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Bradley “Big Penn” Pennington joins Stryker on the W.A.R. Network for a powerful conversation about survival, brotherhood, war, and rebuilding purpose after the military.

Stryker and Big Penn first met in AIT in 2001 before eventually serving at Fort Bragg during the early years of the Global War on Terror. From the streets of Orlando to the ranks of the 82nd Airborne Division, Big Penn shares the journey that shaped him.

In this episode we talk about childhood survival, addiction in the home, dropping out of school, the decision to enlist, Airborne culture, and what it really means to carry the identity of a soldier.

Big Penn also opens up about three combat deployments including Iraq and Afghanistan, surviving a devastating 500 pound IED blast, the mental toll of combat, survivor guilt, and the invisible scars that stay long after the war ends.

The conversation shifts to the difficult transition many veterans face when the mission disappears. Depression, loss of identity, and searching for purpose again are realities many warriors quietly carry.

That search eventually led Big Penn to help build Swaggy Vets, a platform focused on giving veterans a voice and creating community through storytelling.

This episode is not just about war.

It is about transformation.

Survival turning into service.

If you are a veteran, know a veteran, or care about the real stories behind military service, this conversation will hit home.

Watch until the end for a powerful reflection on legacy, brotherhood, and what recovery truly looks like.

Follow and support the W.A.R. Network

Website

https://www.warpodcast.net/

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@stryker11691

Contact

[email protected]

If this conversation helped you, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Crisis Support Resources

United States: Dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

International: https://findahelpline.com/

It’s W.A.R. Each One Reach One. We’re All Recovering.

#warpodcast

#veteranstories

#militarypodcast

#82ndairborne

#fortbragg

#combatveteran

#iraqwar

#afghanistanwar

#veterantransition

#ptsdrecovery

#militarybrotherhood

#swaggyvets

#strykerwar

#wereallrecovering

#veterancommunity

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Dr. Larry Smith has been sober since September 22, 1999.

That’s 26 years of long-term recovery, discipline, and truth.

In this powerful W.A.R. Network interview, Dr. Larry Smith breaks down addiction not as a habit, but as a voice. A negotiation inside your own mind.

Author of

Johnnie and Me: Facing the Voice of Alcohol Within

Embracing the Journey of Recovery: From Tragedy to Triumph

Dr. Smith explains why recovery is not the absence of craving. It is the presence of purpose.

We discuss:

• What 26 years sober actually feels like

• Trauma beneath addiction

• The dangerous lie the inner voice tells

• Why isolation fuels relapse

• Identity work in recovery

• The commercialization of treatment

• His upcoming novel 2084: The Neuroxone Conspiracy

If you are battling alcohol addiction, substance abuse, trauma, or silent isolation, this conversation is for you.

Recovery is not a trend.

It is endurance.

Watch until the end.

Subscribe for real conversations about discipline, trauma recovery, and long-term sobriety.

Follow Dr. Larry Smith

Add official links here if available

W.A.R. Network

https://www.warpodcast.net/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stryker11691

If you are struggling in the United States, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Outside the U.S., visit https://findahelpline.com for international support resources.

It’s W.A.R. Each One Reach One. We’re All Recovering.

#AddictionRecovery

#Sobriety

#26YearsSober

#AlcoholRecovery

#RecoveryJourney

#TraumaHealing

#LongTermSobriety

#MentalHealth

#SoberLife

#WARNetwork

#RecoveryPodcast

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Nicholas Ruchlewicz joins W.A.R. to share his journey of surviving a traumatic brain injury after a motorcycle crash and what recovery really looks like when the wounds are invisible. From memory shifts and identity changes to anxiety, depression, and the silent battles men are taught not to talk about, this conversation goes deeper than inspiration.

Host Stryker also shares his own near fatal motorcycle accident experience, being dead on the scene for 13 minutes and placed on life support, creating a powerful survivor to survivor conversation about trauma, resilience, and rebuilding purpose after impact.

