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This one’s powerful. 

If you or someone you love has worn the uniform, you already know that the battles don’t always stop when deployment ends. And when veterans divorce, there’s usually a whole lot beneath the surface leading up to the split. 

 In this episode of The Splitting Smart Podcast, I’m sitting down with someone I deeply respect: Hon. Mark Johnson (Ret.), an Iraq War vet, Bronze Star recipient, and the judge on the Veterans Court in Riverside County. He’s seen it all—PTSD, moral injury, addiction—and he’s here to share what most people (even lawyers) miss when a veteran ends up in family court. 

We talk about trauma, recovery, justice, and the marriages caught in between. 

In this episode: 

• Trauma and healing: what a decade of Veterans Court taught Judge Johnson  
• The signs of combat-related PTSD—and how they impact marriage 
• Why reintegration is harder than people realize 
• When domestic violence can really be about untreated trauma (and what to do about it) 
• What spouses and lawyers need to ask—but usually don’t 
• Stories of recovery, redemption, and hope 

About Mark Johnson: 

Hon. Mark Johnson (Ret.) served as a Superior Court Judge and Colonel in the U.S. Army. He’s a decorated Iraq War veteran and longtime advocate for veterans who find themselves in the justice system, especially those struggling with PTSD and trauma. His novel, Scars and Strife, brings these stories to life through fiction rooted in truth. 

Stay tuned for Part 2 (episode 62): 

In the next episode, we dive deeper into veteran divorce, and what it takes to build real co-parenting agreements after military service and trauma. 

HON. MARK JOHNSON (RET.)'S BOOK: Scars and Strife – https://a.co/d/38sod6z 

MEDIATION STARTER GUIDE: https://mailchi.mp/2939c428981d/mediation-resources  

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