Required Military Service? The Blaze Magazine's Exclusive Interview With Montel Willliams

In every issue of The Blaze magazine we bring you an exclusive interview with a celebrity/newsmaker/activist that our readers will want to get to know a little better. The regular feature, "In the Hot Seat," has become a fun and informative opportunity to get to know people who are trying to make a difference. A few of our past Hot Seat subjects: Brad Thor, Chuck Woolery, and Pat Gray.

For the December issue, Mike Opelka interviewed Montel Williams, a true American original. Williams served with distinction in both the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps, retiring as a lieutenant commander after 18 years of active duty and four years in the reserves.

Williams’ eponymous, Emmy-winning daytime talk show also ran for 17 years and broke new ground for talk-show hosts who followed. He is a tireless entrepreneur, directing Montel Media, a multi-tiered organization involved in successful for-profit and non-profit ventures all across the country.

Here's a taste of the Williams interview:

Your 22 years in the U.S. military preceded a long, successful career in media. Would you support a return of the draft, requiring all 18-year-olds to serve their country for two years?

No ifs, ands, or buts, I would support a required national service -- required of every American as they turn 18 -- something we should have done years ago. I believe President Reagan proposed it.

When you graduated from high school, you worked for two years -- maybe as a fireman, or police trainee or in the military.

You’ve been battling multiple sclerosis for over a decade and don’t appear to have lost a step while so many other MS sufferers struggle with simple, day-to-day tasks. What is your secret for fighting off this often-debilitating disease?

My secret isn’t a secret: I refuse to live down to the expectations of doctors.

I exercise every day. I changed my medication. I changed my diet. I pursue every opportunity I’ve had to make myself feel better. ... I work at it. I have MS. MS will never have me. I will fight this every step of the way.

You’re an award-winning broadcaster, best-selling author, successful producer and a decorated, former member of the U.S. Navy and a Marine. What’s next?

Too whom much is given, much is expected. ... Especially important to me: our wounded military. I go to Walter Reed and Bethesda every month. I am a board member of Fisher House. I’m seeking new devices, medical treatments and protocols that can provide immediate relief to our soldiers and sailors when it comes to PTSD and traumatic brain injury.

I was in people’s living rooms for 17 years, and I feel like I owe them something back. So I am using my celebrity to help make people’s lives better.

Will he ever run for elected office? What does he really think of the Occupy Wall Street movement? Read the whole "In the Hot Seat" with Montel Williams to find out.

The full interview is available only in the December 2011 issue of The Blaze magazine.