of rounds fired hasn't been released but in his trial it was stated that he fired 50 rounds of 22LR hollow points through the 10/22 before switching to the PacWest rifle.
16 Soldiers were shot with the 10/22, including Major Stephen Badger (lower left in video) who was killed while serving as the Brigade S2.
Several Special Forces Soldiers (including SFC Tony Minor, SFC Bob Howes, SGT Edward Mongold, and SFC Paul Rogers, and others who haven't been named) happened to be running down Bastogne Dr at the time and jumped into the makeshift concealed firing position occupied by SGT Kreutzer as he was firing his PacWest rifle and they beat the ever living shit out of him, stopping the attack.
CPT Cole Bricker (Brigade S3 battle Captain) and 1LT George Lewis (assistant Regimental S2) arrived at the firing position virtually at the same time as the SF Soldiers & aided in the beating & detention before SGT Kreutzer was arrested.
1. SGT Kreutzer is serving a life sentence. He should be executed immediately and I will voluntarily staff, equip, and conduct the execution via firing squad. I'll cover all expenses and document his execution for historical records.
2. The only reason more Soldiers weren't killed that day was because the killer used the least effective weapon he had. If he wasn't a moron, it would have been much worse.
3. This serves as YET ANOTHER example of why our military members should not be prohibited from carrying firearms on base. #SECWAR ordered an end to this in April but every installation commander has disobeyed his order and basically told him to fuck off. SECWAR's lack of a response to this insubordination is what it is - make of that what you will.
Plan accordingly...
#history #FortBragg #82ndAirborne #CivilRights #crime #NC #falcons #2BCT #TowleStadium #bragg #airborne #FtBragg
DID YOUR EYE PRO EVER SAVE YOUR EYESIGHT?
You cleaned it with a shirt that was dirtier than the lenses.
Scratched it. Lost it. Sat on it. Then put it back on and wondered why you couldnât see anything. đ
It fogged up when you stopped moving. Sweat streaked down the inside. Dust covered the outside.
We all complained about it.
But some of you came home with a pair youâll never throw awayâbecause of what those lenses stopped.
An IED blast. Flying glass. Shrapnel.
Behind those scratched lenses is a story somebody here remembers all too well.
Did your eye pro save your vision during an IED strike or attack? What happenedâand do you still have that pair? đ
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#GWOT #EyePro #VeteranStories #BootsAndChutesUnfiltered
HIS RANGER TAB HIT THE GROUND. HIS FIST CLENCHED.
Jon Baxley remembers a leader ripping the tab off his sleeve over a packing-list issue.
He was furious. Then came a lesson about the expectations behind that tab that still gives him goosebumps.
Hear the story tomorrow on Boots & Chutes Unfiltered with retired SFC Jonathon âJonâ Baxley.
What correction have you never forgotten? đ
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#BootsAndChutesUnfiltered #RangerSchool #VeteranStories
YOUR FIRST COMBAT PATROL IN GWOT, WERE YOU NERVOUS, READY, OR BOTH?
Trying to remember everything from the brief. Watching the guys whoâd been there before. Hoping nobody could tell how nervous you were.
You checked rooftops. Windows. Parked cars. Trash along the road.
Everything looked like something youâd been warned about.
Somebody cracked a joke over the radio. Your team leader checked on you, then pointed out where to look.
You kept moving.
Maybe you took contact. Maybe the whole patrol passed without a shot.
Either way, getting back through that gate felt good.
Clear your weapon. Drop your gear. Somebody asks whatâs for chow, like you hadnât spent the last few hours with your stomach in a knot.
But you remember who walked out beside you.
đWhere was your first combat patrol, and whatâs one thing about it youâll never forget?
Follow all our socials, like, subscribe, and share with someone who was there beside you.
#GWOT #IraqVeteran #AfghanistanVeteran #DeploymentMemories #bootsandchutesunfiltered
FROM BAGHDAD TO BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF RANGERS.
Retired SFC Jonathon âJonâ Baxley joins Boots & Chutes Unfiltered next week to talk combat, mortars, and life as a Ranger instructor.
A 4-31 Infantry Polar Bear and Baghdad scout/sniper team leader, Jon didnât think he was Ranger material. His first sergeant had other ideas.
That push sent him straight through Ranger School. Then it was back to Iraq, where he rebuilt the battalion commanderâs security platoon while the deployment was still underway.
He eventually returned to Ranger School as an instructor, the guy evaluating Soldiers who might have been questioning themselves the same way he once did.
Sometimes one leaderâs confidence in you changes the rest of your career.
đWho pushed you toward something you didnât think you could do, and what would be a question you want us to ask John?
