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The Guest List Podcast with The Intergalactic Funkateers
Sonar Da Funky One and Kenny Howard are members of the music production crew "The Intergalactic Funkateers" and the members of the Funk, Jazz, RnB, and Hip Hop band "Shattered Aspirations". They will take a light hearted view and sometime comical discussion about pop culture, all things music, and interesting people on their grind.
The Guest List Podcast with The Intergalactic Funkateers
From the Frontline to Family Life: The Greene's Insight into Veterans' Transition
We're excited to bring you a conversation that's close to our hearts, as we sit with the Greene's, hosts of the Talk It Out show on the ASEX network. This power couple offers a rare insight into their journey of creating their groundbreaking show, which shines a light on the oft-overlooked issues faced by military families. Their candid take on being the only pair in their circle who've opted for counseling is a testament to their commitment to fostering transparent conversations in relationships and friendships.
Roll up your sleeves as we delve into the nitty-gritty of marriage counseling and mental health awareness, specifically targeting military families. We take a hard look at the unique challenges veterans grapple with when they hang up their uniforms and transition back to civilian and family life. Hear firsthand the impact of Norman's deployment on his loved ones, and the inherent difficulties of reintegration. Military spouses, you're not forgotten - we discuss the pressures you face and the support available to you.
Our chat with the Greene's also provides a sneak peek into the future of Talk It Out, revealing upcoming topics from step parenting to mental health, and even hints at a surprise guest. Learn about their collaboration with the ASEX Network, the heartwarming feedback they've garnered, and their vision for the future. We also touch on the often-underappreciated sacrifices of single military parents and the priceless value of care packages to soldiers on deployment. Join us on this journey with the Greene's, a discussion you won't want to miss.
The Greene's
Da Funky One
Studio
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Welcome to the guest list. Alright, everyone, welcome to the guest list. Today's guests we have with us the Greene's. The Greens have a show on the ASEX network called Talk It Out, and they talk about family issues and different issues they have or different things that can help others when it comes to being a military family. So having them here they actually, you know, we looked at a couple episodes myself. I started to see a couple things I didn't know. So let's get it started. Welcome to the Greens, welcome everyone.
Norman Greene:Yeah, so I mean it's kind of weird, i don't know Like you're my uncle, so like it's like it's like you know I'm one of my uncles, like it's like it's probably should be like reverse, right, like it's okay, um, but uh, yeah, it's kind of cool, um, you know family, i mean, you know we got to stick together, right, so absolutely.
Sonar Da Funky One:There was so many things that I've learned that I didn't know about you two.
Denise Greene:You know it's like as family.
Sonar Da Funky One:we kind of see each other when, when something bad happens or something good happens, everyone gets together. We kind of talking, we always say, oh well, we'll, we'll see, uh, we'll keep up with each other. but it's kind of hard to keep up with each other because it's a lot going on And it was very interesting, you know, uh, watching you guys and listen to you. It definitely opened a whole new insight and and I understand, norman, that you were in the military, but just understanding, i didn't know Denise was going through all the stuff that you were going through.
Denise Greene:Yeah.
Sonar Da Funky One:It's it's amazing. It's amazing. What made you guys and this is just for me like, after watching it and listen to you, i see the need for what you're doing, but what made you decide to do that?
Norman Greene:So, um, it's something that we kind of like came up with right, because we would talk to different couples and bounce ideas off of each other. They would come over, you know, we would sit over with, um, you know with food or over drinks or stuff like that, and what would end up happening is is that, you know, we would just talk about each other's experiences, and me and Denise, you know, on a conversation with ourselves, we were like, hey, what if we could record what we're talking about? And that's that's how it all came about. I mean, you know, it just was one of those things where it was like we're being completely transparent with our friends, but what if other?
Norman Greene:people needs to hear this. So what we ended up doing was we just we started off with just a GoPro and we just started recording ourselves, like just having these conversations. And, to be honest with you, these are conversations that we have had before. So I mean, you know, it's all about those tough conversations, right? That relationships, marriages or, you know, boyfriend and girlfriend just starting off, they just don't want to have these are those taboo conversations. So that's how it all came about.
Denise Greene:Yeah, and we are the only couple within our friend circle, i think with the counseling at that time. So they will come to us and bounce off ideas and, you know, go from there. And then, once we did that, we was like yo, we got to start recording, we got to start having these conversations on camera, just like what Norm says.
Sonar Da Funky One:So, that's how it was. You say counseling. Are you talking marriage counseling or therapy, like for your own personal?
Denise Greene:marriage counseling. Okay, and that's what started the conversations between us.
Norman Greene:So what did you learn from that? So what we learned was we learned a lot about each other. And you know, when people think about marriage counseling, the first thing they think of is, hey, they're going to marriage counseling And if it doesn't work, that's it. However, what people don't remember is that you're going to counseling, but you're actually counseling yourself as an individual as well, even though you guys are together. So it's both things. It's both people have to work on each other. You have to work on yourselves before you can work on each other. So you know, when we went to counseling, it was a eye opener to us to say, like because he made us have those tough conversations. Yeah, like, right there in front of him, he was the mediator, but what that ended up doing was that allowed us to be able to have those tough conversations.
