What We Brought Home

Final episode of Season 2! An Army veteran of two Iraq deployments and another to Afghanistan discusses how he balanced following his calling to lead soldiers in combat with the needs of his growing family back home.  This episode contains a bonus segment detailing our guest’s experience on the ground in Afghanistan as an Infantry company commander.

Some acronyms and terms used in this episode:

- AQI - Military shorthand/acronym for "Al-Qaeda in Iraq." - The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7, 1941. - Dwell time - The period of time that a service member spends at their home station in between deployments to a war zone. Often time service members are mandated to have a certain period of time at home upon return from a deployment (often 12 months). The purpose is to allow a mental and physical break from combat. If a service member wished to deploy again within a prescribed period of dwell time that soldier had to sign paperwork waiving it and get permission from their chain of command. - PJs - Nickname for Air Force para rescue personnel whose job it is to conduct combat search and rescue. - Strong points - a key point in a military defensive line. Strong points are meant to be hard to overrun or avoid. - AO - Area of Operations - the geographic area assigned to a particular unit as their area of responsibility. - Combined Arms - A type of warfare that integrates different types of arms to be mutually complimentary to one another and overwhelming to the enemy. One example of this would be infantry fighting with artillery and aviation units in support.

An Army veteran struggles to do what he thinks is right in the face of pressure from his unit to let it go.

Some acronyms used in this episode:

PMCS - Preventive Maintenance Checks and Service - A required inspection of a piece of military equipment (vehicle, weapon, etc.) performed before, during and after use to ensure it is operating properly and prepared for future use.

ETS - Ending Term of Service - When a service member's obligation ends and they are discharged from the military.

Our first Marine storyteller shares his experience of serving as a career recruiter starting at the tail end of the Vietnam War.

Our guest talks about significant health challenges that developed for her after leaving the service.

This episode contains some common military terms that might not be familiar to everyone. Here is a quick explanation to provide context:

Motor Pool - An area where vehicles are parked when not in service and where maintenance work is performed.

VA Disability Rating - The VA assesses disability on a scale of 0% to 100% based on the severity of the disability. Each percent rating (in increments of 10%) correspond with a monthly tax-free payment to the veteran as well as eligibility for other VA-related benefits.

Service Connected - "A service-connected condition means an illness or injury that was caused by—or got worse because of—your active military service." (from VA.gov)

Our first Navy veteran storyteller talks about life aboard a ship in the Pacific. 

CONTENT WARNING: this episode discusses the existence of sex and sex work. Also, this episode includes the use of certain terms to describe sex work that some might find inappropriate or offensive.  

An Army veteran processes one decision in Iraq that had lasting effects on his career and his life beyond the military.

This episode contains some common military terms that might not be familiar to everyone. Here is a quick explanation to provide context:

POS - military slang for "piece of shit."

OER - Officer Evaluation Report - the standard form in the Army for tracking performance of officers year to year and ultimately determining career advancement. 

Sapper School - "The Sapper Leader Course is a demanding 28-day leadership development course for combat engineers that reinforces critical skills and teaches advanced techniques needed across the Army." (Source: U.S. Army website)

IOBC - The Infantry Officer Basic Course - This school has changed names over the years but this course is the first training that new Infantry officers receive on Infantry tactics immediately after commissioning in the Army. 

TC - "Tank Commander" - the person who rides in the front passenger seat of a Humvee and directs its movement.

Relief for Cause - Army term for getting fired from one's job.

PSD - Personal Security Detail

M998 and M1151 - both are technical names for Army Humvees with various levels of armor and capability that were commonly used in Iraq in the 2000's. 

An Army veteran shares his experience of mourning a friend lost in combat.

On this final episode of Season 1 of What We Brought Home, a former Infantry soldier describes his experience walking into an ambush with his platoon in Iraq. 

Thank you so much for listening! Season 2 is in production, we'll be back as soon as we can. 

This episode contains some common military terms that might not be familiar to everyone. Here is a quick explanation to provide context:

Platoon - An Infantry platoon has about 40 members. It is made up of 4 squads of 8-12 members. Each squad consists of 2 teams. 

Column - When moving through an enemy area, platoons typically spread out as they walk in formation, often with 20-30 feet between each member to make it more difficult for one weapon, like a grenade, to harm multiple soldiers at one time. On roads, platoons often walk in a column with soldiers staggered on either side but similarly spaced. This gives the platoon the most flexibility in case one part of the column gets into contact with an enemy, the remaining portion can maneuver and react.  

