Whiskey and Warstories

About Whiskey and Warstories

Hosted by a military vet turned law enforcement and a second law enforcement veteran with decades on the beat, Whiskey & Warstories pairs experience with perspective. We dive into raw, real conversations about resilience, service, and what it means to lead in high-stakes environments. From surviving trauma to navigating transitions, each episode blends grit, humor, and brutal honesty. No fluff, just two warriors and their guests pulling back the curtain on the lives behind the uniform.

Publisher

Jaime and Ryan

Category

health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

22 May 2023

Latest episode

26 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

57 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   26 Oct 2026

   Season 4, Episode 5: Bullets, Pranks, and Brotherhood — Old-School Pomona w/ John "Smurf" Smith

   This week, the boys sit down with retired Pomona PD officer John "Smurf" Smith, a graveyard cop from the era when reports were handwritten, the only crime map was a cop's intuition, and mental health meant one thing: suck it up and go back to work.John takes us back to the nights that made him. A ride-along that turned into a shootout, a suspect who tried to run down two officers and caught a bullet through the trunk, through the cage, for his trouble, and a training night where he stuffed his whole body behind a fire hydrant while rounds cracked past him. He tells us about the graveyard shift where he had to lock up one homicide scene and run to a second one across town because there was nobody else, and about his third shooting in a single year, the one that followed him home in nightmares.But it wasn't all gunfire. This is the same John who stole the seven-foot McGruff the Crime Dog and left him on Chief Joe Romero's front porch, and whose Milk-Bone pranks had the chief demanding the prankster be found and fired. Between the stories, the boys get into what's been lost and gained: whether Flock cameras and crime stats are costing cops their street intuition, AI body-cams that write your report before you're even back at the station, and how a department that once offered nothing now has wellness policies, peer support, and counseling.And through it all, one thing never changed. The brotherhood meant more than the paycheck. Like John says, he never worked a day in his life.🥃 Whiskey of the episode: Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Tennessee Whiskey, 100 proof, smooth enough that Murphy would be proud.Pull up a chair, pour a glass, and join the conversation.🔔 Subscribe for more real stories from the front lines.

2. 

   24 Aug 2026

   Season 4, Episode 4: Surviving the Ambush w/ Retired PPD Detective Roger Iwig

   This week, your Hosts Jaime and Ryan sit down with retired Pomona Police Detective Roger Iwig to talk about what it meant to be an old-school cop during one of the city's toughest eras. We dive into what it was really like patrolling the streets of Pomona during the crack cocaine epidemic in the 1990s and the untaught instinct required to stay proactive and hunt criminals.Iwig takes us back to the harrowing night of December 3rd, when a routine traffic stop on a 1990 Dodge van near Hamilton Boulevard and Monterey Street turned into a fight for survival. He breaks down the chaotic moments when gang members jumped out and sprayed automatic gunfire at his patrol car. We hear firsthand how he managed to blindly drive to safety while lying on his seat, escaping with only glass in his eyes from the shattered windshield. It's a stark reminder of the realities on the street, especially considering the shooters were ultimately sentenced to at least 28 years to life in prison.Beyond the gunfire, we discuss the quiet aftermath of the shooting and how it changed him both professionally and personally. Iwig shares his journey of transitioning from chasing criminals on the street to investigating homicides, revealing the cases that still stay with him today. We also reflect on how policing and officer wellness have evolved since he first put on the uniform, and what today's officers can learn from the veterans who paved the way.Pour a glass of bourbon, pull up a chair, and join the conversation.Subscribe for more real stories from the front lines. #WhiskeyAndWarStories #RogerIwig #PomonaPD #OfficerSurvival #HomicideDetective #BlantonsBourbon #Podcast

3. 

   10 Jul 2026

   Season 4, Episode 3: The Prosecutor's Burden w/ Head DA Jason Anderson

   This week, your Hosts Jaime and Ryan sit down with San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson, a man who has carried the immense emotional weight of the criminal justice system for decades. Having been a member of the California State Bar since 1997, Anderson cut his teeth as a deputy district attorney handling some of the most horrific cases imaginable, dedicating 13 years specifically to the Crimes Against Children Unit. A lot of people think prosecutors are just attorneys reading case files, but they don't always see the raw reality of the job. Anderson gets candid about the trauma, the grieving families, and the specific cases that followed him home. We dive deep into a side of law enforcement that rarely gets talked about... prosecutor wellness and the burden of seeing the exact same crime scenes and autopsy photos as the officers on the street. He explains how he didn't let prosecuting crimes against children turn him completely cynical about humanity, and how he protected his family life from the heavy stress of the profession. Taking the helm as the 36th District Attorney in 2018 after taking over from Michael Ramos, and recently winning his third term, Anderson stepped into leadership when public trust in the justice system was heavily questioned. We discuss how it isn't always easy to balance his mission of strict accountability with compassion, honoring the humanity of all involved in the justice system, and what it takes to restore a culture of service and accountability to the DA's office. Pull up a chair, pour a glass, and join the conversation. 🔔 Subscribe for more real stories from the front lines. #WhiskeyAndWarStories #JasonAnderson #SanBernardinoDA #ProsecutorWellness #Leadership #CriminalJustice #Podcast

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

13 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

36 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 47 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

65

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

71

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.