Many military and veteran families are facing tough times. Groceries are more expensive, paychecks do not go as far, and reaching out for help can feel discouraging. This conversation addresses those challenges and offers hope for a better path. Vicki Sarracino, Vice President of Programs at Soldiers' Angels, explains how the group supports service members, veterans, and their families. They provide food distributions, food pantries, help at VA hospitals, hygiene kits, transportation, housing welcome kits, care packages for those deployed, and more. The main focus is dignity. Veterans are treated as individuals, not just numbers. They are recognized, valued, and supported by people who truly care. You will learn why even active duty families sometimes struggle with food insecurity, and how leaving military life can lead to isolation. Taking the first step to ask for help can lead to community, stability, and a new sense of purpose. There is also a real need for volunteers, businesses, and local communities to get involved, because their help makes a difference right away. Timestamps: 00:02:54 - Why Soldiers' Angels shifted to food first 00:06:55 - Veterans choosing between groceries, rent, medication, and gas 00:13:46 - The hidden struggle of military transition 00:21:47 - The veteran who came for food and found a connection 00:34:42 - Why asking for support is a strength Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.soldiersangels.org Follow Soldiers Angels on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoldiersAngelsOfficial Follow Soldiers Angels on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soldiersangelsofficial/ Follow Soldiers Angels on Twitter/X: https://x.com/soldiersangels Follow Soldiers Angels on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SoldiersAngelsOfficial Follow Soldiers Angels on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/soldiersangels Follow Vicki Sarracino on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicki-sarracino-3333671b7/ HUD VASH VA Homeless Programs: https://department.va.gov/homeless/hud-vash

Some men leave the military and still notice the empty seat at the table. The mission has ended, the unit is no longer there, and civilian life often lacks the honesty they once shared with fellow service members. Historian and Marine veteran Bryan Rigg offers a unique perspective on this struggle. He draws from his research on World War II, Holocaust history, his time in the Marine Corps, and his efforts to save stories that might have been forgotten. He discusses unopened Iwo Jima records, German primary groups, the silence after war, and how veterans can lose their close circle of support when they come home. This conversation covers both battlefield history and the daily challenges veterans face after service. It offers veterans practical ideas for building connection, finding meaning, seeking therapy, learning from older veterans, supporting family, and making small check-ins that help them keep going. You will come away with a better understanding of why isolation is so hard, how to rebuild connections on purpose, and how sharing pain with the right people can help you heal. Timestamps: 00:01:38 - How a Marine veteran kept serving through history 00:06:45 - The World War II files no one had opened 00:11:00 - Primary groups and why men fight harder together 00:26:15 - Why veterans lose their tribe after coming home 00:46:15 - Finding the why that keeps a man moving forward Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.BryanMarkRigg.com Follow Bryan Rigg on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bryanmarkrigg/ Follow Bryan Rigg on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryanmarkrigg/ Follow Bryan Rigg on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/bryanmarkrigg1 Follow Bryan Rigg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanmarkrigg Follow Bryan Rigg on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClvYbh1DdUB-k5DBuQ_yFFw/videos

A solid transition plan does not guarantee a clean landing. Guest Taamir Ransome left the Army with advanced education, real-world experience, and a strong résumé, but he still felt the loss of identity, purpose, and daily mission after taking off the uniform. This conversation follows Taamir from joining the Army after 9/11, serving in the 82nd Airborne, moving into EOD, supporting special operations, and becoming the first Black Tier 1 EOD operator. From there, the focus turns to the part of service that follows veterans home: the pressure, the silence, the missing pack, and the struggle to explain combat stress to people who only know the military through movies. Taamir also breaks down ideas from his book Mind of a Soldier, including why the uniform is not your identity, why veterans need people who will call them out when they are slipping, why "thank you for your service" can shut down a better conversation, and why filing for benefits or walking into a VFW can be part of fighting for yourself. This episode gives veterans a practical reminder that help exists, but you may have to approach it the same way you approached the mission: gather information, find the right people, and take the next step. Timestamps: 00:07:13 - Transition looked strong, but still hit hard 00:11:53 - The uniform is not your identity 00:15:51 - Why veterans must fight for themselves 00:19:51 - Why PTSD may not explain everything 00:22:36 - Why combat can be hard to leave Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://blog.sixeight.io Follow Taamir Ransome on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ransomemindofasoldier Follow Taamir Ransome on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taamir-ransome

