A Memorial Day 2026 special with guest host Gen. Blaine Holt and combat-veteran guests on honoring the fallen, supporting veterans and Gold Star families, and the national security stories shaping the day.

A special Memorial Day 2026 edition of Your News Talk America, guest-hosted by Brigadier General Blaine Holt (USAF, Ret.), filling in for Jake Smith. On a holiday marking America's 250th anniversary and more than one million service members lost across the nation's history, Holt and his guests move past the platitudes to confront what the day actually asks of the living: telling the stories of those who never came home, and standing up for the veterans, first responders, and Gold Star families who did.

The conversation tracks the national stories driving the moment. President Trump's posture toward Iran — a framework to end the conflict, open the Strait of Hormuz, and resolve enriched nuclear material in exchange for sanctions relief — sits alongside the human cost of Operation Epic Fury and the 13 service members killed since February. From there the program turns to the systemic failures veterans face after service: the firewall between the Defense Department and the VA, a transition process that strips identity and isolates the wounded, and a military mental-health culture that has long punished those who ask for help. Holt and his guests, all combat veterans, speak candidly about veteran suicide, the burden carried by commanders, and why so many continue serving long after they hang up the uniform.

Featured throughout are leaders turning that mission into action: combat surgeon Doc Pete Chambers; Under One Flag co-founder Mike Burns, who fights veteran isolation through outdoor adventures; Navy SEAL Mike Sorelli on military leadership, free enterprise, and the data-center workforce as a national security priority; Defenders Gateway CEO Carol Watanabe and her free, verified resource platform for the defender community; and Lt. Col. Matt Meck on election integrity and the upcoming Fraud Fighter Summit. It's a substantive, no-fluff look at sacrifice, service, and the responsibilities that outlast the battlefield.

FEATURED GUESTS

• Brigadier General Blaine Holt (USAF, Ret.) — Guest host filling in for Jake Smith; Newsmax contributor; host of the Dangerous Intellectuals podcast; former Deputy U.S. Military Representative to NATO
• Lt. Col. (Ret.) "Doc" Pete Chambers — Green Beret combat surgeon, flight surgeon, veteran of multiple deployments; former Texas gubernatorial candidate
• Staff Sgt. (Ret.) Mike Burns, U.S. Army — Co-founder and leader of Under One Flag, a veteran and first-responder nonprofit; medically retired combat veteran
• Lt. Cmdr. (Ret.) Mike Sorelli, U.S. Navy SEAL — Leader at Overwatch Mission Critical, a veteran-owned data-center workforce company
• Carol Watanabe — CEO and founder of Defenders Gateway; founder of the Little Patriots Embraced charity
• Lt. Col. (Ret.) Matt Meck, U.S. Marine Corps — Fighter pilot and intelligence officer; election-integrity activist and organizer of the Fraud Fighter Summit

Your News Talk America with Jake Smith

Broadcast weekdays on The Talk of Delmarva (92.7 and 98.5) and streaming online at WGMD.com and RealNewsTalk.com.

Listen live, participate, and become a program Patriot by visiting:

RealNewsTalk.com from 9 - Noon Eastern

Follow the latest national conversations, interviews, and commentary from voices shaping America’s political landscape.

Produced by DTD MEDIA. © 2026 DTD MEDIA, All Rights Reserved.