Episode 62: The Bull Riders

A cowboy is made in eight seconds. That's how long you have to last on a bull for it to count as a successful "ride." Anything less than that is a failure. Eight seconds, as the host of the 18th Airborne Corps podcast found out, is a lot harder than it sounds.   In episode 62 of the official podcast of the US Army, we'll meet a group of American Soldiers who are also professional and semi-professional bull riders.   Bull riding is an adrenaline rush. It initiates a sense of terror, power, and, once complete, relief. That's because it is INCREDIBLY dangerous....the bulls have no interest in your risk assessment. In fact, a professional bull rider is much more likely to be seriously injured than an NFL player.   Moises Silva, an Army Specialist stationed on Fort Bragg, has been riding bulls his entire life. He's been injured more than 20 times, cracked his skull, and spent a month in a coma. He's also gotten really good at hanging on and riding up to that eight seconds.   Casey Jones, another Army specialist, is one of the few woman Army bull riders. She absolutely loves everything about the sport: the training, working with the animals, the teamwork.   Both Moises and Casey join the podcast, both in the Fort Bragg studio and then at a rodeo in Hope Mills, North Carolina, for this episode.   One thing should be clear by the end of this episode: the host of this podcast will do ANYTHING to promote the 18th Airborne Corps podcast...to include risk serious injury at the hands of a 2,000-pound bull.   Find out how Moises and Casey engendered a sense of community with a small group of Fort Bragg Soldiers through this odd pastime. Find out what they got involved with bull riding, what they get out of it, and what they hope to achieve in the sport. Find out if our host can last two seconds on a bull.   The 18th Airborne Corps podcast is an official Department of Defense program. Recorded on Fort Bragg, North Carolina, a new episode is released every Tuesday.      Please subscribe to the 18th Airborne Corps podcast on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-18th-airborne-corps-podcast/id1547996961), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/15BMwodlZc84yiPK0AYSHq), or Stitcher (https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-doomsday-clock).   You won't miss any of the interesting guests or cool stories if you subscribe. We also ask you to leave a 5-star rating and a review, as these will help others find the program.