Denise Greene:And I don't think we would have went to counseling if Norman didn't go to Afghanistan Like when he came back. that's when it was like yo, we need counseling because he was a different person when he came back. I was a different person when he came back.
Sonar Da Funky One:So you know, we just had to talk together. You say different. What do you mean?
Denise Greene:What's his personality? His personality, the way he act, the way he, you know, just did certain things He didn't know. I mean, i guess, integrating back with me and the kids, things was just different. The kids were taking care of themselves, things was getting done in a certain way, because we had to learn how to operate without him. So did you feel?
Sonar Da Funky One:like Norman, did you feel, like like you didn't have a place anymore?
Norman Greene:Correct. That's exactly how I felt. That's how I felt. I felt as though I could stand in the middle of the hallway or the middle of a room, in the middle of the house, and the house would be moving and everyone would be moving without me, like as if, almost as if like remember I'm probably gonna age myself, but remember the movie Ghosts where he would just stand there and everything was going on around him and like nobody could see him. So that's what it feels like And, like Denise said, you know I was different, she was different, but the one thing that wasn't different we had been married for a year at that point. So I mean, you know it is definitely a transition And you know, just like I said in the episode, i'm not gonna spoil it for whoever wants to view the episode, but just like I said in the episode, this is a big reason why a lot of veterans, you know they can't withstand it and they end up committing suicide, and it's one of those things where you know, we wanna bring awareness to that as well.
Sonar Da Funky One:You know I was doing some research after watching episodes and things I didn't know There's a website I mean, give them props called dosomethingorg. What I didn't know was that only 5% of military spouses are men, 95% of women and they're most under 35. And there's a lot of pressure if you're not there, like I think you said it and I'm gonna ruin it, but it's almost like a death when you're not there. You know what I mean, i guess from what I heard from you, like, how do you is that correct? Or is almost like a single? you know you're single every time you go away.
Norman Greene:I mean to a certain degree, like so what happens is when you go away, like I only can give you the solution I can't really give you. the problem at this point And I think the solution is is that you have to understand when you do go on those deployments, you go away. That's not real life, like that's not your life. That's not what your life is about, It's just temporary And you know you have to get through it that way. You can't just go and just say, okay, well, i'm here, because it's not your natural life, not natural way of living. So you just have to go into it with a different type of mindset And then, when you get home, snap back into reality.
Sonar Da Funky One:Yes, it's interesting that you say that way. I'm sorry. Go ahead, denise.
Denise Greene:No, I was just saying not everybody is capable of just bouncing back. Yeah, very true When you came home, when Norman came home from his deployment from Afghanistan, it was so many troops that came back with him. That was just messed up. The families were messed up, they were getting divorces. It was just a lot of things going on, a lot of different moving parts, and I just think God he came back and we were able to fix it.
Sonar Da Funky One:That's pretty good.
Sonar Da Funky One:I mean, i guess there was a lot of things that I've learned from you two that I never really thought about, like I've never looked at it so much from the viewpoint that you do, denise, like we're so used to saying, like, as far as Norman going out there, like he's out in the military, and I guess it's a man thing, i didn't even see it from your perspective And it gave me a whole new insight and a whole new empathy about the things that you go through And it's probably a lot of people go through.
Sonar Da Funky One:And that's why I think one of the things that's so important is hearing your voice, because I think a lot of times people like you and things you're going through just don't get heard. I think that's one good thing about this show, because I think in the second episode I was looking at for his mental health And that was very important to see that. And I think in our community how you guys feel about this, but when it comes to seeing the therapist we kind of always shy away from it. We're always told like kind of suck it up or don't talk about it or just deal with it. You want to talk?
Norman Greene:about that, or you want to talk about it.
Denise Greene:Yeah, i just feel like it's a stigma and people say, oh, if you go to a therapist, you will win for it. If you go to the therapist, like, what do you want to a therapist for? What can they do for you? What you want to do? Sit there and just talk. But sometimes you do need to talk about it. They're not looking at it from a different point of view, you know? I mean, i know for me it helped a lot And it also depends on who you go see.
Norman Greene:And I will add to that from a man's perspective. Unfortunately, we are raised or we were raised, because I try my best not to do this to my kids now We were raised as men, as boys, to hold our feelings in. We were raised as men, as boys, to not cry. It was like not supposed to happen. Under those circumstances, We were raised to don't show our feelings, don't show our emotions. That's how we were raised And when we were raised that way, that's not a knock against our parents, but it was an unconscious thing.
Norman Greene:Because the thing is is that once you get older as a man, you just keep stacking it on, stacking it on, stacking it on. You're stacking on the issues And now until you explode, and now you have a mental breakdown. And this is what causes and to me, in my opinion, when you have these mental breakdowns in relationships, this is what causes domestic violence, this is what causes violence against your kids. This is what actually causes those arguments, because we explode as men. From a man's perspective, we explode And that is a habit that we have to get out of as men, teaching these young men It's okay to show your emotions, it's okay to talk to a therapist, it's okay to talk to someone. You don't have to just walk around with all these burdens on your shoulders, because nine times out of 10, if you talk to someone, someone else has been through it already.
