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I had a great conversation on the Podcast with Ryan an amazing patriot, legit bad ass & a man who walks his talk...

Ryan\\u2019s personal story is like no other artist in country music today. Growing up with a family of eleven in a small town in Floral City, Florida, he joined the Army right after high school. After several years of working as a Military Intelligence Analyst, Ryan followed in the footsteps of his two older brothers, Steve and Aaron, by attending Warrant Officer Candidate School and flight school. He graduated top of his class in flight school, becoming a Black Hawk Aviator.  In April 2003, he deployed to Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. Shortly after, one of his brothers, Aaron, was deployed just west of him in Fallujah.

On January 8, 2004, Aaron was killed in action when the Medivac helicopter he was a passenger in was shot down by enemy fire. Ryan certainly understood mortality and the risks of combat\\u2026  After all, Aaron had survived the bloody 1993 battle in Mogadishu, Somalia \\u2013 the same battle that became the basis for the movie, Black Hawk Down. When Aaron died, however, something changed for Ryan. He returned from combat, taking a new position training the next generation of Army aviators and officers at Fort Rucker, Alabama and has not piloted a Black Hawk since that fateful day. 

On December 17, 2013 Ryan\\u2019s brother-in-law, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Randy Billings, was killed in action in Afghanistan when the Black Hawk helicopter he was piloting was shot down by an enemy ground-detonated explosive device.  This second heartbreaking loss made the Weaver family a two-time Gold Star family. Both of his brothers\\u2019 ultimate sacrifices continue to fuel Ryan\\u2019s fire to accomplish his dreams in music.

In late 2016, Ryan released the music video for his single \\u201cBurn,\\u201dfeaturing Kris \\u201cTanto\\u201d Paranto and John \\u201cTig\\u201d Tiegen from the movie 13 Hours: Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. \\u201cBurn\\u201d aired nationwide on The Country Network and Heartland, and internationally at over 5,000 retailers, restaurants, and entertainment venues throughout the end of 2016 and beginning of 2017. Ryan\\u2019s first music video \\u201cCrank It\\u201dplayed nationally on ZUUS Country TVand TNN/Heartland Networkand spent 8 weeks on their Top 10 Video Countdown \\u2013 a network record.

In 2017, Ryan was named the Patriotic Voice of the PBR(Professional Bull Riders) for theirCelebrate AmericaCampaign.  The World Finals is the biggest global stage in professional bull riding \\u2013 a booming sport now seen in more than 400 million homes worldwide. The Celebrate AmericaCampaignis a season-long initiative that honors America\\u2019s heroes,...'