# America First Stories Ep. 12: Steven Thomas

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/badlands-media-6674661/america-first-stories-ep-12-steven-thomas
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/badlands-media-6674661/america-first-stories-ep-12-steven-thomas.md
Podcast: [Badlands Media](https://stenobird.com/podcast/badlands-media-6674661)
Published: 2026-06-14T17:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://badlandsmedia.podbean.com/e/america-first-stories-ep-12-steven-thomas/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/qzpc639jwtkwq3gd/America_First_Stories_ep_12_1_7kuuq.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/badlands-media-6674661/episodes/america-first-stories-ep-12-steven-thomas
Duration seconds: 1632

## Resource

Jon Herold sits down with Steve and Terry of Loaded Gun Coffee for an episode that starts with bourbon pecan and ends somewhere much deeper. What began as a tribute project to honor family members who served turned into a discovery of just how deep their military roots run, including a great uncle still listed as MIA from World War II and a great uncle KIA in Korea at just 19. Steve shares his own six years in the Army during the Cold War, including two years lobbing artillery toward the Czech border in West Germany, and what he later realized that mission was really about. They also break down why they work exclusively with a small batch roaster, what makes their coffee stand out from the big guys, and how they juggle the coffee business alongside Steve's HVAC contracting work and Terry's nursing career. Plus, a Father's Day promo code you will want to grab before it is gone.

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/badlands-media-6674661/episodes/america-first-stories-ep-12-steven-thomas/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/badlands-media-6674661/america-first-stories-ep-12-steven-thomas.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.