A round came through the wall inches from his entire team. That's the first two minutes.

Episode 1 of the Eagle Ops Rally Point podcast: Jeremiah "Sixkiller" Cheatwood tells the story he's never told on camera — small-town kid turned 82nd Airborne paratrooper, watching 9/11 unfold during training, then jumping into the 2003 invasion of Iraq through Ramadi, Fallujah, and Baghdad, where he turned 21 at war. Unfiltered, honest, and at times darkly funny.

Jeremiah is now an Outreach Manager at Eagle Ops, helping veterans navigate life after service. Support the mission:

🇺🇸 VETERAN RESOURCES:

If you or a family member need access to free resources, Shep and his team have put together the Top 5 Veteran Resources Guide here:

https://resources.eagleops.org/eagle-ops--veteran-resource-guide-funnel

This one's for the veteran support organizations and businesses of Oklahoma.

In this solo episode of the Rally Point Podcast, Shep from the Eagle Ops Foundation breaks down okveteranscalendar.com — a single, statewide calendar built so every veteran, service member, and their family has ONE place to find out what's happening in their community.

If your organization or business does anything for veterans and their families — a monthly meeting, an annual fundraiser, a weekly event — this is how you get it seen across every town and city in Oklahoma. And it's completely free.

Shep walks through exactly how it works and what you get:

- Post any veteran-focused event in minutes (title, times, RSVP, flyers, logos)

- Your own organization venue and tag on the calendar

- Admin access for your whole team to control and update your events

- Embed the calendar right on your website via a simple RSS feed

- Community members can submit your events — and your admin approves them

- One-click sharing to Facebook, Instagram, text, and email

The goal is simple: one stop, one place, so anyone in any Oklahoma community can find what's going on and connect with like-minded people who've "been there and done that." Post your events. We'll help promote them.

👉 Go to okveteranscalendar.com to submit an event or request your organization's page.

You've earned more than a thank you for your service — you've earned your benefits. Shep breaks down how VA claims actually work, why clickbait claims companies can cost you up to 50% of your earned benefits, and the three things that make a claim get approved.

Free help is available at okveteransresources.com.

You don't need a revolutionary idea to build something that matters, you need the right people around you and a plan you'll actually follow. In this episode of the Eagle Ops Rally Point Podcast, we sit down with Devin Laney, CEO of Gradient, one of the largest innovation hubs in the country, to break down how veterans and ordinary people can turn an idea into a real, growing business. Whether you're a veteran making the transition home, a first-time founder with nothing but an idea, or an owner trying to scale past the ceiling you've hit, this conversation is a playbook.

What you'll walk away with:

• The #1 mistake founders make when projecting growth (they add revenue but forget to add the team and expenses to support it)

• Why proximity to the right people beats hustling alone and how to build that network on purpose

• How to go from "I think I have an idea" to an incorporated, funded, real business

• The "evolutionary, not revolutionary" mindset that makes impact accessible to anyone

• Why vision + strategy beats "go, go, go" every single time

• How businesses can serve those who've served without writing a check

⏱ Chapters 00:00 – Welcome + the Eagle Ops mission

04:00 – Who is Devin Laney? From small-town Alabama to Tulsa

22:30 – The Gradient thesis: density of peers, proximity to resources

34:00 – Idea to business: the boot camps and first steps

37:00 – Scaling smart: inside Oklahoma's largest certified business incubator

38:14 – The projection mistake that kills growth 51:00 – "I'll lead you to the water" — why you get out what you put in

01:07:00 – Serving veterans through partnership, not just donations

01:22:30 – Why a plan beats raw hustle every time

01:24:00 – Leaving a positive impact when you don't know where to start

01:35:56 – Chroma + the Startup World Cup (Sept 24) About Eagle Ops: We connect relationships to resources to bring our heroes home. Getting veterans and their families off the couch, plugged in, and pointed toward the people and tools that change their transition is the Mission

🇺🇸 VETERAN RESOURCES: If you or a family member need access to free resources, Shep and his team have put together the Top 5 Veteran Resources Guide here: https://resources.eagleops.org/eagle-ops--veteran-resource-guide-funnel

About Gradient: A Tulsa-based innovation hub helping entrepreneurs across the country go from idea to scale. Learn more: joingradient.com

Getting out of the military is a bigger culture shock than most veterans expect and nobody hands you the playbook. In this Eagle Ops Rally Point episode from our Vet Fest series, Ryan "Bacon" Nelson talks with LS2 Short, a Navy veteran of nearly 12 years, about the benefits and support systems too many service members discover years too late.