Silence can linger long after a veteran has returned home and taken off the uniform. For Eric Gillis, one of the toughest challenges after leaving the Army was learning to function in a world without the structure, purpose, and brotherhood that once held everything together. He kept his inner struggles to himself, feeling he had no right to speak up because others had paid a higher price. That silence nearly cost him everything. This story follows Eric's journey through post-military chaos, hypervigilance, family struggles, therapy, and the moment a doctor said something that changed his path: "You can be better." From that point, Eric started rebuilding his life as a husband, father, teacher, author, and creator of The Rebuilt Warrior. He shares how veterans can turn their military strengths into civilian success, rebuild trust, take responsibility, find purpose, and create the structure they miss after service. What you’ll hear is a relatable message for veterans feeling stuck, ashamed, angry, isolated, or unsure of where they fit now. It’s a reminder that struggle doesn’t have to be the final chapter, and that a new mission can be built, one honest step at a time. Timestamps: 00:03:27 - Leaving military structure behind 00:06:25 - The night everything almost ended 00:12:27 - Turning private pain into Rebuilt Warrior 00:19:03 - Breaking down the STRUCTURE framework 00:37:30 - A message for veterans in silence Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.therebuiltwarrior.com Follow Eric Gillis on Facebook: https://facebook.com/TheRebuiltWarrior Follow Eric Gillis on Instagram: https://instagram.com/TheRebuiltWarrior

Pain has a way of taking over every part of life. It follows you into the workplace, rides along during traffic, sits at the dinner table, and keeps you awake long after the house quiets down. This conversation sheds light on a VA benefit many veterans might not be aware of: medical massage therapy. Samer Hamadeh, founder of Zeel, shares how his company nearly folded when COVID shut down in-person services, but then found a new purpose helping the VA provide massage therapy as a form of healthcare for veterans struggling with pain, mobility issues, sleep problems, stress, and complex conditions. You'll hear how medical massage aligns with the VA's Whole Health approach, how it differs from relaxation massage, the referral process involved, and why in-home care can make a world of difference for veterans who live far from clinics, face mobility challenges, or find the appointment process exhausting. This message is for the veteran who has tried many options, still hurts, and is exploring new avenues to share with their healthcare provider. Timestamps: 00:01:06 - Losing everything, then finding the next mission 00:02:00 - How VA medical massage became a benefit 00:05:18 - The numbers behind pain, sleep, and opioid reduction 00:08:15 - Why in-home care matters for complex conditions 00:10:53 - How to ask the VA for medical massage Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.zeel.com/ Follow Zeel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetZeel Follow Zeel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getzeel Follow Zeel on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/GetZeel Follow Samer Hamadeh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samershamadeh/

A hospital bed, a trach tube, and a doctor saying the water was gone from his future could have been the end of the story. Joe Gonzalez, a disabled Navy veteran, refused to let that be the final chapter. After years of surgeries, opioid addiction, anger, depression, and the heavy mental weight that comes with disability, he found a new mission through the ocean. This conversation goes into the mindset shift that helped Joe move from survival to purpose. He shares how Mother Ocean Fund supports ecological and humanitarian diving efforts, how Aquatic Tribe connects divers with dive shops while funding nonprofit work, and why adaptive scuba therapy can give veterans and others with disabilities a rare chance to feel free in their own bodies again. You will also hear the heart behind Joe's book, Love That Doesn't Sharpen Spoils, including his "landlord principle" for taking ownership of the thoughts, struggles, and old patterns that live in your head. For veterans dealing with physical limitations, addiction, transition stress, or the search for a new mission, this episode offers a grounded reminder that purpose can still be built from the wreckage. Timestamps: 00:05:09 - The fear of staying bedridden 00:13:46 - Building Mother Ocean Fund 00:21:50 - Why scuba can calm chaos 00:28:29 - Love That Doesn't Sharpen Spoils 00:37:32 - The landlord principle for mental battles Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.motheroceanfund.org Follow Mother Ocean Fund on Facebook: https://facebook.com/motheroceanfund Follow Mother Ocean Fund on Instagram: https://instagram.com/motheroceanfund Follow Mother Ocean Fund on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/motheroceanfund Follow Aquatic Tribe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aquatictribe/ Follow Joe Gonzalez on Instagram: https://instagram.com/scubajoe11

The hardest battles after service can happen in the quiet places, at home, at work, and inside your own head. Brendan T. Kelly spent 22 years in the Army before stepping into teaching, corporate life, and eventually writing. Along the way, he faced nightmares, PTSD, family strain, and the hard truth that leading troops in battle did not mean he could heal alone. This conversation follows the path from military structure to civilian uncertainty, from keeping pain boxed up to finally speaking it out loud, and from private writing to a published story built to reach others who feel stuck in the dark. Brendan shares how therapy, cognitive behavioral work, family support, and storytelling helped him rebuild his life and create The Echo of Silence, a fiction book shaped by combat, invisible wounds, forgiveness, survival, and the cost of staying silent. Listeners will walk away with a clearer understanding of why getting help is a strength, why healing takes real work, and how one veteran turned painful memories into a mission that may help someone else pick up the phone before they hit bottom. Timestamps: 00:03:57 - Losing the structure after Army retirement 00:09:13 - Hitting rock bottom and finally getting help 00:13:55 - Learning to give the past a voice 00:18:53 - Turning scars into stories 00:31:10 - Writing the combat scene that changed everything Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.brendantkelly.com Follow Brendan Kelly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendan_the_author/

