MASTER SERGEANT GRADY BURRELL
Master Sergeant Grady Burrell, US Army (Ret) is a lifelong outdoorsmen who served 20 years in the US Army. He served in a number of billets beginning with Military Police, Company Armorer, Recruiting and Retention NCO, MP Investigator, Recruiter and Dept. of the Army Senior Advisor. Grady has met and studied with knife designers in Germany, Japan, Singapore, Peru, Colombia, Austria, Afghanistan, England, Mexico, Canada, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Finland, Norway, Tanzania, and Mozambique. He owns a home and workshop in Tok, Alaska (the coldest inhabitable city in the USA), allowing him to test knives, firearms and other kit in extreme cold weather conditions. Since his retirement Grady has served as a Military Liaison, Government LE Representative, Director and Vice President (respectively) for three US Military Contracting Companies. His most unique experience may have been meeting King Abdullah II of Jordan and advising him on equipping his military—the King was a Sandhurst-trained soldier, and extremely well versed in military tactics and operations. Working with him on the subject of equipment was both challenging and rewarding. Grady is a longtime fan of NASCAR and MMA fighting, and enjoys trout fishing when he can.
MASTER SERGEANT BRIAN HEISHMAN
Master Sergeant Brian Heishman, USMC (Ret) is a retired Marine with 5 years in the infantry and 16 years in Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Mr Heishman has over 28 years working with explosives and has extensive experience and knowledge in physical security, humanitarian demining, explosive ordnance, demolitions, breaching techniques, and explosive safety. While in the Marines, Brian served with 5 US Special Forces units in Cambodia and Laos teaching Humanitarian Demining. Brian has twice deployed to North Vietnam as the ordnance specialist for Joint Task Force Full Accounting. Brian has spent 4 of the last 6 years in Iraq. He has trained hundreds of US, Coalition and Iraqi forces on IED’s and explosive detection. He still travels the world training explosive properties and explosive detection techniques.
MASTER SERGEANT RICHARD WOODRUFF
Master Sergeant (Ret) Richard Woodruff, US Army, enlisted in 1988 as an 11B Infantryman. He did 21 years before retiring, serving in several light/airborne/LRSD units with 3 deployments to Iraq, 1 to Africa and 1 to Kuwait. He currently works as a Designated Defensive Marksman on a PSD detail at a deployed location.
Among the units MSG Woodruff served in were 3RD BN/325THAirborne BCT, 3RD BN/505TH PIR, LRSD 25TH ID, TF 1 Opns Group Ft. Polk and the National Police Transition Team Samarra Iraq. He has been an infantry team and squad leader, infantry platoon sergeant, LRSD surveillance platoon sergeant, Battalion and Brigade Operations NCO and Transition Team Operations NCO. He has a number of schools and decorations under his belt, including the Basic Airborne Course, Air Assault Course, Unit Armorer, PLDC, BNCOC, ANCOC, Emergency Medical Technician Course, Rappel Master,
SPIES/FRIES Master, Jumpmaster Course, Ranger School, Sniper School, and the Combat Advisor Course. Decorations earned include the Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge (2nd Award) Expert Infantryman Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Bronze Star (Two Awards), MSM (Two Awards) and many others.
CAPTAIN ROBERT PHIFER, MASTER FITNESS TRAINER
Captain Rob Phifer started his career in the USMC and worked his way up through the enlisted ranks until receiving a commission as a 2nd LT in 2007. Rob has over 20 years of service ranging from intel operations with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to Security Force Operations with the ANG 122nd Fighter Wing and is currently serving in the Army National Guard. Rob is an endurance sports enthusiast who has completed multiple full distance Ironman Triathlons as well as numerous ultramarathons. Among other service related awards, Rob has been awarded 2 Meritorious Service Medals, 2 Army Commendation Medals, a Navy Achievement Medal, an Army Achievement Medal, and an Airforce Achievement Medal along with a Volunteer Service Medal.
GW AYERS
GW was a career soldier, retiring from the Army after 22 years of service. He served in the 2nd ACR, 3RD ACR, 116TH Infantry Regiment, 3-7 CAV, 1-7 CAV, US Army Recruiting Command and 214 CAV 1st brigade 25th Infantry regiment (Stryker). During the course of his career he attended numerous leadership schools, including all those that were rank and MOS specific along with Lvl 2 CT and FEMA Operations. He deployed to OIF 3 and 4 and has served in all NCO billets that a recon specialist can hold, including as a Scout Platoon sergeant. GW was one of the first senior enlisted advisors posted to an Iraqi infantry battalion and served as a tactical HUMINT supervisor on the ground in Iraq. He is a passionate Harley lover, currently riding a Street Glide 2010.
COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR DAVID RAY HUDSON – SENIOR ADVISOR
CSM (Ret) David Ray Hudson, US Army, has over 38 years in the US Military,beginning in the US Air Force and ending as the National Guard Bureau Senior Enlisted Leader,meteorologist in the USAF, he made 58 aerial hurricane penetrations while logging 3200 hours of aerial flight. As an Infantry NCO in the Alaska Army National Guard he held numerous positions of responsibility to include serving as the 9th State Command Sergeant Major for Alaska. In 2006 CSM Hudson was selected to become the 2nd National Guard Bureau Senior Enlisted Leader (SEL).
As the SEL he represented the 440,000 Airman and Soldiers in the National Guard while periodically providing testimony to Congress on enlisted issues. He traveled extensively, visiting deployed Guardsman around the world. In his civilian career he served over twenty years as an Alaska State Trooper (AST) retiring at the rank of Captain. He performed numerous duties to include patrol, academy instructor, SERT team
leader and undercover narcotics investigator. His last assignment was the Commander of Alaska’s Criminal Investigative Bureau. David served as the Captain of the AST shooting team for several years and his team was ranked 7th during the World Police and Fire Games held in Barcelona, Spain.
David has an MS in Organizational Management and is a graduate of the US Army Sergeants Major Academy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy. Since his military retirement David has served as the Director of Training for a major defense contractor, managing a multi-million dollar budget while deploying instructors worldwide.
In addition to operating his own consulting firm David and his wife own Hudson Heritage Farms, a Virginia based farming operation specializing in pasture raised meat production. David maintains an active Top Secret security clearance and continues to travel extensively. He recently traveled to his 100th country and has visited the South Pole as a guest of the National Science Foundation. An avid traveler, outdoorsman, and runner he has hunted and fished around the world. He has product testing experience in everything from vehicles to firearms to personal kit.