In this episode we discuss:

• What a traumatic brain injury feels like from the inside

• The mental health war that follows physical survival

• The shift from Why me to What now

• Why advocacy must be about impact, not attention

• Breaking stigma around men’s mental health

• How tabletop roleplay and gaming community helped rebuild identity

• Fighting isolation after trauma

• The darkest thoughts during recovery and how to survive them

• What recovery really means beyond motivation

This episode is for survivors, families, veterans, riders, athletes, and anyone fighting an invisible war inside their mind.

Subscribe to W.A.R. We’re All Recovering

https://www.warpodcast.net/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stryker11691

If you are in crisis in the United States, call or text 988.

Outside the U.S., visit https://www.findahelpline.com/ to find support in your country.

#TraumaticBrainInjury #TBIRecovery #MotorcycleCrashSurvivor #MentalHealthAdvocacy #MensMentalHealth #BrainInjuryAwareness #AnxietyRecovery #DepressionRecovery #TraumaSurvivor #PostTraumaticGrowth #WARRNetwork #Stryker #InvisibleInjury #EachOneReachOne #WereAllRecovering

It’s W.A.R. Each One Reach One. We’re All Recovering.

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From the battlefield to the soul, Chaplain Dr. Larry Brant shares powerful truth about faith, moral injury, PTSD misconceptions, and what real healing looks like beyond uniform and rank.

In this W.A.R. Network episode, we go beyond surface level conversations. Chaplain Dr. Larry Brant opens up about serving those who carry invisible wounds, the spiritual weight many veterans face, and why moral injury is often misunderstood.

This conversation challenges the narrative around trauma, resilience, and recovery. Not everyone with PTSD is violent. Not everyone who smiles is okay. And not all battles end when the war does.

If you care about mental health, veterans, faith, leadership, or healing after service, this episode will hit home.

Subscribe and join the movement.

Watch more at:

https://www.youtube.com/@stryker11691

https://www.warpodcast.net/

https://war-network-1–olaf11691.replit.app

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 in the United States. For international resources visit findahelpline.com.

It’s W.A.R. Each One Reach One. We’re All Recovering.

#WARNetwork #LarryBrant #MoralInjury #PTSDawareness #VeteranVoices #FaithAndHealing #MilitaryChaplain #MentalHealthMatters #InvisibleWounds #BeyondTheBattlefield #TraumaRecovery #VeteranSupport #EachOneReachOne

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This unforgettable episode of W.A.R. We’re All Recovering is a raw conversation about resilience, identity, and the moment you stop surviving and start rising. Stryker sits down with retired career firefighter, trauma coach, and author Lynnette Fritshaw to talk about breaking barriers as the first female career firefighter in her hometown department, navigating bullying and discrimination inside a system that was anything but welcoming, and how invisible injuries can shape your whole life.

Lynnette shares what survival mode actually feels like, why trauma inside authority structures hits differently, and how healing begins when silence ends. From her memoir You’re On Your Own to her work through Fire Within Crisis Services and Phoenix Rising, this episode gets real about peer support, full body recovery, and the power of telling the truth.

You don’t have a secret. You have a story.

Connect with Lynnette Fritshaw

https://www.firewithincrisisservices.com/book-online

Connect with Stryker and the W.A.R. Network

https://www.warpodcast.net/

https://war-network-1–olaf11691.replit.app

https://www.youtube.com/@stryker11691

[email protected]

Crisis support resources

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911 right now.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (US and Canada): Call or text 988

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 (US)

Veterans Crisis Line: Call 988 then press 1, or text 838255

If you are outside the US, search online for your local crisis hotline number.

#LynnetteFritshaw #TheFireWithin #WARNetwork #WereAllRecovering #TraumaRecovery #HealingJourney #FirstFemaleFirefighter #Resilience #MentalHealthAwareness #PeerSupport #PostTraumaticGrowth #SurvivalMode #TraumaHealing #PodcastInterview #EachOneReachOne #FireWithinCrisisServices

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Welcome back to W.A.R. We’re All Recovering.

