12/16/2025: If By Whiskey welcome Dan McKnight of Defend the Guard

In this episode of If By Whiskey, Mark welcomes Dan McKnight, founder of Defend the Guard and Bring Our Troops Home, for a sober and urgent conversation about the expanding use of America’s National Guard far beyond U.S. borders.

Together, they examine the constitutional questions surrounding the deployment of National Guard units overseas—who has the authority, where that authority ends, and what it means when guardsmen are placed in harm’s way without a formal declaration of war. The discussion confronts the real-world consequences of these policies, including the deaths of two Iowa National Guardsmen in Syria and the recent attacks on two Guard members in Washington, D.C.

This episode moves past slogans and soundbites to focus on accountability, constitutional limits, and the human cost borne by citizen-soldiers and their families. A critical listen for anyone concerned about civil-military authority, foreign entanglements, and the future of the National Guard in an era of endless conflict.

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