USASOC Operator Rick Hogg | K-9 Handler | 7th SFG | 82nd | War Hogg Tactical | On the Range Podcast
About This Episode
Today we hear the Combat Story of 29 year Army Special Operations (USASOC) veteran and Operator Rick Hogg, who spent time with the 82nd, 7th Special Forces Group and US Army Special Operations Command. His time ranged from Desert Storm deep into the post-9/11 era.
Rick spent years as a K-9 handler in the Special Ops community, forging a very strong bond with his dog “Duco” in particular. Rick managed through years of deployments and overcame the effects of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) with a very concerted focus on his own health and transition from the military that many can learn from.
After leaving the service, Rick now owns War Hogg Tactical offers mobile firearms, tactical and K9 training to civilians, military and law enforcement agencies that was borne out of his experience training Special Forces. He’s written the book “The Firearms Training Notebook: 1% Better Everyday”, co-hosts the On The Range Podcast, and founded the “In Honor of Duco” charity.
I hope you enjoy this wide ranging and emotional discussion with a USASOC operator as much as I did.
Rick Hogg is the owner of War HOGG Tactical, Inc. and is a 29 year US Army Special Operation Combat Veteran including being a Special Operations K9 handler. He has taken his 13 combat deployment, to both Iraq along with Afghanistan, as well as his teaching experience as a Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat instructor and harnessed them into a proven training methodology service company, War HOGG Tactical, Inc.
War HOGG Tactical, Inc. offers professional comprehensive mobile firearms, tactical and K9 training to law abiding civilians, military and law enforcement agencies through combat proven techniques and experience to improve students skill ability. War HOGG also conducts product development and product field testing along with a verity of consulting services in the defense and firearms industry.
War HOGG Tactical, Inc was born in 2002 when my Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat students returned from Afghanistan and said "That stuff you taught me saved my life!"
Rick and his retired Special Operations Forces K9 Duco have been featured on Trigger Time TV covering an entire season on training a military working dog. Rick has also has instructional videos with Panteao Productions.
Our program’s main goal is to provide you with a skill set to defend yourself or your family members using a building block methodology of instruction
Show Notes:
On the Range Podcast
Chapters
- 0:00Intro
- 0:44Guest Introduction (Rick Hogg)
- 1:48Interview Begins
- 2:14Background of the Hogg last name
- 5:27Rick's childhood and early years
- 10:12Do you associate more with being an Operator or K9 Handler
- 11:53The Transition from Soldier to Civilian and what Rick did to help out
- 15:06Rick's advice on how to transition out of the Military easier
- 19:32Wondery the Teddy Rosevelt Amazon Expedition AD
- 20:34Rick's experience and dealing with T.B.I.
- 23:01Rick's experience with acceptance, loss, and grief
- 27:40Joe and Rick
- 35:36Rick's thoughts on handleing grief and emotions in the midst of the mission
- 45:09Officer Duco and Rick
- 50:11In Honor of Duco Loop Leash
- 53:38Lowering of a K9 Officer
- 54:51Jumping with a K9
- 01:00:00Rick's love for the K9 Unit
- 01:04:38A death defying mission from Duco
- 01:09:17Training K9 Units with Foreign Forces
- 01:11:46The difference between Conventional and Special Forces Units
- 01:17:09The balance between the Specail Ops and Entrepenureship
- 01:20:57Rick's opinion on if older vs younger generations views on each other
- 01:23:18How Rick divides his time amongst his many projects
- 01:28:48Rick's plans for 2023
- 01:32:08Did you bring anything sentimental with you into combat
- 01:32:41Would you do it all again?