In this powerful episode, host Stryker is joined by Peter Gunn, a United States Air Force veteran who served 20 years and has since reinvented his life through poetry, epic storytelling, music, and myth.

Peter is the creator of The Amazons, a lyrical epic centered on feminine heroism, as well as The Kurupi’s Curse and the Sigma Squad graphic novel universe rooted in ancient mythology and spiritual duality.

This conversation dives deep into:

Life after military service

Identity shifts and reinvention

Creativity as survival

Mythology, symbolism, and storytelling

Turning trauma into purpose

If you’ve ever felt lost after a major life transition, this episode is proof your next chapter can still be legendary.

It’s W.A.R. We’re All Recovering.

Peter Gunn:

https://www.petergunn.net/

https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Gunn/e/B09CJL2DL5

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPWmQ-4ES7Y/

W.A.R. Network:

https://www.warpodcast.net/

https://www.youtube.com/@stryker11691

https://war-network-1–olaf11691.replit.app

https://www.warpodcast.net/store

#WARPodcast #WereAllRecovering #Stryker #PeterGunn #AirForceVeteran #VeteranMentalHealth #VeteranRecovery #PoetryPodcast #EpicStorytelling #HealingJourney #TraumaToPurpose #MoralInjury #PTSDRecovery #StaySturdy #MentalHealthPodcast

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In this powerful and deeply honest episode of W.A.R. We’re All Recovering, host Stryker sits down with Hilary Momberger Powers for a raw conversation about childhood trauma, addiction, recovery, and the lifelong work of healing.

Known to many as the childhood voice of Sally Brown from the Peanuts world, Hilary shares what life was really like behind the microphone. Growing up in an unsafe and controlling environment, she learned how to perform before she learned how to feel safe.

This episode explores addiction, toxic relationships, self destruction, long term sobriety, inner child healing, and the shift from living as a wound to living as a scar. Hilary explains what it truly means to stop leading with your wound and how healing does not erase the past, but changes its meaning.

With decades of sobriety and years spent mentoring women in recovery, Hilary offers hope to anyone struggling with shame, suicidal thoughts, addiction, or the belief that they are too broken to heal.

This is not a celebrity interview.

This is a recovery conversation.

This is W.A.R.

Topics include:

• Childhood trauma and child stardom

• Narcissistic family systems

• Addiction and long term recovery

• Inner child healing

• Turning wounds into scars

• Mentoring women in recovery

• Mental health, shame, and hope

Guest Links

🌐 Website: https://www.hilarymombergerpowers.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hilarymombergerpowers

Official W.A.R. and Stryker Links

▶️ YouTube:

https://youtube.com/@stryker11691

📅 Booking and Scheduling:

https://calendly.com/thewarnetworkpodcast

🎵 Spotify Podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1FmwlecHd0DsG4YusKHTQX

🎙️ Podbean RSS:

https://feed.podbean.com/olaf11691/feed.xml

🎙️ Buzzsprout RSS:

https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2534988.rss

📸 Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/w.a.r.network

🎵 TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarnetwork

📘 Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/MR.STRAKER

📧 Contact:

[email protected]

Crisis Support

If this episode brings up difficult emotions or thoughts of self harm, please reach out for support.

In the United States, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

IT’S W.A.R.

Each One Reach One

We Are All Recovering

Send a text

Sam Mitchell is the founder and Executive Director of Autism Rocks and Rolls, a nonprofit and media platform dedicated to changing how the world understands autism. Sam is autistic, a college student, a public speaker, and the host of the Autism Rocks and Rolls podcast, where he has interviewed leaders in education, advocacy, and neurodiversity including Dr. Temple Grandin.

In this powerful episode of W.A.R. We’re All Recovering, Stryker sits down with Sam to talk about what autism really feels like from the inside, why structure creates safety instead of limitation, how damaging stigma really is, and why autistic people do not need to be fixed.

This conversation is deeply personal for Stryker as the father of an autistic son. It is a real conversation about respect, communication, and building a world that makes space for different minds to thrive.