Sonar Da Funky One:I guess it's the same when you get sick and go to a doctor for physicals. So your brain and I guess we know a lot more that even mental illness could contribute to physical illness Yeah, absolutely, That's very interesting, man. So what are some of the other things you guys will discuss through different episodes? Tell them what you want to talk.
Denise Greene:Go ahead.
Sonar Da Funky One:One of the things that step parenting was one of the things right.
Norman Greene:Yeah, we do have an episode that's about step parenting. We have an episode about finances. We definitely have an episode about finances, which is a good episode. We have the episode as far as mental health is concerned, and then we just have a couple episodes. that's just like you know us just having conversations. It's not, like you know, based off of anything. we bounce around ideas, and we also have another episode that's a guess. We're not going to disclose the guess yet, but we have an episode that's a guess. So we just want to keep the viewers going. you know, keep everything going as far as, like, you know what we're talking about And, like I said, it's those topics that no one wants to talk about. you know, nobody sits down to have a conversation. You might have a conversation about how you pay bills, but you're not going to have a conversation about how you. you know this is how we should do it And you know the man might think you should do it this way, the woman might think you should do it that way. Who will count?
Denise Greene:A lot of times And where the money's going, yeah, a lot of times it just ends up that way.
Norman Greene:You don't necessarily sit down and talk about it, unfortunately. So yeah, we, you know we have a couple, a couple good episodes coming. We don't want necessarily ruin everything.
Denise Greene:You got to stay tuned every Wednesday at six o'clock.
Sonar Da Funky One:Yeah, so.
Denise Greene:New show.
Sonar Da Funky One:So how did you guys get connected with ASEX Network?
Norman Greene:Oh man, Did I say correctly Yeah, yes, yes. So a good friend of mine, he's into video productions. His name is Chris Pernell, he's into video production And he's into, he does, he does, oh man, photography, he does a lot.
Denise Greene:Jack of all trades.
Norman Greene:Yeah, he's, he does a lot When it comes to a camera. You know he does it all, and this is a good friend of mine that I grew up with in Southwest And what ended up happening was that he approached us.
Denise Greene:He's seen a couple of our early episodes?
Norman Greene:Yeah, he approached us and just was like hey, would you be interested? And you know, i have a startup network. Would you be interested? And you know, hey, all right.
Denise Greene:Sure, give it a try. Yeah, and we went. It's been go ever since.
Sonar Da Funky One:We went from there. So you guys have shot how many episodes? I think it was 10, you told me.
Norman Greene:Total at 10. 10 episodes so far.
Sonar Da Funky One:So what is it like now that you're doing? I guess you are expanding into this universe of broadcasting and kind of sharing your life with others and doing these episodes. What is that like for?
Denise Greene:you.
Norman Greene:We gotta answer that individually.
Denise Greene:For me it's no different from us doing it on our own. As far as the content, sometimes I was like should I share that? But I know it's gonna help someone and someone might be going through the same thing that we are or that we were going through before we had the conversation. So I don't mind sharing. I'm comfortable with it, it's cool.
Sonar Da Funky One:Are there moments where you might share something. You might think I should have said that.
Denise Greene:Yes, I'll look at Norm like you wanna cut that?
Sonar Da Funky One:out. You wanna keep it in.
Denise Greene:And he's like, let's keep going.
Sonar Da Funky One:What are one of those things?
Denise Greene:We can't tell you that We? can't tell you that You're reaching.
Norman Greene:We can't tell you that far. We need people to watch to find that out.
Sonar Da Funky One:I guess I'll know something didn't go right. If I ever see Norm, I see a little bit of bruise underneath his eyeballs.
Norman Greene:Yeah, nah, so we haven't had. I will say this we have not had an argument yet after filming an episode. So we're doing good as far as that's concerned. As far as going into this world, it's very interesting for me because I'm really enjoying the feedback of the different people that's given us feedback. I mean, I've gotten feedback from a 19-year-old all the way to a 60-year-old, So that means that we're reaching different generations, which is definitely. that definitely was the goal.
Sonar Da Funky One:What are some of the feedback that you've got? What are certain some of the things that you've touched people that they come back and talk to you about?
Norman Greene:So I think, believe it or not, the most popular thing was close friends just saying, hey, i didn't know you guys went through that, exactly what you were saying. Like you know, i didn't know that you guys actually endured all of that and they didn't know the timeline, they didn't know our timeline. So, like a lot of people had no idea, that's the most interesting feedback that I've gotten, or the most popular feedback that I've gotten. Really haven't gotten any negative feedback, so it's been pretty cool as far as the different feedback that we've gotten.
Sonar Da Funky One:How about you, Denise?
