Episodes

  • Desert Rat Testament, Episode 37

    Desert Rat Testament, Episode 37
    Dec 18 2025
    Host Mark Schauer talks with Jerry Mayer, who grew up as an Army brat but served in the Navy from 1965 to 1986. He worked as a civilian at Naval Air Facility El Centro for 13 years before working at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground from 2009 to 2021.
    Show More Show Less
    13 mins
  • Desert Rat Testament, Episode 36

    Desert Rat Testament, Episode 36
    Sep 8 2025
    Host Mark Schauer talks with Lt. Col. (ret.) Robert Rutledge, a retired Marine who served in the infantry from 1968 to 1970 and as an officer from 1975 to 2002. A Vietnam Veteran and Purple Heart recipient, after retiring from active duty he was a civilian pilot at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground from 2002 to 2015. He has spent decades volunteering with local community groups such as the Caballeros de Yuma.
    Show More Show Less
    11 mins
  • Desert Rat Testament, Episode 35

    Desert Rat Testament, Episode 35
    Jul 30 2025
    Host Mark Schauer talks with Chief Warrant Officer 4 (ret.) Jay Stokes, a Green Beret who served in uniform from 1974 to 1998 and was instrumental in relocating the U.S. Military Freefall School to Yuma Proving Ground in the 1990s. In retirement, he set the world record for most parachute jumps in 24 hours in 2006. A former president of the U.S. Parachute Association, he was inducted into the International Skydiving Hall of Fame in 2018.
    Show More Show Less
    16 mins
  • Desert Rat Testament, Episode 34

    Desert Rat Testament, Episode 34
    Jul 2 2025
    Host Mark Schauer talks with Gary Magrino, who while on active duty served as transportation officer for U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground from 1982 to 1985. He and his wife loved the Yuma community so much they stayed in town, where he became prominent in the local business community. He founded the Greater Yuma Port Authority and today serves as Business Development Officer for the Cocopah Tribe.
    Show More Show Less
    14 mins
  • Desert Rat Testament, Episode 33

    Desert Rat Testament, Episode 33
    Jun 4 2025
    Host Mark Schauer talks with Darin Meeks, who after retiring as an Army 1st Sgt. worked as a geodetics technician at Yuma Proving Ground from 2005 until his retirement in 2025. Raised in Yuma County and widely known in the community, for 13 years of his 22-year active-duty career he was an Army and Army National Guard recruiter in Yuma.
    Show More Show Less
    11 mins
  • Desert Rat Testament, Episode 32

    Desert Rat Testament, Episode 32
    May 7 2025
    Host Mark Schauer talks with New York native Ron Basolet. After a 26-year active-duty career in the United States Marine Corps, Basolet brought his decades of experience in logistics to U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground's Combat Automotive Systems Division in 2006, at the height of the surge in Iraq. He retired in 2020 after a combined 40 years of service.
    Show More Show Less
    11 mins
  • Desert Rat Testament, Episode 31

    Desert Rat Testament, Episode 31
    Apr 8 2025
    Host Mark Schauer talks with Sgt. Maj. (ret.) Ronald Rodriguez, the son of a career Army veteran who served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. After a career as a Military Policeman, Rodriguez served for more than 20 years overseeing Yuma Proving Ground's Emergency Services and Emergency Management functions. He retired in March 2025 after a combined 46 years of service.
    Show More Show Less
    12 mins
  • Desert Rat Testament, Episode 30

    Desert Rat Testament, Episode 30
    Mar 12 2025
    Host Mark Schauer talks with Wayne Schilders, who grew up in Arkansas and enlisted in the National Guard during his junior year in high school. Joining the regular Army after graduation, Schilders trained in field artillery at Fort Sill and spent a year at Camp Stanley, South Korea before arriving at Yuma Proving Ground in 1982 at age 19. He was both Soldier of the Year and NCO of the Year while stationed here, then returned as a civilian employee at the conclusion of his second Army enlistment. An inductee into both the Honorable and Ancient Orders of St. Barabara that honor exceptional service in artillery, he retired as YPG's Armament Branch Chief in 2025.
    Show More Show Less
    14 mins