OP - Observation post. Usually a small temporary position used to observe activity. 

203 - M203 Grenade launcher. Mounted underneath the barrel of a m4, this weapon shoots 40mm grenade rounds one at a time. Intended for targets at longer distances (300-400 meters), these rounds have a minimum distance that they must travel before the round will explode. 

FM7-8 - Field Manual 7-8. This is the Army's Infantry tactics manual for platoons and squads. Most unit training is focused on mastering the tactics and techniques outlined in it.

VS17 panel - A brightly colored piece of cloth used for signaling in a field environment. 

On this episode of What We Brought Home, our guest describes moments of doubt and clarity leading up to and during his time in Iraq and explores feelings of success and failure during a high stakes deployment.

On this atypical episode of What We Brought Home, co-host Mike shares an event from his time in Iraq that left him with conflicted feelings about his service. 

On this episode of What We Brought Home, our guest talks about her experience both deploying as an active service member and being married to an active service member and shares with us the profound impact leaving active duty has had on her and her family.

Our guest spent several years on active duty, during which she deployed twice. She left active duty over 10 years ago and has since served in several roles with various National Guard and Reserve units.

On this atypical episode of What We Brought Home, co-host Pat shares the story about his part in a detainee interrogation in Iraq over 16 years ago, how it affected him and how he has since come to terms with his actions. 

All guest storytellers, past and future, will remain anonymous. We thought it would be helpful for listeners to hear the stories that inspired us to create this podcast. We also want our guests to know that we too have things that we've hidden and have struggled with over the years and it is possible to face them, share them with others and to move forward.

Thank you everyone for listening and for your support!  

On this episode of What We Brought Home, our guest shares a tremendous loss from one of his Iraq deployments and how he's learned to cope with the untimely passing of friends and fellow Soldiers.

This episode contains some common military terms that might not be familiar to everyone. Here is a quick explanation to provide context: 

Patrol Base - a small, often temporary, base, usually closer to a city or town, that houses dozens of personnel. They are usually fortified with some type of wall and a gate. Units use them to rest, refit and launch operations. 

FOB - Forward Operating Base - usually a medium size fortified base that houses hundreds of personnel. These are typically surrounded by large walls and are heavily defended. FOBs usually have many more resources than patrol bases like a better chow hall, a motor pool for vehicle repairs, an internet cafe, phones to call home, more comfortable accommodations, etc.

Gold Star Family - one that has lost an immediate family member in the line of duty of military service.

Training - Our storyteller this week references an event that happens during "training". For those who haven't experienced it, it might be hard to envision what training actually is and what the heck our storyteller is talking about. Army training is typically conducted in designated areas on base, usually out in the woods or on an arms range. During training, there are specific tasks that units are out there to practice. These tasks usually occupy most of the day but there is often some down time in between events. It's often during these in between times when young soldiers might feel inspired to challenge their leaders (often new Platoon Leaders (PLs)) to a friendly test of their hand to hand combatives skills. This is usually a morale booster and the PLs play along as they are happy to see their units working together to accomplish a common goal. Many times, a whole platoon will gang up on their new PL and place them in a nearby mud pit or tie them up or draw funny things on their face. It's considered a right of passage for most PLs, especially in the Infantry, and it usually (but not always) means that your soldiers feel generally positive towards you. 

Our storyteller, a NCO (non-commissioned officer) and former squad leader, shares a moment when his expectations for his deployment to Iraq met reality. 

Our guest, who for years focused on what his deployments cost him, takes the opportunity to share with us what his deployments have given him. 

An Apache helicopter pilot shares her experience while supporting ground troops from the air in Afghanistan. 

Our first guest shares his experience of being hit by a roadside bomb and how it affected him more than 10 years later. This episode was one of our demos previously titled "The Stryker".  

Introducing What We Brought Home - True stories of service, long hidden, now shared.

We provide military veterans with a judgement-free forum to anonymously share their most personal stories of war and peacetime; to help both storytellers and listeners find connection and better cope with the complicated emotions of military service. 

Each episode features a different veteran, anonymously telling their story. 

Go to whatwebroughthome.com to learn more.