Some wounds keep you scanning every exit in the room. Others bury themselves deeper, showing up as guilt, shame, distance at home, and the fear that the people you love would see you differently if they knew the whole story. Larry Brant brings clarity to that hidden battle through his path from Helmand Province to a COVID ICU to the Aspire Center, where he saw how PTSD and moral injury can wreck a person's sense of safety, faith, and connection. He explains why moral injury can feel like it fractures your soul, why so many veterans pull away from family and faith, and how healing starts when someone finally feels heard without judgment. This conversation offers listeners clear language for what they may be carrying, practical tools like the two-way prayer journal, a better understanding of why group support matters, and real next steps through resources such as Building Spiritual Strength, REAL, Hunt Therapy, and Larry's book Restoring the Broken. Here are the moments that hit hardest. Timestamps: 00:10:36 - The difference between PTSD and moral injury finally gets a name 00:20:47 - The two-way prayer journal that helps break self-blame 00:36:34 - Twenty years of silence before one hard conversation at home 00:48:47 - The flashback that proved war had followed him home 00:55:29 - The three-part support system that makes healing more likely Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.restoring-the-broken.com Follow Larry Brant on Facebook: www.facebook.com/larry.brant.5?mibextid=wwXlfr&mibextid=wwXlfr Follow Larry Brant on Instagram: www.instagram.com/larrybrant Follow Larry Brant on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/larry-brant-09394544

Life after service can look calm on the outside, while your nervous system stays stuck in alert mode. Ryan McDermott breaks down the chain reaction that can follow major stress: isolation, fractured sleep, anxiety spikes, and that familiar urge to grind harder instead of getting support. His story moves from leading troops early in the Iraq war to navigating a civilian career that suddenly turned uncertain, and how that kind of instability can wake up things you thought you packed away years ago. Along the way, Ryan shares why reconnecting with other veterans matters more than most people admit, how writing can slow the spin and help you process what your brain keeps trying to outrun, and what shifted when he stopped trying to carry it solo. At the center of this episode is a durable way to think about identity after transition. Not tied to a title or a paycheck, but rooted in the people you love, the community that understands you, and a purpose that still holds when life gets loud. Timestamps: 00:01:00 - A career shock that turned the volume up on combat stress 00:04:30 - The cost of family separation and staying mission-focused 00:12:45 - Reconnecting with the guys who lived it too 00:16:00 - Why writing can calm triggers and bring clarity 00:32:55 - The identity trap that wrecks vets after transition Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.downrivermemoir.com Follow Ryan McDermott on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574923281283 Follow Ryan McDermott on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/warriorpoet2025/ Follow Ryan McDermott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-mcdermott-3560258/

Some war stories do not stay in the past. They follow you into work, marriage, fatherhood, sleep, and the quiet moments when your mind starts replaying what happened and what it meant. This conversation goes straight at that weight by unpacking moral injury, the kind of wound that hits when combat collides with your deepest values. It gets into why so many veterans carry pain that standard conversations about PTSD do not fully explain, and why healing takes more than time. Dr. Edward Tick brings nearly five decades of work with veterans into a discussion about what war can do to the soul, the body, the family, and the community around the veteran. He explains why early support matters, why civilians need to stop relying on a Hollywood version of war, and why veterans often need a path to atonement, service, and reconciliation to move forward. You will hear powerful stories about returning to Vietnam, facing the damage left behind, building something good in response, and finding a way to live with dignity after events that still cut deep. This episode is for veterans who have ever felt trapped between what they had to do and who they believed they were. It is also for families, friends, and civilians who want to understand how to stand beside a veteran without turning away from the hard parts. Stay with this one through the stories about immediate healing, community rituals, and the kind of service that helps a man believe he can still be a force for good. Timestamps: 00:13:04 - What moral injury is and why it cuts so deep 00:20:40 - Why troops should be taught that killing hurts 00:25:49 - Healing journeys back to Vietnam and the role of atonement 00:36:34 - Marines don't kill children, and the moment that changed everything 00:47:00 - Why civilians must help take the war out of returning veterans Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.edwardtick.com/ Follow Edward Tick, PhD on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdwardTickAuthor/ Follow Edward Tick, PhD on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentorthesoul.guide/ Follow Edward Tick, PhD on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-tick-ph-d-59177111/