Denise Greene:Just positive feedback. That's it. You guys are doing a good job And you know they really love the content, how we interact with each other. Other than that, that's about it, so I'm excited, thank you for you guys to see all the other episodes.
Sonar Da Funky One:So what are, like? you have your episodes. Now that you know, you have your list of episodes, but is there anything that you would like to talk about, or I guess that you would love to have, like, what do you see this moving forward?
Denise Greene:That's a good question.
Norman Greene:So I would like us to do like a live episode, And when I say live, I mean like at a venue, Like with a live audience. I think me and Denise have enough to draw people in to a live conversation, whether it's a Q&A, whether it's a, you know us actually talking about a topic and we take questions on the topic. That's where I would like to see us going with it. And I also would like to see us have different guests. And when I say different guests, I don't, we do not. I'm not going to say I, but we do not just want to do just married couples. We would like to have couples. We would like to have people that's divorced. We would like to have same sex marriage couples. You know, it's things like that.
Norman Greene:Making it very diverse. So we're reaching everyone because everyone has a message and everyone has a message that they would like to share. Like you know, like the big thing about someone being divorced, it's like, okay, so what better person really to get marriage advice and what not to do from someone that's divorced? when you really think about it, he or she will be able to tell you exactly what to do and what not to do. So I mean, you know, we want to. That's kind of like where we want to go with the Do you think that being open and honest is important in all this.
Denise Greene:Absolutely.
Sonar Da Funky One:Yeah.
Norman Greene:I mean that I think that's what people like to watch. I think the transparency of it and it's completely unscripted We wouldn't be able to repeat one of these episodes, even if we try it, because it's literally us having a conversation about it. We might have had a conversation about it before, but I mean it's just literally. just you know us talking about it right then and there. So I mean the transparency is what we try to keep throughout these episodes when we're filming.
Denise Greene:Right. So, and it's our honest opinions, it's what we think, it's you know, so we can't duplicate that.
Sonar Da Funky One:How are the kids getting through this? You know, because now you're home, but obviously when you weren't home you said that coming back home you kind of felt like an outsider. So how do the kids cope through all this? Because I'm sure they miss you, but at the same time they figure out how to to, i guess, keep things moving, so to speak.
Denise Greene:So when he got home our 18-month-old didn't know who he was. We had to put the screen up like a Skype screen, because we would Skype all the time, we ageing ourselves again, and we would have to put Norman's face up on Skype and then say, look, dad, dad. And he would say, you know, dad, dad, he knew him as Dad, but through the computer screen And we just had to do that And you know, we're like look, he's right there and kind of like put it up to him for him to realize that that was the same person. So it took a long time to adjust. You know, our eight-year-old and two-year-old they were pretty much fine but still trying to adjust It was the baby that had the hardest time because he didn't want Norman to pick him up. He didn't want to, you know, deal with him at all because he thought he was a stranger.
Norman Greene:How did it feel, Norman? Horrible. It was my worst and hardest part of actually going through the deployment. Even what I went through over there was nothing compared to that feeling. I don't wish it on anyone, I don't. It was horrible, That's the best word I can give it to you, because you know I went. When I left he was six months. I had him mostly every day, and then for me to come home and he didn't know me, even though realistically I knew that was a possibility. But when it hit me, the emotions just it was horrible, Like I mean, you know I had breakdowns, like right in front of Denise, like you know, at that time, and it just was like my child doesn't know me. So it was, it was pretty bad. It was pretty bad, Like it's a horrible feeling.
Sonar Da Funky One:So how did you get through that?
Norman Greene:Oh man, like counseling, that was a big part of it, and also just the fact of just spending time with them. Yeah, spending time with them and getting them to know me all over again. It was like as if like I might as well had it not and been there when he was born. That's how it felt. Like it just was, like it didn't really mean anything, because it was like starting all over again. So getting them to trust me again, like you know and I just think about so much, i think about a lot of things when it comes to that Like what's the difference between and this is a very strong statement, but what's the difference between me doing that and someone that's incarcerated, that comes home? they're incarcerated, they're away from their family too, just like I was. But we, we revered the military, right? We say that the military is. You know, it's a great thing, you're serving your country, you're right.
Sonar Da Funky One:But But the kid has another difference, like if you are incarcerated or you're working all the time, for whether you're and technically that's what you are you're a way for business, just your business can mean you might not come home. But you know, i remember I had a gig when I was working for the military where I was away for 50 weeks out of a year. That was a difficult situation to come back home because, like I said, you feel like an outsider. But the question I have for you is that you know, at some point you know you came back. You know I've gone through listening to things you came back and you were out, but you made the decision to go back.
Norman Greene:All right. So what happened was all right. It's actually a little bit jumbled. So what happened was when I joined the military, i did six years And my first appointment I didn't have kids yet. I went to Iraq, me and Denise didn't even know each other yet. And when we, me and Denise, met each other and she got pregnant with our first son, i decided to get out of. You know, i didn't sign back up. after the first six years I didn't sign back up and I got out for a while. And when I got out, you know I was out about nine to 10 months, maybe give or take Almost a year, almost a year. And you know I had a conversation with Denise at the time and I said, hey, i feel like something's missing, i feel like I didn't accomplish what I need to accomplish and I need to get back in. So that's what I did. I got back into military, i re-enlisted, got back in, but then she got pregnant with our son.
