In this powerful solo episode, Sam Stratton speaks directly to veterans, service members, and anyone battling the unseen war at home. He shares a raw message about the reality of “22 a day” — reminding us those aren’t just numbers, but husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, and friends we’ve served beside.

Sam lays out practical tactics for fighting back against the darkness, from calling a battle buddy to breaking destructive patterns, and he challenges friends and family to step up for the veterans in their lives. After delivering his prepared message, Sam speaks from the heart on the importance of reaching out, getting help, and never fighting alone.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line. We don’t leave people behind — not overseas, and not here at home.

In this episode of Echoes Unfiltered, I sit down with my squadmate Kopmeyer to talk about Ramadi, brotherhood, and the chaos we lived through. From running over cones at the fuel depot to facing real danger on mission, we dig into what it meant to have each other’s backs—and how it still matters today.

In this episode of Echoes Unfiltered, Sam brings you boots-on-the-ground reality from Day One in Iraq.

He walks us through the transition from cushy Kuwait — with its outdoor movie theater and Green Bean Coffee — to the unforgiving heat of Ramadi, where the gravity of war slammed into every sense.

This is where the mission got real. The comfort faded, the fear crept in, and the true beginning of the deployment took shape.

With reflection, honesty, and a prayer to close it out, this episode is the raw truth of arrival.

In this first episode of Echoes Unfiltered, I introduce myself — Sam Stratton — and explain why this podcast exists.

I served as a combat engineer in Iraq during the height of the war in Ramadi. I came home with more than just medals. I came home with echoes — trauma, silence, shame — and for years I didn’t talk about it.

This podcast isn’t about politics. It’s about honesty. It’s about the things we carry and the things we can’t say. Whether you're a veteran, a spouse, a trauma survivor, or just someone who feels broken... you’re not alone.

Welcome to Echoes Unfiltered.

This is where we tell the truth. And start to heal.