After 9/11, Tom worked construction while he trained for the Navy and the grueling Navy SEAL program. Tom graduated from BUD/s, Airborne School and SQT, receiving his SEAL Trident in 2008. Tom joined SEAL Team One as a Breacher in 2008 and served until 2016 with four deployments including Iraq and Afghanistan. While still an active-duty Navy SEAL Pre-BUD/s Instructor (Lead Petty Officer LPO) stationed at Great Lakes Naval Recruit Training Command (RTC Great Lakes) in North Chicago, Illinois, Tom enrolled at Northwestern University as a full-time student and walked onto the football team as a linebacker after not playing football for 15 years. Tom played in the Big Ten for Pat Fitzgerald and the NU Wildcats from 2014-2016 at 32, 33, and 34 years old. James studied Journalism at the University of Missouri. James wrote his first novel in 1999 and cut his writing teeth in Chicago while owning 10 nightclubs and sports bars over many years. James owned a restaurant early in his career sponsored by the Mario and Michael Andretti IndyCar racing team owned by actor Paul Newman and Carl Haas. Andretti’s 1987 Indy car was in the main dining room. Also, James survived a restaurant partnership with martial arts action-star Steven Seagal during Seagal’s glory days following the breakout hit movie, Above the Law. James described the business relationship with Seagal as interesting. “It was before Seagal went to the other side.” James Pomerantz novels before The Breacher’s Playbook include Ghost Bandit, Undisclosed Sibling and The Spitting Image of My Father. James wrote a 2004 biography entitled They Call Me Sid Rock…Rodeo’s Extreme Cowboy. (Triumph Books, Chicago) The book was a colorful expose of Sid Steiner, 2002 PRCA World Champion Steer Wrestler. The Steiner family is Texas rodeo royalty. Sid’s father Bobby Steiner was a PRCA World Champion Bull Rider in 1973. James lost his wife, Mary, in 2019. They raised four kids in Winnetka, Illinois. James now resides in the Chicago area near his family. The Breachers Playbook: https://tactical16.com/product/the-breachers-playbook/ Today's Sponsors: Montana Knife Company: https://www.montanaknifecompany.com/ TrueWerk: Check out the full lineup and get 15 percent off your first order. https://www.truewerk.com/clearedhot
Full Episode
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back. Man, we got a banger of an episode for you today. All right. There are some cool things about my old job. A lot of people think that it is the, I don't know, the apex of what your life could potentially be. And I'm just here to tell you that if today's guest doesn't convince you that that's not the case, I don't know what to tell you.
So there's two people today, two guests, James and Tom. James, I met today. Tom, I served with in the military. Well, I can't say necessarily served directly with him. Apparently, I was a BUDS instructor at around the same time he went through. He has a memory of that. I do not. James, before we get into this, is, man, what a hell of a life the man has lived.
Worked in the bar space for quite some time. He's also an author of A very well-published author. And with Tom, they have created a novel, which is what we're going to get to. But the book is called The Breacher's Playbook. This is a fictional novel. But what I like about this kind of genre is that it's very similar to Jack Carr in many ways, meaning –
lot of truth woven in and when you know what you're looking for you can kind of tell about the authenticity and it speaks to you in that way and then if you just still want to be able to detach your mind you can go down the fictional route as well so i actually think it was james that reached out to me first and i need to read right off of what he wrote tom's background because it's ridiculous
Tom obviously went to Bud's and successfully graduated, served at SEAL Team 1 as a breacher. Before that, he was a professional MMA fighter, 7-0, no big deal. Joined the Navy after 9-11, 10-year career as a SEAL. Then he enrolled in Northwestern University and walked on and played D1 football as a linebacker when he was 32 to 34 years old.
What does somebody do after they've already done all of those things? I don't know. How about continue to stay in school and educate themselves author. Unbelievable. It just goes to show you that you are really limited by the barriers that you put in front of yourself. And I'm going to shut up. I'm going to let them talk for themselves. We're going to get into episode 380 with James and Tom.
Before that though, give me a quick sec. Let's pay the bills. Today's episode is brought to you by Montana Knife Company. I know everybody who listens to the show is familiar with the brand. Last week's episode was with the founder, Josh Smith. It was really cool. We combined like a little bit of a podcast with a little bit of a vlog. Go to montanaknifecompany.com.
Right now they're having a sale on their apparel. I'm actually wearing one of their shirts right now. That was accidental. I generally dress in the darkness, and whatever t-shirt is on top is going to be what I get. They just dropped their tactical line. We talked about that in last week's episodes. There are four knives associated with it. It's actually what I carry in my fanny pack as my EDC.
Not because I'm looking to get into a knife fight, but mostly because I like to open envelopes in boxes efficiently. These knives are ridiculously sharp. Please be careful. They have chef's knives. They have hunting knives. They have tactical knives. They have knives for people like Greg Putnam who work out on the Little Belt Cattle Co. Ranch. They have knives for people who are fishing.
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