Denise Greene:Aiden.
Norman Greene:And then I was getting deployed, So it just was like everything that I tried to stop ended up happening anyway with our second son instead of our first son. So you know, it ended up happening anyway as I got back in and we just endured it And right before I left, that's when we actually physically got married.
Sonar Da Funky One:How did that make you feel, Denise?
Denise Greene:As far as what?
Sonar Da Funky One:Well, i mean now he's going back. You're pregnant, you're having a child and he's going. How did that make you feel?
Denise Greene:So when he signed back up, i was okay with it, i was fine. I knew he was missing it, i knew he didn't accomplish what he set out to accomplish. So, you know, i was all for it. When I got pregnant with our second son, i was okay, i was fine. You know, he proposed and then, right after we got engaged, he found out that he was getting deployed. You know, i knew it was coming. It was like smooth selling, you know, and he kept dodging it And so I knew it was going to happen. I knew it was going to eventually happen, so I was okay with it. When he actually left, that's when I felt it After I had Aiden Aiden was about six months, like I said, after he left, that's when I actually felt it I was like dang this ain't it.
Denise Greene:This right here. this ain't it, Because you can have all the help in the world.
Denise Greene:But at night when you have a six month old crying and you up by yourself, and then a two year old wakes up, and so then you got to pin for the two year old too, and then you got the eight year old in the bed with you as well. It's like yo, i'm a single parent. That's how I felt, and I mean I had help throughout the day. You know, of course, when they went to daycare. I come from a big family, so I did have that support of my mom and my siblings, but it's not the same. It's not the same as having someone there with you.
Sonar Da Funky One:You know all the time Going through what you get through there. I know it's probably very stressful And I think in the one episode, norma, you said as far as you know, everyone says thank you for your service And again I'll say thank you for your service, but a lot of times that should be going towards the wife, who's still at home, like thank you for your service.
Norman Greene:Yeah, absolutely. You know, i was listening to a kind of strange day. I had nothing to do with each other, but I was listening to Denzel Washington one day And he was talking about how much he thanked his wife. Because, you know, obviously we're talking about Denzel Washington here. So the acting and the time away from home that he has to endure, i'm sure you know, shooting movies everywhere. He said you know, i didn't raise my kids, my wife raised my kids. I had nothing to do with it. If it wasn't for my wife, they wouldn't be. You know what they are today. And that is the truth.
Norman Greene:Like you know, sometimes, you know, as men, we have to provide, protect and provide. That's our natural job as men. And sometimes, the way we do these things, we don't necessarily pay attention to how that's affecting your spouse. We don't necessarily pay attention to that. So they, you know, all the credit to them. Like you know what I mean All the credit to them. No-transcript. I try to say, hey, she might not be able to do what I'm doing as far as being deployed and everything that comes with that, but I might not be able to do what she's doing as well. So that's something that we don't necessarily look at all the time, and it's very, very important. It's very, very important to you know. Give them their respect too, because I mean, at the end of the day, they're at war too, right along with you. It's just that it's a different war. So, yeah, it's tough.
Sonar Da Funky One:Did you find things when you came back? you know, you know you hear of PTSD and a lot of things that you go through like because you go through the trauma of going through it when you're away as far as dealing with war. But then you come home and again I don't know. I'm going by what I see and what I hear. That you know, you know you. Just things don't seem right when you come back. Have you had the adjustment?
Norman Greene:It's a huge adjustment, i mean for what I do in the military. First of all I do convoys, which is basically getting everything from point A to point B within country within a war, and I mean your alert level is so high It's that it becomes. It becomes very hard to just go through everyday life. I mean it's something that I still fight with to this day. I mean you know I mean from that just everyday life, going outside all the way to, you know, just going to sleep at night, like you know, i still had nightmares to this day. It's certain things that you know I go through mentally, that I have to overcome, and it's tough, it's very tough And it's just one of those things that you know you end up living with it. And you know the problem is is that with PTSD, we automatically these days equate PTSD to just the military. But what about the guy who grows up in a poverty neighborhood? you know that has seen things. That's post-traumatic stress as well. So I mean you know it comes in different ways.
Sonar Da Funky One:So, that being said, like again what we don't do, a lot of times we don't see it from the perspective of the wife. So how did that affect you, seeing Norman go through those things when he came back?
Denise Greene:Well, that's one of the reasons why we went to counseling, because his attitude was different. He was jumpy, every little thing stressed him out And it was like yo, you need help, you know. So I connected with a couple of therapists at my job because I'm in a healthcare field And they had recommended someone And we wound up going to him. His name is John McWilliams. He's awesome, but he did an excellent job with us?
