Carson Spear. Warhawk Air Museum. What Freedom Costs.

Carson Spear is the Executive Director of the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa, Idaho, and he does not talk about service like it is a slogan.

Carson grew up inside a military museum built by his father to honor Vietnam veterans. He later served as an Army artillery forward observer during the Global War on Terror and was wounded in Iraq. In this conversation, he tells the truth about what that war actually felt like, what it did to people, and why preserving these stories matters.

Then we get into the Warhawk Air Museum itself. Not just the aircraft, although the aircraft are incredible. The Warhawk is a storybook about people, built around personal testimony, preserved histories, and a growing mission that is pulling national level attention toward Idaho.

If you care about history, veterans, aviation, or simply the cost of freedom, this episode is for you.

Visit the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa, Idaho. Come for the history of service and sacrifice. Leave with the stories.SEE EVENTS HERE:Warhawk Air Museum | US Military History | Nampa, IdahoSponsored by Old Arms of Idaho, LLC - Ambassadors to America's Heritage.

Time Stamped Highlights:

00:00 Opening. Carson Spear joins the Great Idaho Show
01:05 What the Warhawk Air Museum really is, a storybook about people
02:32 Carson’s origin story, growing up in a Vietnam era museum built by his father
05:25 Why honoring Vietnam veterans became a family mission
07:45 ROTC, artillery, forward observer life, and the training that saved lives
10:00 After 9 11, the question was not if, it was when
11:23 The Colt platoon leader role and why it mattered in Iraq
13:05 Fighting wildfires in Missoula as a military unit before deploying
15:00 Recon into Iraq and the reality of taking over that same sector later
16:03 FOB Falcon and the day and night rhythm of the mission
17:45 Civil affairs work, rebuilding schools, restoring electricity and water
20:00 Night operations, darkness, and the enemy’s preferred weapon, IEDs
21:25 First major contact, RPG impact, rollover, and a forty minute gun battle
27:20 The platoon reunion, brotherhood, and what twenty years changes
32:35 A 120 mm IED hit, crash into water, and the aftermath on the ground
40:00 Who the enemy really was, mercenaries, money, and chaos on the battlefield
44:20 Coming home, corporate life, and why service does not end when you leave
46:11 Rodeo as therapy, then law school and the drive to help veterans
52:14 Moving to Idaho, traveling the region, and the cost of being gone too much
54:35 Mission 43, what it is and why it works for veterans and spouses
58:40 How Mission 43 connected Carson to the Warhawk Air Museum role
1:03:19 The museum’s foundation, John and Sue Paul, and the warbird community
1:08:28 Kilroy Coffee Klatch and why it is a powerful veteran gathering
1:11:47 Building the maintenance hangar and the Panther jet restoration
1:17:19 The Global War on Terror expansion and the 9 11 exhibit
1:20:00 Veterans History Project with the Library of Congress
1:21:42 How the museum pursued modern airframes, the paperwork, and the validation
1:26:00 What patriotism looks like when a mission unifies people
1:27:45 Upcoming events. Kilroy Coffee, Rosie the Riveter Day, Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day
1:30:00 Memorial Day at the museum and why it matters
1:31:14 Warbird Roundup Air Show, Colonel Kim Campbell, and what is coming
1:33:10 Wrap. Why Warhawk is a national treasure in the Treasure Valley

Time stamped highlights