Let us know what you think of the show and what we can do better!

America can deploy forces anywhere, destroy targets, and win fights with stunning speed. The question that haunts me, and drives this conversation, is what happens next. If we cannot secure the peace, rebuild institutions, and earn the trust of the local population, what does “winning” even mean?

I sit down with Eric Hummel, a former enlisted Navy submariner and retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, and the author of *The Losing Game: How to Lose a War and Fail Veterans*. Eric has lived the messy middle of war: reconstruction funding, congressional travel, NATO exposure, and on-the-ground stability operations as a provincial reconstruction team commander in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Province. He lays out the five phases of warfare, explains why the US military is trained to “clear” but rarely prepared to “hold, build, and transition,” and connects the dots between mission creep, career incentives, and the kind of fake progress reporting highlighted by the Afghanistan Papers.

We also look at what successful nation building and post-conflict reconstruction can teach us, from America’s own Reconstruction to the Marshall Plan, Japan, and South Korea, and why those efforts required strategy, competence, and sustained commitment. Eric shares a hard lesson from Panjshir: stopping road contracts until Afghans were compensated for seized land, because legitimacy and rule of law are not optional in counterinsurgency. We close with a direct challenge to senior military and civilian leaders to take responsibility in public, and to treat veterans with the truth they deserve.

Subscribe for more long-form conversations, share this with a friend who thinks about national security, and leave a review so more people find the show.

Stories of Service presents guests’ stories and opinions in their own words, reflecting their personal experiences and perspectives. While shared respectfully and authentically, the podcast does not independently verify all statements. Views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the host, producers, government agencies, or podcast affiliates.

Support the show

Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76

Let us know what you think of the show and what we can do better!

A phrase that sounds like pure chaos becomes a surprisingly thoughtful answer to a real problem: how do veterans date, connect, and feel understood after the uniform comes off? We sit down with MJ and Dave, the minds behind “Fuck Veterans, I Do,” to unpack how an outrageous joke turned into a genuine veteran community where civilians are welcome too, and where dark humor opens the door to something honest.

We get into Dave’s Army story, MJ’s perspective as a self-described “civvy” learning military culture from the inside, and the moment they realized the internet wasn’t just buying merch, it was asking for connection. MJ breaks down how “Hooking Up Heroes” works, why it’s hard for many veterans to talk about themselves, and what happens when someone else hands them the microphone and says, “Let me brag about you.” The numbers are wild, but the trend is even better: most people applying aren’t looking for a quick hookup, they’re looking for a life partner.

We also talk real-world impact: “Thank You Thursday,” the opt-in flirting ritual that’s helped people through rough seasons, the push toward in-person events (Philly now, Vegas next), and the giveback model that donates to Team Red, White, and Blue. There’s even a story about turning community energy into morale support for sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. If you care about veteran dating, military culture, and building belonging without losing your sense of humor, press play.

If this conversation hits for you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show and the community.

Stories of Service presents guests’ stories and opinions in their own words, reflecting their personal experiences and perspectives. While shared respectfully and authentically, the podcast does not independently verify all statements. Views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the host, producers, government agencies, or podcast affiliates.

Support the show

Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76

Let us know what you think of the show and what we can do better!

A single headline can’t carry the weight of a sexual assault allegation, especially when intoxication, fragmented memory, and missing digital evidence are part of the story. We wanted a conversation that slows everything down and asks the harder question: what can actually be proven, and what are we merely assuming?

I’m joined by military defense attorney Jocelyn Stewart, known online as the “messy military lawyer,” to unpack how attorneys evaluate credibility, consent, and corroboration when the public only sees partial reporting. We dig into why police summaries often fail to capture what a full recording reveals, how forensic interviewing should avoid leading questions, and why “sincerity” is not the same thing as “accuracy.” We also talk about the evidence everyone keeps overlooking, texts, photos, possible videos, witness statements, and the chain of who said what to whom and when.

From there, we zoom out to the bigger legal landscape: how Title IX proceedings differ from criminal court, how a civil lawsuit can change witness incentives, and why New York Penal Law 130 creates real challenges around voluntary intoxication, physical helplessness, and compulsion. We close with a due process debate that rarely gets real attention: whether it is fair for a plaintiff to proceed as Jane Doe while the accused are named and tried in the court of public opinion.

If you care about justice, accountability, and getting the facts right, listen through to the end, then subscribe, share this episode, and leave a review so more people demand evidence over outrage.

Support the show

Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76