Today on Echoes Unfiltered, I’m bringing back a powerful conversation with SSG Bell.

This was originally one of the early episodes of the show, but the conversation deserved a fresh release. Bell and I talk about Ramadi, healing, the echoes that still linger, and our brother CPL Stephen Shannon, who was serving under Bell’s leadership when he was taken from us.

We remember the good times, we talk honestly about the hard ones, and we honor the men who didn’t make it home.

That’s what Echoes Unfiltered is about: telling it straight, honoring the fallen, and finding hope in the middle of it all.

You can order my book, now available on Amazon:
Echoes from the Sandbox by Samuel R. Stratton

For signed copies, Venmo:
@Sam-Stratton-8

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Real talk, raw faith, stay unfiltered.

In Episode 46 of Echoes Unfiltered, I sit down with Sparky, a Navy EOD veteran I served with in Ramadi.

We talk about route clearance, IEDs, EOD calls, the Husky rescue, leadership under pressure, dark humor, and the things veterans carry long after the mission ends.

This episode is more than war stories. It is about survival, brotherhood, memory, and why talking about it matters.

For more about my story,

You can order my book, now available on Amazon:
Echoes from the Sandbox by Samuel R. Stratton

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Real talk, raw faith, stay unfiltered.

Joe deployed to Ramadi, Iraq in 2007 as a young Marine and spent the next year living in survival mode during one of the most volatile periods of the war. In this episode, he talks about working alongside Iraqi locals during the Anbar Awakening, coming home after deployment, losing the military support system overnight, and trying to reconnect with life back home.

The conversation also dives into childhood trauma, breaking destructive cycles, marriage, fatherhood, faith, emotional suppression, and what healing actually looks like years after war.

This episode is not just about combat. It’s about what happens after.

You can order my book, now available on Amazon:
Echoes from the Sandbox by Samuel R. Stratton

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Podcast available on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio

Real talk, raw faith, stay unfiltered.

Mike joins Echoes Unfiltered for a raw conversation about Afghanistan, military life, brotherhood, dark humor, and the things veterans carry long after they come home.

No scripts. No filters. Just real conversation about war, identity, memories, and life after service.

Real talk, raw faith, stay unfiltered.

Josh Elarde deployed to Afghanistan with the Dodgeville unit as part of a route clearance team. He shares his experience with IED strikes, the constant threat of ambush, and how that mindset followed him home.

We talk about PTSD, adjusting to life after deployment, and the challenge of leaving the military mindset behind when it comes to family and everyday life.

You can order my book, now available on Amazon:
Echoes from the Sandbox by Samuel R. Stratton

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Podcast available on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio

Raw faith. Stay unfiltered.

Episode 41 drops with Roy Wylie — a veteran who served 37 years between the Army and Department of the Army civilian service.

From Desert Storm to Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, Roy saw the evolution of war firsthand. Soft-skin convoys, IED threats, convoy security, and the shift from early war chaos to heavily armored operations.

But the real story isn’t just the deployments.

It’s what came after.

Multiple marriages lost. Years of PTSD. 24 pills a day just to function. And eventually… walking away from it all to rebuild his life on the other side of the world.

This is what service really costs.

This is what healing actually looks like.

You can order my book, now available on Amazon:
Echoes from the Sandbox by Samuel R. Stratton

Follow the mission:
YouTube – Echoes Unfiltered
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Podcast available on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio

Real talk, raw faith, stay unfiltered.

Mac is back for Part 2.

We finish what got cut short during the tornado warning and go deeper into the realities behind the uniform. We talk about Billmeyer and the lasting impact of his injuries, the weight of leadership, and what it really looks like to take care of your people.

We also get into something most don’t talk about enough. Knowing when it’s time to step away. Mac is retiring at 20, not because he has to, but because he refuses to miss raising his kids. That decision says more about a man than any rank ever will.

This is what leadership looks like after the uniform.

Mac, I’ve got a lot of respect for you. Proud of the man you’ve become.

You can order my book, now available on Amazon:
Echoes from the Sandbox by Samuel R. Stratton

Follow the mission:
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Real talk, raw faith, stay unfiltered. #echoesunfiltered

In this episode of Echoes Unfiltered, Sam sits down with Travis “Mac” McCullough, a fellow soldier from the Dodgeville unit, to talk about his deployment to Afghanistan.

Mac shares what it was like running route clearance missions, surviving a grenade attack, and working alongside SEAL Team 10. He also reflects on leadership, purpose, and moments where faith became real in the middle of combat.

This is Part 1 of the conversation. Due to a tornado warning, the episode was cut short — Part 2 will continue right where this leaves off, including the full story of the day Bill got hit.

Real talk, raw faith, stay unfiltered.

Jerry Heim, the voice behind Blue Cord CSM and the BootsandChutesUnfiltered podcast, joins Echoes Unfiltered to share his 30-year journey through the Marine Corps and Army, retiring as a Command Sergeant Major.

We talk about combat, leadership, the transition home, and the reality many veterans face when the mission ends but the fight doesn’t.

This is a raw conversation about service, identity, and what it really takes to keep moving forward.

You can order my book, now available on Amazon:
Echoes from the Sandbox by Samuel R. Stratton

Follow the mission:
YouTube – Echoes Unfiltered
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Facebook – Echoes Unfiltered
TikTok – @echoes_unfiltered
Podcast available on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio

Real talk, raw faith, stay unfiltered.

I sit down with Kevin, also known as Lt. Fire Duck, who served in Ramadi during the same time period. We talk about his path into service, what he experienced overseas, and what life has looked like since coming home.

This is an honest, unfiltered conversation about war, transition, and what it takes to keep moving forward.

You can order my book, now available on Amazon:
Echoes from the Sandbox by Samuel R. Stratton

Follow the mission:
YouTube – Echoes Unfiltered
Spotify – Echoes Unfiltered
Facebook – Echoes Unfiltered
TikTok – @echoes_unfiltered
Podcast available on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio

Real talk, raw faith, stay unfiltered.