In this episode:

• The reserve "culture shock" no one warns you about

• The FREE year of VA healthcare after active duty that TAPS never mentions

• Why you should document every injury WHILE you're still in •

VA women's health resources most female veterans never hear about

• Why "disability" should really be called "compensation"

• How being connected to the VA reduces veteran suicide by 70%

• Why "you're not broken ..." you're transitioning" changes how you ask for help Getting help isn't weakness, it's preventative thinking. In the military, we never do anything alone. That doesn't have to change when you take the uniform off.

FREE RESOURCES: Oklahoma Top 5 Veteran Resource Guide and a statewide one-stop shop at okveteransresources.com completely free. Veteran, family member, or know someone who needs support? Reach out. That's what we're here for.

United Rentals is the largest equipment rental company in the world — 28,000+ employees, and just under 10% are veterans. Operations Manager Michele White joins the Eagle Ops Rally Point Podcast to reveal how they actually help veterans: on-the-job training through Vet to Tech (STEP) and DoD SkillBridge, $5,000 toward a CDL, and a full tool chest bought for every tech who completes the program.

But this goes deeper than hiring. Michele shares the story of Greg Shanahan and the 486th Civil Battalion, the friend whose legacy became a company-wide award and an annual luncheon feeding 150–200 soldiers, plus the awards that back it all up: the HIRE Vets Medallion, Military Friendly Employer (Gold), and "America's Most Patriotic Company."

If you're a veteran, here's your move: apply at unitedrentals.com under Careers, then call a contact directly:

Amir at 972-330-3748

or Kelly French at 949-392-2710 (both veterans) for a warm intro.

And if you run a company with a strong veteran presence, this episode is your blueprint. United Rentals didn't just cut a check, they built the entire "Fore the Vets" charity golf tournament, now in its 4th year (October 23rd at Battle Creek). Michele's challenge to other companies is simple: "Get involved. It's not hard."

Download the Eagle Ops Impact Guide to see exactly how to sponsor or participate in a Rally Point.

https://impact.eagleops.org/eagle-ops-community-support-funnel

Veterans and families: cost of admission is just showing up. Find 30–40 free events a month at eagleops.org/calendar, and grab the free Veteran Resource Guide at:

https://resources.eagleops.org/eagle-ops-veteran-resource-guide-funnel-page

Until next time ...meet us at the rally point.

Live from Eagle Ops Vet Fest, host Ryan "Bacon" Nelson sits down with Kellie Zimmerman, Women Veterans Outreach Coordinator and a registered nurse with eight years at the VA, to talk about the care built for women who served.

Women veterans are the fastest-growing demographic at the VA, and their healthcare needs are distinct — from the physical toll of military service to high rates of military sexual trauma. Kellie explains how the Women Veterans Program delivers care across every phase of life, from reproductive health through menopause, with MyChart access, dedicated clinics designed for privacy and safety, and continuous provider training. "This is not your grandfather's VA."

Women veterans: call the Women Veterans Call Center at 1-855-VA-WOMEN (1-855-829-6636) answered by female veterans and a one-stop shop for healthcare, benefits, and more.

Veteran resources across Oklahoma: okveteransresources.com

Oklahoma Top 5 Veteran Resources: https://resources.eagleops.org/eagle-ops--veteran-resource-guide-funnel

Brought to you by the Eagle Ops Foundation.

Live from Eagle Ops Vet Fest, host Ryan "Bacon" Nelson talks with Dr. Denning, Executive Director of the VA Healthcare System for Eastern Oklahoma, about the resources available to veterans and the major changes underway.

Dr. Denning highlights the VA's growing women's health program, one of the few with an in-house mammography program (91st & Mingo), a new menopause clinic, expanded OBGYN and prenatal care, pelvic floor therapy, and twice-a-year baby showers for expecting veteran mothers. She also previews the new downtown Tulsa veterans hospital next to OSU, a full inpatient facility targeted to open in December 2026, and explains how services at Muskogee will be repurposed going forward.

A quick, resource-packed conversation for veterans, families, and anyone supporting those who served.

Veteran resources across Oklahoma: okveteransresources.com

Oklahoma Top 5 Veteran Resources: https://resources.eagleops.org/eagle-ops--veteran-resource-guide-funnel

Brought to you by the Eagle Ops Foundation.