MSG John "Mad Dog" B. Melson, Marine, National Guard, and Cancer Survivor

Published: Aug. 19, 2022, 3 p.m.

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In this podcast, Rad features Master Sergeant John "Mad Dog" B. Melson, who served 3 years in the USMC and almost 17 years in the Army National Guard. After his service in the Marines and in the wake of 9/11, John tried to enlist again but found out that he had a tumor in his neck which was cutting off his blood flow.\\xa0

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He was in extreme danger and was faced with a difficult decision: undergo surgery that could kill him or do nothing and have less than 5 years to live. He chose to have a fighting chance and went under the knife. Against the odds, he survived and was given the chance to serve again in the National Guard to fight in Afghanistan.

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He shares crazy stories of his 9 combat deployments, from popping smoke to signal the A-10 not to fire upon them in the middle of a firefight, to being left to fend for themselves during a Taliban assault. He is the recipient of 5 Bronze Star Medals, 2 Purple Hearts, and 4 Army Commendation Medals for Valor.

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Check out John\\u2019s podcast Guts and Grit:

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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guts-grit-great-business/id1516815054

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Get a copy of Jessica Ainsworth\\u2019s latest book titled At What Cost on Amazon which features John\\u2019s foreword and an entire chapter on his story and the personal cost of war: https://amzn.to/3T0FSNQ

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