A beast of burden is an animal that can carry heavy loads. In the military, the loads we carry are more than just the weight of our gear and equipment. We carry the weight of sacrifice, selfless service, loss, and, at times, our battle buddies. I learned a great deal about empathy in the Army and that, as much as we may try, we cannot carry all the suffering, sorrow, and pain of our comrades on our shoulders alone.

Based on the Kruse Corner article "Here to Stay," which addresses suicide and suicidal thinking. Suicide was something I hardly knew until I joined the Army. It took a combat deployment and losing several people from my unit to bring me face to face with my toughest enemy: myself.

During my time in the military and after I enrolled in VA healthcare, I was always being prescribed multiple medications at once. Over time, these meds appeared to be causing more harm than good. While there are times when medication is absolutely necessary, this is my story about how I was given numerous pills that not only interacted poorly with one another, but caused me to physically deteriorate and nearly give up on life.

Female veterans and service members have often had to fight to get noticed or to be taken seriously. This episode addresses some unique challenges women in the military face and how they have just as much of a right to serve, and receive recognition for that service, as their male counterparts do.

Discussing Sebastian Junger's book "Tribe," which covers PTSD, transitioning military, the unique bonds between service members, and why some miss being deployed, or struggle to recover.

Discussing three articles from the Kruse Corner blog addressing transition, troubles with reaching out, issues with getting help, and finding your place after deployment or leaving the service.

The story behind how the project was started and how it got its name.