Post One: True stories from Marine Embassy Guards
James Curry
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About This Podcast
Marine Embassy Guards serve in some of the most remote and politically volatile places on earth, often alone, unseen, and far from home.
Post One is a storytelling podcast that brings their experiences to life. Each episode features candid conversations with Marines who stood watch at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, saving lives, safeguarding secrets, and navigating cultures most Americans will never see.
From tense standoffs and high-stakes evacuations to quiet moments of connection, these are the unfiltered stories of Marines serving on the front lines of American diplomacy.
Hosted by James Curry | [email protected]
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Recent Episodes
Still Standing: The Luckiest Marine on the MSG Program
Before Mike Pellow held the U.S. Embassy in Panama through a night of RPG attacks during the U.S. invasion (Episode 12), he was a young sergeant on his first MSG tour in Cold War Leningrad — and he…
Beirut: When the US Embassy Annex Was Bombed
Melvin "Mac" McField was in a shoe store in Beirut when the walls shook. The radio said the American Embassy annex had just been bombed. He raced back to the compound. That night, the RSO came to the…
MSG DET Uganda: The Uzi, the Coup, the Condoms
In 1986, Staff Sergeant George Holguin arrived in Kampala, Uganda as a brand new detachment commander with one mission — establish the first permanent MSG detachment at the American embassy. Uganda…
Under Arrest: The Night the Yugoslav Secret Police Took an MSG
Jim Vetternik was an MSG at the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade when Yugoslav secret police arrested him outside a casino and threw him in an interrogation room. What happened over the next five hours is…
Midnight in Minsk: Standing Post When the World Might End
In this episode of the Post One Podcast, retired Marine Bill Gwaltney takes us back to the late 1990s and life as an MSG in Cold War Belarus. Bill shares what it was like standing post in Minsk…
Tehran 1979: Inside the First U.S. Embassy Takeover in Iran
Former MSG Glenn Parsons takes us inside the first takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979. Glenn arrived in Iran to 100,000 people chanting "Death to America" at the airport. Weeks later,…
The Fall of Saigon: From Dress Blues to Bayonets
Retired Master Gunnery Sergeant Doug Drummond takes us back to 1975 Saigon, where he served as a young Lance Corporal. Doug shares what it was like to go from standing post in Dress Blue Charlies to…
Karachi Under Siege: The Female MSG the Marine Corps Tried to Erase
In 1979, the Marine Corps opened the MSG program to women for the first time. Only a handful were selected. Vicki Gaglia-McGuire was one of them — and when given the choice of posts, she picked…
After the Bombing: Vienna, Yemen, and a Shady Ambassador
In Part Two of our conversation, Marine Security Guard veteran Cody McCabe reflects on life after the 1998 embassy bombing in Tanzania — from struggling through a low-morale post in Vienna to being…
Chaos and Courage: Inside the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam
On August 7, 1998, the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, was ripped apart by a terrorist bombing that changed lives forever. In this episode of the Post One Podcast, Marine Security Guard Cody…
Three Years, Three Posts: What Marine Security Guard Duty Really Looks Like
Darienzo Peña was a Marine Security Guard who served at U.S. embassies in Beijing, Jakarta, and Brussels. He survived the intensity of MSG school, where great Marines get voted off the program and…
Abandoned in Panama: The MSG Detachment Nobody Came to Save
In December 1989, the United States launched Operation Just Cause — a full-scale invasion of Panama. Nobody told Staff Sergeant Mike Pellow, the detachment commander at the U.S. Embassy, it was…
Burying Ghosts: A Marine's Account of the 1984 U.S. Embassy Bombing in Beirut
Marine veteran Richard Leydet reflects on his time as a Marine Security Guard during one of the most volatile periods in Beirut’s history. From surviving the embassy bombing to returning decades…
The Detachment Commander: Leadership, Paperwork, and Reporting to the Commandant
Retired Master Sergeant Josh Schenkler breaks down the demanding role of the Marine Security Guard Detachment Commander — a billet unlike any other in the Corps. He discusses the selection and…
On Our Own: An Attack on the U.S. Embassy in Tehran
On Valentine’s Day, 1979, the U.S. Embassy in Tehran was overrun. Former Marine Security Guard Henry Lojkuc believed he was about to be executed.In this episode, Henry describes being outnumbered,…
Sex, Espionage, and the U.S. Marines: The Clayton Lonetree Story
This conversation dives into the complex story of Clayton Lonetree, a Marine Security Guard whose romance with a KGB asset spiraled into one of the Cold War’s most debated espionage cases. Author…
Counterintelligence: The MSG’s Role on the Frontlines
In this episode, Former State Department Counterintelligence expert and RSO Robert Booth draws on decades of experience in diplomatic security to reveal the hidden world inside U.S. embassies. He…
Command Decision: Leading MSGs Through 9/11, the Bar Debate, and an Uncertain Future
In this second half of our two-part conversation, retired Colonel Steven Hasty reflects on his time as Commanding Officer of the Marine Security Guard Battalion — a role he took on just weeks before…
By Boat to Freedom: Evacuation of the U.S. Consulate in Can Tho
In April 1975, as South Vietnam collapsed, the Marines at the U.S. Consulate in Can Tho faced a mission no one had trained for: evacuating by boat. Retired Colonel Steven Hasty — the only Marine to…
Surviving San Salvador: The Deadliest Attack in MSG History
On June 19, 1985, gunmen disguised as Salvadoran soldiers opened fire in a crowded restaurant district of San Salvador targeting U.S. Marines. In minutes, twelve people were dead, including four…
Frequently Asked Questions
Post One: True stories from Marine Embassy Guards has published 22 episodes since January 2026, covering topics in Documentary, Society & Culture.
Post One: True stories from Marine Embassy Guards is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 57m.
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