Catch Jonâs story next week. Follow all our socials, like, subscribe, and share!
@Boots_N_Chutes
@cmrowe77
#BootsAndChutesUnfiltered #GWOT #RangerSchool #Mortarmen #PolarBears #ArmyVeterans
WEâD CARRY AN EXTRA TEN POUNDS JUST TO BE SLIGHTLY LESS MISERABLE. đ
Ammo. Water. Batteries. All the stuff you had to carry.
Then came the stuff you werenât leaving without.
A Jetboil and coffee. You could deal with a lot, but somebody saying âweâre out of coffeeâ might ruin the whole patrol.
An MP3 player loaded with everything from George Strait to angry divorce music. You werenât even married, just really into that Papa Roach album.
Toilet paper in a Ziploc bag, because that little brown MRE napkin wasnât built for what you were about to put it through.
Wet wipes for a complete âshower.â Face first. Other areas last. That order mattered.
And if you had a truck? You were practically moving in.
Pillow behind the seat. Snacks in every compartment. A suspiciously comfortable blanket youâd have to explain if anybody found it.
We gave the guy with the Jetboil grief for bringing his whole kitchen.
Then he fired it up at 0300.
âHey, brother⌠You got enough water for two?â
Tucked somewhere safe was a picture of the family. Maybe your wife, your kids, your parents, or a dog who had no idea why youâd been gone so long.
Youâd pull it out during some miserable stretch of waiting. Look at it for a minute. Put it away before it gets filthy.
Then ask your buddy for another wet wipe.
What was YOUR must-have comfort item and who in your truck packed like he was never coming back? đ
Follow all our socials, like, subscribe, and share with the buddy who always had the good snacks.
@Boots_N_Chutes
@cmrowe77
#GWOT #DeploymentMemories #IraqVeteran #AfghanistanVeteran #BootsAndChutesUnfiltered
Some moments in war test more than courage. Travis Cooke recalls a choice rooted in humanity and compassion on the day Keith Callahan was killed.
Full episode on YouTube, also pinned to the top of our page.
#leadership #humanity #veterans #bootsandchutes
Dude, the amount of spam and political text messages is outrageous.
I think I get a VA home loan text 12 times a day that starts, "Hey Jerry, this is Mark at....â
First of all, go "F" yourself, Mark, and leave me alone, dude.
Then here comes the political one again: go to hell as well, people.
Are you guys sick of everyone trying to sell you stuff now? Commercials on everything. Crazy.
Okay, rant over, bye...
If you ever served in the All-American Division, you know about LGOPs, "Little Groups of Paratroopers."
Thatâs part of what makes a young paratrooper so capable. You had to know more than where your squad was going. You needed to understand the objective, the aircraftâs direction of flight, where other units were landing, and the commanderâs intent.
Because once you hit the ground, you might not find anybody from your platoon.
You could get scooped up by another leader, fall in with another company, and end up fighting toward a different objective.
You still had to understand how your piece fit into the larger fight.
Find other paratroopers. Get organized. Keep moving toward the mission.
đWho remembers landing and realizing you were about to make some new friends?
@Boots_N_Chutes
@cmrowe77
#82ndAirborne #AllAmerican #LGOPs #Paratroopers #Airborne #BootsAndChutesUnfiltered
THERE ARE GROWN MEN WHO STILL GET QUIET WHEN THEY HEAR A MEDEVAC BIRD. đ
Because they remember waiting on one.
A nine-line going over the radio. Doc is working on their buddy. Everybody else was pulling security, helping where they could, and asking the same question.
âWhereâs the bird?â
The guy on that litter had been laughing with you that morning. Talking about his kids, trying to bum a cigarette.
Now you were watching Docâs face, trying to figure out how bad it was.
Then somebody heard the rotors.
âTheyâre coming.â
You still had to get your buddy aboard. The landing zone still wasnât safe. But the people you needed were finally there.
And those DUSTOFF crews came into some terrible places to get us.
Pilots putting the aircraft down under fire in dust so thick you wondered how they could see. Crew chiefs watch for threats and help load the wounded. Flight medics taking over from a Doc whoâd done everything he could.
You handed them, somebody you loved.
Then you stood there in the rotor wash and watched them take him away, hoping youâd see him again.
Some of us did.
Some of us remember that flight as the last time we saw our friend.
To the DUSTOFF crews: you might never know what happened to every soldier you carried. But there are veterans out here who remember that ride. And buddies who still remember you showing up.
Some families got years together because you got there in time.
We remember your crews who didnât come home, too. We know coming for us costs lives.
