Veteran State Of Mind Network

Brandon Burton is a retired Captain who served for 20 years with the Nebraska Army National Guard, including two combat deployments to Afghanistan in 2008 and 2013. An engineer officer, instructor and former commander of the 623rd Engineer Company, Brandon’s military career took him from leading soldiers overseas to training the next generation of Guard officers. He retired from uniformed service in 2022 and is the author of ...

Danny Murphy is a former United States Marine. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Danny enlisted from 2009-2013 as a mortarman and was assigned to the 81mm mortar platoon in 1st Battalion, 8th Marines. 

Danny deployed twice to Helmand Province - Musa Qala in 2010-2011 and later to Kajaki in 2012.  He is the author of  “The Hills by the Wadi”, a memoir detailing an enlistment during the GWOT.  

Instagram...

John Nichol served in the Royal Air Force for fifteen years. On active duty during the first Gulf War in 1991, his Tornado bomber was shot down during a mission over Iraq. Captured, tortured and held as a prisoner of war, John was paraded on television, provoking worldwide condemnation and leaving one of the most enduring images of the conflict.

John is the bestselling co-author of Tornado Down and author of many highly accl...

At the age of 22, Chance Eaton was the youngest serving captain in the British Army, later serving with UK Special Forces.

Today, Chance brings together military service, creativity, leadership and personal development through his work as The Warrior Artist.

Chance is the founder of HEARTH™️, a movement bringing people together around the fire through conversation, creativity and shared experience. He also founded Brannock & Co.,...

Brad Knight is a former British Army Royal Engineer and Afghanistan veteran who served as a High-Threat Searcher. He is the author of Brimstone: A Searcher’s War – Hunting the Taliban’s Silent Killers, an acclaimed memoir detailing the relentless tension and danger faced by bomb disposal and route search teams in Helmand.

Brad's links:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brimstone_42

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/brim...

Lawrence 'Loz' Kayser served in Iraq on Op Telic 4, 6, and 8. He then went on to serve three tours in Afghanistan, taking part in such operations as Sond Chara in support of 42 Commando. On his sixth and final tour Loz was awarded a Military Cross. Incredibly, he was later medically discharged from the army for 'combat addiction.'

We talk about Loz's time at war, and after - particularly how Living History has not only given him a f...

On 6 June 1944, Keith Whiting was serving aboard HMS Ramillies, a British battleship supporting the Normandy landings. Keith helped fire the massive 15-inch guns that bombarded German defences ahead of the Allied assault on the beaches, and then supported them as they fought their way inland. HMS Ramillies fired so many shells during the invasion that her gun barrels later had to be replaced.

Keith reflects on his wartime ex...

"Jonny Whitmore MBE — known to many as Shed — was born in Hinckley, Leicestershire and joined the Royal Corps of Signals, completing P Company early in his career. He deployed to Afghanistan with 22 Signal Regiment and 2 Signal Regiment, before returning to the UK to serve as aSection Commander at ATC Pirbright, training and leading recruits.

He later completed the Special Communications Course and joined 299 Signal Squa...

Ash McGraw served for 16 years in the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of The Mercian Regiment. During that time he lead soldiers all over the world, including on two tours of Afghanistan.

Since leaving the forces Ash has built a new mission focussing on leadership, resilience, and performance. He is an online coach and property developer helping everyday people rebuild discipline, transform their mindset and take on challenges they never tho...

Stuart Smalldridge served in Afghanistan with 42 Commando, Royal Marines on Operation Herrick 9

This episode contains descriptions that some listeners may find upsetting.

Note: Stuart served alongside Ben (War Story Episode 002), and crossed paths with Scott Ryder, 2nd Commando Regiment (War Story Episode 022) on a joint operation in Uruzgan Province.

If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, please email us at info@vsomp...

Ethan Nagel is a Marine Corps Infantrymen and Scout Sniper that served during the height of Iraq and Afghanistan war. He deployed to the Haditha Triad and Fallujah Provinces in Iraq and volunteered for a third deployment to Afghanistan as a Combat Advisor on Embedded Training Team 1-11. While attached to 10th Special Forces group and on patrol deep in the Mountains of Uzbin Valley, the team would be ambushed and then surrounded by ...

In October 2009, Corporal Andy Reid MBE was blown up by a Taliban improvised explosive device while on patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Injured so badly that it was thought he would not survive, he defied the odds to the extent that, within a month, he was able to meet up with members of his patrol again. What he has achieved since then is little short of unbelievable.

The winner of The Sun's Millie award in 2010, and awarde...

Mike Harrage is a former British Army soldier who began his military career as a Radio Operator in the Royal Signals. Early on, he realised he wanted to push himself further and volunteered for the Airborne Forces straight out of training. After successfully completing P Company and his parachute training, he earned the coveted Maroon Beret and Parachute Wings.

Mike deployed on two operational tours of Afghanistan, experiencing comb...

Trey Morriss is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel with thirty-one years of service, serving and supporting the legendary Eighth Air Force. His love of aviation runs deep―shaped by stories of his grandfather and uncle, who flew combat missions over Europe in World War II. Early in his career, Morriss took part in a top-secret, record-setting strike that opened Operation Desert Storm―the longest combat mission of its time and a turnin...

TIM SAUNDERS served as an infantry officer with the British Army for thirty years, during which time he took the opportunity to visit campaigns far and wide, from ancient to modern. Since leaving the Army he has become a full time military historian and has made nearly fifty full documentary films with Battlefield History and Pen & Sword. He is an active guide and accredited member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides.

Tim's books...

Steve Black served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment. You can find his book in the links below, as well as details on The Muster Point - a veterans support and community project in Hertfordshire.

Stephen's book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Not-another-squaddies-story-tour/dp/B0GHH4713N

The Muster Point: https://themusterpoint.org.uk/

Tickets to Geraint's event at Aces High Gallery are available here: https://www.ac...

TED SHIRLEY is an author and former British Army sniper. He served two tours in Afghanistan, where he achieved remarkable feats, including shots from over a mile away. Despite these accomplishments, Ted faced a challenging battle with post-traumatic stress disorder upon his return home. The juxtaposition of life on the battlefield as a soldier to a small-town civilian brought new challenges as Ted watched many of his brothers taken...

Alana Stott MBE is a global prevention strategist, intelligence advisor, and founder working at the intersection of exploitation prevention, capital accountability, and systems change. She if the CEO and Founder of Blue Rose Foundation, a prevention-first organisation focussed on identifying and interrupting grooming, abuse, and trafficking before exploitation occurs. Blue Rose works with governments, frontline professionals, platf...