Denise Greene:Yes, absolutely. He did an excellent job and it saved our marriage. Because when Norm came back, you got to remember it was stuff on the news when everybody was coming back from Afghanistan, people were really having a hard time. Ptsd is real. They were shooting like killing themselves, shooting their families. It was a couple of stories that they came back in. You know, one guy killed his wife, one guy had his wife trapped in you know, i don't know if it was a closet or what, but threatening her with a weapon. It was just all these different stories I was hearing And so it just made me scared. It made me scared for me, my kids, you know, and overall, just being there with him, i was scared for him. So counseling was the best thing we could have did at that time.
Sonar Da Funky One:Well, thank you, you had the courage to go.
Denise Greene:Yeah, absolutely.
Norman Greene:And the answer was Denise is saying like you know, obviously when you get married they say for better or worse, you know sickness and health and all of that. But I say this as lightly but as seriously as possible. She didn't sign up for that. So, like, who am I to say that she has to go through that? So yeah, in order to keep her, I got to go get some type of help.
Denise Greene:I can't be naive to that fact.
Norman Greene:Like that's not.
Sonar Da Funky One:that's not what she signed up for, so you know knowing that, like I said, norma asked you this question first, going through other things you're going through, knowing that you know Denise did not sign up for this and and and her struggles. Looking back now, would you go through this again the same way Or would you do it differently?
Sonar Da Funky One:Oh man, that's a tough one, i mean because, let me say this, there's this, obviously this positive pros and cons to everything we do. So there's definitely a lot of good things that come out of being a part of the military, yeah, you know, but there's other things to that as well. That's why I'm asking you, like what would you do differently, or would you do anything different?
Norman Greene:Honestly, i don't think I would do anything differently Just because I know that when, when I was over there, the positive that came out of all of this was that I think me and Denise communicate on an altogether different level. We have the ability to communicate on an altogether different level, and we did everything we could as far as communicating with each other that year that I was gone, and we do benefit from the military. So I can't necessarily say that I would not do it As far as anything differently. To be honest with you, i think between what Denise did and what I did, we were as close to perfect as humanly possible as far as communicating with each other. So I'm just going to say that I wouldn't do anything different.
Sonar Da Funky One:What about you, Denise? If you had the option to just have a go back in time, what would you do differently?
Denise Greene:Um nothing. I feel like things worked out how they did And I mean I'm happy with the results, like we're here today.
Sonar Da Funky One:So you sort of like maybe believe in fate, like no matter what, this was fated to happen, the way that it happened, and sometimes I do Okay.
Denise Greene:I do, and I feel like him being away for that year it made me stronger, like I had to navigate, like. so I grew up. my mom she was a single parent. It's eight of us, same mom, same dad. Um and I had to take care of my siblings. My mom worked two jobs right. When Norman left, i had to kick into being a single mom, you know, and I think it just made me a stronger person overall. So I wouldn't change anything. You know what I mean. Because when he's away now, i jumped right back into that mode All right, kids, what we got to do, you know. so it just made me a stronger person and I wouldn't change anything.
Sonar Da Funky One:So, like I said, so you made your stronger person. I guess you had no choice. You know to kind of guess, you know, I don't know the proper term for it, but um, but communication is definitely one of those things that you said that you've you came out of it, the better, for, so to speak.
Denise Greene:Yes, because you got to think I couldn't really see him like that. you know, when he went out on missions, sometimes I didn't talk to him for about three, four days. So you know writing him, sending him packages, you know having the kids do pictures and drawings and sending everything over. you know that was our way of communicating besides Skype, and that was every three to four days.
Norman Greene:And sometimes you were calling.
Denise Greene:That's what we had.
Norman Greene:That's what we had. That's exactly what we had.
Sonar Da Funky One:That's just funny. So like you got the care packages, like what was some of the things that like kind of lit you up like, oh, this is wonderful, i got this, it had to meet you, Oh man Listen listen.
Norman Greene:So they sent me a builder bear right And the builder bear had everyone's voice on it, like it was like a voice recording. Like you would hit the um, the Paul, and it was like a voice recording and I would like play it. You know, it was like I miss you. It was like everyone's voice, like all the kids is voice. It was like I miss you, dad, see you soon. Like that, like and that, like that was probably the best thing I got the whole year. I was there.
Norman Greene:Oh, and the bear was dressed up with like, uh, army clothes and, um, yeah, army fatigue, so like that was probably the coolest thing that I got when I was there. Um, it was, it was really cool. I really, oh, man, like that thing, i care. And you know what is funny, because it was a um, it was like the. It became like our platoons Good luck charm, like I had to bring it like every mission, like I would bring it with us like every single mission. It'd be like writing a bag, like hanging out the bag like the bears, like hanging out the bag, like right with us. So it became like the good luck charm.
Sonar Da Funky One:What was the name of the bear that you name it, or was it named for you?
Norman Greene:I had a. I had a feeling you were going to ask me that, So we, I didn't. They didn't give him a name, but as the uh, as the tune, we said, his name was general Wiggles.
Sonar Da Funky One:General Wiggles.
Norman Greene:General Wiggles. It's a, it's a, it's like a um, it's an inside, it's an inside joke. So his name is general Wiggles, or some. some people will call him Mr Wiggles because you all right.