Thank you for every dangerous landing. Every wounded soldier you cared for. Every chance you gave our friends.
đIf you could speak to the crew that came for you or your buddy, what would you tell them?
@Boots_N_Chutes
@cmrowe77
#DUSTOFF #GWOT #CombatMedics #Veterans #bootsandchutesunfiltered
In our new episode, we honor the memory of my former PSG, SFC Keith Callahan.
The 82nd Airborne Division named FOB Callahan in his honor, and this photo was taken just minutes before he was killed in action on January 24, 2007.
We reflect on the day we stepped into the fire, remembering a true stud and an incredible Ranger and Paratrooper.
Again, he was killed minutes after this picture was taken.
If you have a couple of hours, check out the latest episode pinned to my profile.
@Boots_N_Chutes
@cmrowe77
đď¸đşđ¸đŞ #Memory #Hero #Ranger #Paratrooper
WE CALLED THEM DOC BEFORE MOST OF THEM WERE OLD ENOUGH TO BUY A BEER.
We gave them grief about everything.
The aid bag was bigger than they were. There were endless reminders to drink water and change our socks. The answer to every ache is somehow involving Motrin.
Then weâd pull them aside.
âHey, Doc⌠let me ask you something. Donât tell anybody.â
They knew everybodyâs problems. And usually wished they knew a few less. đ
But on patrol, you always knew where Doc was.
When somebody yelled âMEDIC!â, nobody was thinking about their age anymore.
You were looking for that aid bag and listening for their voice. Watching them get to work on somebody youâd eaten breakfast with a few hours earlier.
They were treating their friends.
Then, after the casualty was evacuated, they had to repack that bag and keep going with the rest of us.
Some of us got to thank our Doc years later. Some are still trying to find the words.
Some Docs never made it home.
To our GWOT combat medics and corpsmen: we remember the jokes, the care, and the moments you probably thought nobody noticed.
Who was your Doc? Give them a shout-out or help us remember one we lost. đşđ¸đ
Follow all our socials, like, subscribe, and share. Help Boots & Chutes Unfiltered keep their stories alive.
@Boots_N_Chutes
@cmrowe77
#GWOT #CombatMedic #Corpsman #Doc #DeploymentMemories #BootsAndChutesUnfiltered
CharlieRockUnfiltered retweeted
WE CALLED THEM DOC BEFORE MOST OF THEM WERE OLD ENOUGH TO BUY A BEER.
We gave them grief about everything.
The aid bag was bigger than they were. There were endless reminders to drink water and change our socks. The answer to every ache is somehow involving Motrin.
Then weâd pull them aside.
âHey, Doc⌠let me ask you something. Donât tell anybody.â
They knew everybodyâs problems. And usually wished they knew a few less. đ
But on patrol, you always knew where Doc was.
When somebody yelled âMEDIC!â, nobody was thinking about their age anymore.
You were looking for that aid bag and listening for their voice. Watching them get to work on somebody youâd eaten breakfast with a few hours earlier.
They were treating their friends.
Then, after the casualty was evacuated, they had to repack that bag and keep going with the rest of us.
Some of us got to thank our Doc years later. Some are still trying to find the words.
Some Docs never made it home.
To our GWOT combat medics and corpsmen: we remember the jokes, the care, and the moments you probably thought nobody noticed.
Who was your Doc? Give them a shout-out or help us remember one we lost. đşđ¸đ
Follow all our socials, like, subscribe, and share. Help Boots & Chutes Unfiltered keep their stories alive.
@Boots_N_Chutes
@cmrowe77
#GWOT #CombatMedic #Corpsman #Doc #DeploymentMemories #BootsAndChutesUnfiltered
Keith Callahan was the kind of platoon sergeant you thought nothing could happen to. The man was a badass.
In this clip, I talk with Travis Cooke about the day we lost SFC Keith A. Callahan and how hard it hit us.
I looked up to Keith. Having to step in as acting platoon sergeant after losing him was something I never expected to do.
Still wish I could sit down and have another conversation with him.
Miss you, brother. đşđ¸
If you served with Keith, Iâd love to hear a story about him.
Full episode with Travis Cooke is out now on Boots & Chutes Unfiltered, pinned above on my profile. Check it out.
Follow all our socials, like, subscribe, and share.
@Boots_N_Chutes
@cmrowe77
#KeithCallahan #82ndAirborne #NeverForgotten #BootsAndChutesUnfiltered
Our good friend Trenton Petty, Ranger Association Executive Director, is helping to start a new apparel company:
Death From Above Apparel.
Please check it out:
instagram.com/deathfromaboveâŚ