If you are autistic, love someone on the spectrum, or want to understand neurodiversity without stereotypes, this episode is for you.

Guest links

https://www.autismrocksandrolls.com

https://www.autismrocksandrolls.com/podcast

https://www.instagram.com/autismrocksandrolls

https://www.linkedin.com/company/autism-rocks-and-rolls

https://www.facebook.com/autismrocksandrolls

https://twitter.com/autismrocksrnr

Host and W.A.R. Network

https://www.warpodcast.net

https://www.youtube.com/@stryker11691

https://war-network-1–olaf11691.replit.app

https://calendly.com/thewarnetworkpodcast

[email protected]

Crisis support

If you or someone you love is struggling with depression, suicidal thoughts, or emotional distress, help is available right now.

United States call or text 988

United Kingdom and ROI Samaritans 116 123

Canada call or text 988

Australia Lifeline 13 11 14

Worldwide findahelpline.com

If you are in immediate danger call your local emergency number now

#autism #autismacceptance #neurodiversity #autistic #autismspeaks #mentalhealth #podcast #warpodcast #recovery #eachonereachone #wereallrecovering

Send a text

They told him he would not live past 20. Doctors said his body would fail. Pain was constant. Bullying shaped his self-worth. Addiction became an escape. Suicide felt like an option.

David W Ebel lived with an expiration date and somehow survived it. In this episode of W.A.R. We’re All Recovering, host Stryker sits down with David W Ebel to talk about chronic pain, addiction, depression, faith, discipline, family, and what it truly means to keep going when life already feels over.

This is not a conversation about religion versus science. It is a conversation about survival, identity, responsibility, and rebuilding a life from the inside out.

🎥 Watch the full episode

https://www.youtube.com/@stryker11691

📖 David W Ebel — official LinkedIn profile (pastor, trauma responder, trainer)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidebelctss  

📷 David W Ebel Photography (stories, visuals, contact)

https://www.davidwebel.com  

📱 Follow David W Ebel on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/1234davidwebel  

📘 David W Ebel on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/david.ebel1  

🎧 Spotify

https://open.spotify.com

🌐 Official Website

https://www.warpodcast.net/

📅 Guest/Collab Booking

https://calendly.com/thewarnetworkpodcast

📌 Support the Show

(link to Patreon/PODMATCH/podcast page if you use one)

❤️ HELP & CRISIS RESOURCES

If you’re struggling with thoughts of self-harm, suicide, addiction, or crisis, you are not alone. You deserve help, and help is available right now:

United States:

📞 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call or Text 988 (free, 24/7)

United Kingdom & Ireland:

📞 Samaritans — +44 (0)8457 90 90 90

https://www.samaritans.org

Canada:

📞 Canada Suicide Prevention Service — Call or Text 988

Australia:

📞 Lifeline — 13 11 14

https://www.lifeline.org.au

International:

🌐 Find support in your area: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines

Substance Use Support:

📞 SAMHSA Helpline (US) — 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

Send a text

In this conversation, Wesley Farnsworth opens up about losing almost everything, hitting rock bottom, and rebuilding his life from the inside out. We talk breakdown, identity, faith, discipline, purpose, and what it really looks like to start over when the old version of you is no longer working. If you are rebuilding, recovering, or trying to find your way back to yourself, this episode will meet you where you are and walk with you forward. It is raw. It is honest. It is recovery in real time. It’s WAR. Each One Reach One. We are all recovering.

Wesley’s links

https://wesleyfarnsworth.com/

https://blueprintofbecoming.com/

My links

https://www.warpodcast.net

https://www.youtube.com/@stryker11691

https://calendly.com/thewarnetworkpodcast

#WARPodcast

#WesleyFarnsworth

#BlueprintOfBecoming

#BreakdownToBuildUp

#RecoveryJourney

#FaithAndHealing

#MentalHealthRecovery

#PersonalGrowth

#IdentityHealing

#PurposeDrivenLife

#WeAreAllRecovering

#EachOneReachOne

#ItsWAR