Of all the engagements and firefights I'd been in in Afghanistan, this firefight on Sept. 29th 2011 stuck with me with the most. Maybe it was the poor planning, maybe it was the fact that I really did think that was the day I was going to die. Either way, it left its lessons with me and I carry those with me to this day. Live everyday like it means something because you never know when the show might end...

We continue on the odyssey of combat. Afghanistan has a beauty one must experience in order to appreciate the desolate beauty of it all. I know it's a place I'll never forget...

In this episode, I begin a tale of combat and adversity. Life is chaotic and we never know when our end will come. All of this is ramped up in an active combat zone. Too many combat veterans refuse to share their experiences in combat, but here at The HeathenMachine, the point is sharing these experiences so others will know what combat veterans experience far away from home. 

In this episode, I discuss a pivotal moment of failure in my life and the ramifications of that fateful decision. We'll all suffer set backs and we will all fall. We will fail and fail often but that only gives us more opportunities to learn and grow. 

Just skimming the surface of what The HeathenMachine Chronicles are all about. In this episode, The HeathenMachine lays the ground work for what's to come and learns that it takes a lot of work to record a podcast and that carrying on a conversation with yourself has its perks.