Episode 1 – The Way Home: A Soldier’s Story of Survival and Coming Back to Life

One moment, life was normal. The next, a suicide bomber changed everything.

In this gripping debut of The Open Booth, host Matthew R. O. Brown sits down with a close friend whose deployment to Afghanistan took a harrowing turn when his army unit was attacked. The blast from a suicide bomber left scars that went far beyond the battlefield — and began a long, complicated journey back home, both physically and emotionally.

Filmed inside The Open Booth — a traveling, on-location interview space designed for open and unfiltered conversation — this episode dives into what it truly means to serve, survive, and find your way back to yourself after war.

Through vivid storytelling and raw honesty, you’ll hear:

• The split-second decisions that meant life or death in combat

• The emotional weight of surviving when others didn’t

• The unseen struggles of adjusting to civilian life

• How faith, resilience, and purpose can guide recovery

This isn’t just a story about war. It’s about finding hope after unimaginable loss, and about the people and moments that can light the way home when everything feels broken. Whether you have a personal connection to military service or you’ve never met someone in uniform, this conversation will change the way you think about sacrifice, resilience, and the human spirit.

🎙 In this episode, you’ll discover:

• What it’s like to face the unimaginable in combat

• The hardest challenges of coming home from war

• How to support someone who has served

• Why hope is often the most powerful survival tool

Pull up a seat in The Open Booth and join a conversation that will stay with you long after the final words are spoken.

🎥 Watch the full video episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOpenBooth
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