Ricky “Tank” Chaffin Jr.
Ricky “Tank” Chaffin Jr. joins Rush on Unfinished Business, the show for veterans pursuing new missions after the uniform and for the families and communities who stand beside them. It started with a small gesture. Ricky handed Rush a personalized set of military dog tags, with no idea what they would mean to a combat veteran who had once discarded nearly everything connected to his service. That moment became the starting point for one of the most personal conversations on the show.
Ricky, founder of Operation Dog Tags and House Keys, talks through childhood instability, the people who gave him a place to belong, a motorcycle accident that changed his future, and the faith that reshaped his understanding of purpose. He lays out his vision for The Barracks, a proposed veteran housing community combining transitional housing, practical skills, employment, and human connection, and the real challenges of land, fundraising, and building something veterans can depend on.
In this conversation
- The set of dog tags that brought a combat veteran back to his past
- Childhood instability, and the people who gave him a place to belong
- The Barracks: a vision for veteran housing, skills, and work
- Gratitude, his wife, and the veterans who shape his work
Ricky Chaffin
Founder, Operation Dog Tags and House Keys
About the show
Unfinished Business is a podcast for veterans pursuing new missions after the uniform, and for the families and communities who stand beside them. Hosted by Eric "Rush" Christopher Rush, a Bronze Star combat veteran and the number one podcaster in North Texas.