This episode of Late For Changeover launches from the Moon and dives straight into the strange, serious, and sometimes surreal corners of military history and modern defense policy. The crew breaks down NASA’s new Moon rocket rolling to the launch pad as astronauts prepare for a return to deep space as early as February (07:49). Back on Earth, we examine why the VA is still awarding disability benefits using medical criteria written nearly 80 years ago, and what that means for today’s veterans (17:32). On the tech front, DARPA wraps up its RACER autonomous vehicle tests, pushing AI-driven ground combat one step closer to reality (32:14). For Unheralded History, we revisit 1945’s Operation Teardrop (42:37) - the last desperate U-boat hunt off America’s coast, and Operation Whitecoat (49:54) from 1954–1973 where soldiers volunteered for controversial Cold War medical experiments in the name of national defense. And because this is Late For Changeover, we close with one of the Pentagon’s most infamous ideas ever uncovered: the 1994 proposal for the so-called “Gay Bomb” (58:02). Real documents. Real funding. Very real questions. Space exploration, veteran policy, autonomous warfare, and the weirdest corners of military history—this episode has it all. https://lateforchangeover.com/

This episode swings from the Pentagon’s corridors to the jungle shadows of Vietnam with no speed limits and no safe assumptions. First, we play the “Complete The Headline” Game (01:39). Next, we open with the Pentagon ordering a hard look at the real-world “effectiveness” of women serving in combat arms roles, a review guaranteed to spark debate across the force and far beyond it. From doctrine to data, this conversation cuts straight into the future shape of the military (13:20). Then we hit the high seas, where the United States Coast Guard posts a jaw-dropping stat line: a record-smashing $4 billion in narcotics seized in a single year, revealing how modern drug interdiction has quietly become one of the most kinetic missions outside declared war zones (23:04). Next, the story turns strange and legally radioactive. An active-duty soldier from Fort Bragg claims his involvement in online sex ads was part of a “secret operation.” Was it cover, misconduct, or something else entirely? The details raise uncomfortable questions about accountability, plausibility, and the limits of “classified” explanations (30:07). We close with an Unheralded History deep dive back into the Vietnam War, unraveling the mystery of Salt and Pepper. Who were they, what did they do, and why did their story fade into the footnotes of a war overflowing with secrets? (38:20) From policy and patrols to scandals and shadow operatives, this episode connects the dots the headlines leave scattered. https://lateforchangeover.com/

In this explosive deep dive we connect the dots from Operation Absolute Resolve—where U.S. airpower cleared the skies for Delta Force to seize Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro in a breathtaking raid—to the lesser-known heroes and hidden figures you didn’t see in Black Hawk Down 🪖. We’ll also unpack how new waist-to-height ratio body-composition rules are reshaping military readiness in 2026, and why fitness matters as much as firepower in today’s armed forces. Then we rewind to two fascinating bygone experiments: the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison, America’s Cold War plan to launch ICBMs from railroad cars across the U.S. rail network, and the airborne Flying Platform experiments of the 1950s, engineered to levitate soldiers into battle long before drones were in vogue. This is a tour through strategy, strength, and surreal military tech history. 🚁 📏 🚆 ⚙️ https://lateforchangeover.com/

It’s the Late Crew Year in Review! Join us as we re-visit some of our best stories of the year along with some of our quizzes and games. We conclude the episode with some hilarious and never before seen outtakes! 2025 was a great year for us and thanks to all for listening and watching! https://lateforchangeover.com/

It’s the Late Crew Christmas Episode! This time, history doesn’t take the holiday off. We start in 1776, when Washington made Christmas a night for river ice, surprise attacks, and nation-bending decisions while crossing the Delaware on December 25th (06:29). Then we jump to Korea in 1950, where the SS Meredith evacuation turned into a Christmas Eve miracle, rescuing 14,000 refugees in freezing seas without a single casualty (14:18). From there, we hit 1944 for one of the strangest Christmas Eves of WWII, when a German teen named Fritz Vincken hosted a ceasefire dinner between U.S. soldiers and a Wehrmacht patrol in a snow-locked cabin on December 24th (26:17). Finally, we look to the skies for the longest-running holiday operation in military history, Operation Christmas Drop, delivering aid across the Pacific since 1952, and still flying today with C-130s, parachutes, and pure holiday goodwill (37:28). Four stories. Four Christmas Eves/Days. One episode packed with courage, miracles, odd alliances, and the true spirit of service. Grab some cocoa and strap in, this sleigh is a C-130. https://lateforchangeover.com/

Today the Late Crew talks about the US Space Force unveiling its new naming system for satellites and space weapons (06:26), how the Space Force issued smartwatch saved an Airman’s life (18:26), the Air Force relieves commander of security squadron at FE Warren Air Force Base (26:07), and for Unheralded History we talk about Blimp aircraft carriers (36:28), Operation Paperclip (41:02), and Project Eldest Son (46:14). https://lateforchangeover.com/

Here’s a festive-to-classified mashup for your latest Late For Changeover soirée: Jingle bells meet jet engines as Santa lights up the NORAD radar screen for the 70th year, proving even Saint Nick needs aerospace surveillance (07:25). A Coast Guard chopper in Puerto Rico spirals into a merry “Ho Ho Ho” holding pattern, cheerleading holiday spirits over warm Caribbean waves (14:42). Then the sleigh suddenly dives into the classified archives. The Alsos Mission of 1943 hunted Nazi nuclear secrets like a Christmas scavenger hunt in occupied Europe (26:56). Project Pluto’s atomic-powered SLAM missile promised a doomsday stocking stuffer capable of circling the globe with apocalyptic endurance (34:33). And over the stormy skies of Vietnam, Operation Popeye tried to weaponize the weather itself, coaxing rain to bog down enemy supply lines (41:08). From candy canes on radar scopes to Cold War nightmare tech, this episode unwraps the strange stocking where holiday cheer and military history keep bumping elbows like elves undercover in a classified hangar. 🎅🛰️✨ https://lateforchangeover.com/

Strap in—tonight we’re diving into a whirlwind of global tension, battlefield innovation, forgotten heroes, and a mystery straight out of a wartime sci-fi thriller. We open with a shocker: a Russian cosmonaut abruptly yanked from SpaceX’s Crew-12 roster for violating national security rules, sending ripples through the international space community and raising questions about what really happened behind the scenes (08:22). Then we shift to a story long overdue for justice—veterans who served in Panama but aren’t recognized by the VA, leaving hundreds without the benefits they earned under fire. Their fight for acknowledgment is heating up (17:27). On the cutting edge of military innovation, the Army unveils its first fully robotic dining facility in South Korea, serving hot meals in minutes and reshaping how troops are fueled for the fight (26:30). Next, we rewind the clock to The Battle of Los Angeles, 1942—the night anti-aircraft guns lit up the sky, millions panicked, and America believed a full-scale attack had begun. Was it enemy aircraft… or something else entirely (01:01:33)? And finally, we honor Floyd Smith, the visionary whose invention of the modern parachute changed aviation, airborne operations, and saved countless lives (01:07:31). AND WE PLAY THE CHANGEOVER FAMILY FEUD (33:30)!!!! https://lateforchangeover.com/