Sonar Da Funky One:So if it's inside, can you share it now?
Norman Greene:Like what the that's a classifier? No, it's so, it's so far from that. So we used to play spades a lot while we were there And when someone go, when someone went 10, we say, yeah, we're going, Mr Wiggles. So when the bear came, Denise never even heard this. When the bear came, we named them Mr Wiggles. So every time like we play spades, I had a bear there and they would hit the button Like and my kids would start talking on the bear and that means somebody going 10. So that's all. That really was about something silly. That's what it was about.
Sonar Da Funky One:Here's the bear now, good question.
Norman Greene:My kids done, did something with it, i don't know.
Sonar Da Funky One:They messed up General Wiggles.
Norman Greene:Yeah, man, yeah, yeah Yeah.
Sonar Da Funky One:They got to go to the stockade for that man.
Norman Greene:I hear you, man. I hear you, yeah, but yeah, that was probably the best thing I got while I was over there. You know, i never thought I'd get a Build-A-Bear like something different.
Sonar Da Funky One:No, it'd have been funny, Denise. I mean, you're something, a Build-A-Bear. You didn't put it together And he got it.
Denise Greene:Listen, i had to think outside the box when he was going, like, what can I do to, you know, put a smile on his face because he looked so stressed out while he was over there, and so the kids wanted to make one. So we went to the store and then I was like, what can we do? And then the lady was like, oh, you could do a recording. So I literally went in the closet and build a bear in the store and had the kids record that And it took us about 50 tries before they got it perfect. So we worked hard on that, okay.
Sonar Da Funky One:That is real funny. Yeah, i just keep thinking about the bear and you got him playing poker and everyone. So I have a question. I know you're over there, you know you're eating the military food, but you had been missing home cooked.
Norman Greene:Absolutely.
Sonar Da Funky One:However, when you're deployed, that is the best you will ever eat in the military, i promise you, when you say the best, like what's the type, what's the menu when you're, when you're deployed?
Norman Greene:Oh man, you're going to be mad. So every Friday was Stake and Lobster night.
Sonar Da Funky One:Stake and Lobster.
Norman Greene:Stake and Lobster.
Sonar Da Funky One:Every.
Norman Greene:Friday. Now that's when we were on base. Now it's different. When we're on mission, that's something all together different, that's a different monster. But when we're on base, every Friday is Stake and Lobster night. It's 24 hours. You can eat whenever you want to, You know, and it's breakfast, lunch and dinner. But now, when you're on mission, when you're someone like me who goes on different convoys, oh man, you got to get it how you live. It's MREs, it's, you know, different snacks that you know you don't got sent in those care packages. You know what I mean. You know, because at that point you're going. Usually we would be going in our situation, maybe we, you know, at the most I think I was going like maybe 10 days one time from base, at the most, at a time, something like that, and you just got to kind of like, get it how you can, whatever is available, whatever base we go to, whatever they got at the time. You just had to sit there and door and eat it.
Sonar Da Funky One:We used to get the MREs and I used to love them. I like them, but they're hiring colonies, though I can tell you what they weren't, and I asked one guy who was in the military. He said the reason why they're so hiring colonies is because you guys are out there you burn it off. So it wasn't really meant for the average person.
Norman Greene:It's not So. The funny part is, if you take an MRE, you put it on a plate. You got so much food in front of you, it looks ridiculous And it's high in sodium as well, but you burn it all off. You burn it all off like instantly, Like you're so hungry you're not even thinking about what you eat, really.
Sonar Da Funky One:So my favorite was the first meal you have when you got home. You remember they might get you in trouble.
Norman Greene:No, it's not going to give me in trouble. I'm really sitting here trying to think about it.
Denise Greene:You don't remember No. I don't remember, it was Ron, really Mm-hmm. Ron's is a Jamaican, a Caribbean Jamaican food spot on right off of Bra and Allegheny, bra and chew. It's bra and chew, bra and chew, bra and chew. Their food is so good I wind up getting him a platter from there.
Sonar Da Funky One:I have a question for you, Norman. How are you going to correct her? and you forget.
Norman Greene:I know where it is. Yeah, I didn't remember. I couldn't remember, But I do know. yeah, that sounds about right. That sounds about right.
Sonar Da Funky One:That sounds wonderful, man. It's amazing. You two, it's nice to talk to you two this way and they get to know another layer of you that I didn't know. Yeah, i'm sure you guys have helped a lot of people and will help a lot of people. I really appreciate it, man. I really do, both of you, thank you.
Sonar Da Funky One:You know, it's amazing, you know, and, like I said, when I started doing this, I was just thinking I know a lot of people you know, being in the industry for as long as I have, but our stories don't get told And you two are like amazing man Who would have ever known? I would have known.
Denise Greene:No, not me either, me either.
Sonar Da Funky One:And, like you two, have gotten so much stronger. I can't wait to see more.
