He played up the whole patriotism thing, repeating “Thank you for your service” a few times, and then hit up veterans and their organizations. He regularly interviewed people on his show like retired Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson, military wives, homeland security supporters, as well as soldiers presently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a veteran myself, I probably gave him the added credibility to go after a segment of our society respected and admired. Apparently it required getting a traitor onboard as well… It appears he found his man.
Rick Senninger finally is getting what he deserves. But he wasn’t alone. He and his partner, Captain Trip Bellard, ran up a tab of nearly $50,000 at our facility doing the Troop Talk show. In the end, Trip Ballard just turned his back on us and walked away after personally promising to help us out. This past fall, Bellard acknowledged taking more than $2,000 out of the Hero Radio Network bank account and promised to send it to us. That hasn’t happened. His shirking of his responsibility and misleading us about his intent, shows how bad character can be contagious. Rick and Trip, another fine example of conservative values being jettisoned when one’s personal comfort and wallet are at stake. Ray Hays PRC Digital Media Jacksonville, Florida
Texas-born, West Point grad, Captain Emory “Trip” Bellard appears to be one of Senninger’s partners in crime. Judging from the funding request that Trip posted on the Go Big networking site seeking $100k in start-up capital, his involvement and goals appear to mirror those of Senninger: target veterans and those who support and love them. When the “Troop Talk” show floundered to its end, Bellard in an August 20, 2007 email to Hays, seemingly blamed his audience for the lack of patriotism and support…
I appreciate all that you have done in support of Troop Talk and bringing the voices of our American Patriots forward to our nation. It is my sincere opinion that our military is fighting around the clock to defend our freedoms, but our country has yet to awaken to the reality of the time and fully mobilize for war. This ambivalence is dangerous and irresponsible. As many of our Presidential Candidates and Congressional Leaders are discussing defeat and withdrawal, the enemy is looking for new ways to exploit our new found weakness. Any minor defeat on the battlefield is used as propaganda for recruiting new waves of terrorists, but a withdrawal from Iraq or any major front in this war on terror will embolden generations of radical Islamists to take up arms in the fight against the great Satan. It has been my honor to facilitate the message of our brave heroes as they fight on distant shores, but it is with great reservation that I must resign the opportunity afforded me in Troop Talk. This past Sunday was my last show. I will be in later today, but I wanted to prepare you for the decision that I have made.
Respectfully, EMORY D. BELLARD III (TRIP) West Point Class of 1999, “With Duty in Mind” MIT Sloan Class of 2009, “mens et manus”
I’ve just received yet another email from a Marine presently stationed at Camp Pendelton who contributed to a respected veterans organization Senninger latched onto. Senninger later contacted this Marine and solicited $3000 cash from him. If any of you reading this have been approached by, or have given money to Rick Senninger or Trip Bellard for any of their radio adventures and feel you have not received the services promised (and have any correspondence via the Internet), please file an complaint with the FBI’s IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center).