Norman Greene:Yeah, I'm going to see a good amount. I just think the fact that how it came across organically with me and Denise, I just think that the way it came, that's what makes it great, Like just off of the strength of like we didn't, we didn't necessarily plan this, This wasn't something that we had, It wasn't a goal of ours or anything like that. It was more of like just a maturation of conversation really. So I mean, I think That's our, that's our strong.
Sonar Da Funky One:Yeah, that's wonderful man, like I said, i was looking at your thing And, like I said, i'm now at the second episode And it just brings joy to me to see you guys get through this and continue to be inspirational. It really does, you know. I don't know what too much to say to you, because I'm so proud of you.
Norman Greene:I appreciate it, thank you.
Sonar Da Funky One:Thank you so much I really do appreciate it And I guess you know I guess I'm a little biased because you're family- Yeah, i mean you don't have to be biased.
Norman Greene:You can be more honest, not biased, though.
Sonar Da Funky One:Well, it's my truth.
Norman Greene:Yeah, no, like I said. like I said, i definitely appreciate it. We appreciate it. Yes, we do. I mean, you know, like I said, because this is one of those things where it has became like our baby now, like you know. So we take a lot of pride into it. You know, we do put a lot into it. It's, i will say, like I don't know how you feel, but it ain't the easiest thing to do, like you know, just to be completely transparent. But we know that's what's needed.
Sonar Da Funky One:Right, well, again I want to thank you. It's on the ASEX network ASEX network dot com. That's that correct.
Norman Greene:Yeah, yes.
Sonar Da Funky One:And, like I said, it's something I would recommend everyone to take a look at and at least and as if I can help it, i'm going to keep promoting the heck out of you guys. Appreciate it. I would love to do this again with you too.
Norman Greene:Yeah, i mean. I mean you know we definitely do it again and maybe you can come on our show and be a guest on our show. That'd be great.
Sonar Da Funky One:I'd be happy to do it. How are you guys with hot wings?
Norman Greene:Oh, we're also you speaking my language.
Sonar Da Funky One:You know I got to do the challenge, The hot chip challenge. Have you done it yet?
Denise Greene:Oh, I ain't doing that.
Norman Greene:No, no, so so I haven't done that. But I did do a hot wing punishment that had a sauce on it called the end.
Sonar Da Funky One:Yes, the flat line.
Norman Greene:Yeah, for fantasy football. It was the end. And there's another sauce It was another sauce mixed up with it called death by wings, And it almost, it almost sent me to the hospital Almost.
Sonar Da Funky One:Well, we got to get together and we got to do some spicy stuff. I love some spicy stuff.
Norman Greene:Oh yeah, i'm all for it. My taste buds are completely different after that.
Sonar Da Funky One:Maybe we could talk you into it, Denise.
Denise Greene:Listen.
Sonar Da Funky One:I'm off for the hot wings.
Denise Greene:I'll do that, But that chip I don't see the effects of that chip. People go to the ER for that chip. Okay, I'm not doing that.
Sonar Da Funky One:That's wonderful, who knows?
Norman Greene:So this is the part where you know your wife, my wife, not doing that.
Sonar Da Funky One:We need somebody to call 911.
Norman Greene:Yeah, exactly, exactly.
Sonar Da Funky One:I'm going to let you guys go ahead and promote yourselves, talk more about you know your network and what you're doing and get pro whatever you want.
Norman Greene:All right, since she don't want to do it. So this is our show on ASIC's network Talk it out with the Greene's. It's a marriage relationship show. It's not just, it's a real show, it's a transparent show And we just want all viewers to be able to enjoy and learn something from us, from our experiences. We do not portray ourselves as the perfect couple, but we portray ourselves as a couple that's out here just trying to make marriage great again.
Denise Greene:So you ain't got to be married. You ain't got to be in a relationship because we don't got feedback from single friends who is taking it all in writing down their notes and out there sing going ready to mingle. So you ain't got to be in a relationship to relate or to you know, look at our show.
Norman Greene:So, yeah, And then, like you know, like you said, our first episode it was on military marriages. It should have been relationships as well, because it wasn't just about marriages, because it was all also about what they get themselves into. But, and you know, our second episode so far was about mental health. So it was one of those things where just tune in, watch and give us as much feedback as you can. You can comment on the bottom of all of our episodes And you know we go from there.
Denise Greene:You can also go on. Instagram is talk it out, underscore with the greens. Facebook, talk it out with the greens going on there. Like us, follow us, you know. Go on a six network and subscribe. We have a new episode every Wednesday at six o'clock.
Sonar Da Funky One:Yeah, that was wonderful man. Thank you for being on the show. Thank you for talking to me and lighting to me and lightening the audience. I really appreciate it. This was wonderful, thank you, thank you.
Norman Greene:You're welcome, thank you, thank you, thank you, we'll talk later.
Sonar Da Funky One:This is the greens Talk it out. Asex Network. Make sure you go check it out. All the links will be in our comments to make it a little easier for you to get to, but it's definitely something I would recommend you all watch.
Norman Greene:Please watch, please subscribe, i'll talk. Bye.
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