#709 FireSide Chat w/ Erik Monarca of Chat 62 Podcast; 30 Jul 2026

🔥 FireSide Chat with the Crew | Featuring Erik Monarca of Chat 62 Podcast 🔥 This week's FireSide Chat, we welcomed Erik Monarca, co-host of the Chat 62 Podcast, for an engaging conversation about military service, the power of storytelling, and the importance of preserving veterans' experiences for future generations. What started as a discussion between two veteran-focused podcasts quickly became a deeper conversation about the shared mission of ensuring that the stories of those who served are never forgotten. Erik shared the vision behind Chat 62, how the show has grown beyond its original roots, and why giving veterans a platform to tell their stories continues to make such a lasting impact. The crew also explored the future of veteran history preservation, including the growth of the Veterans' Voices Archive Network, the development of a searchable research database, and how podcasters, historians, museums, and researchers can work together to build one of the largest collaborative archives of veteran oral histories anywhere. Along the way, there were plenty of laughs, stories from military life, and the kind of candid conversation that has become the hallmark of FireSide Chat. If you believe every veteran's story deserves to be preserved, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Join AJ Cox, Mike, and Jess as they sit down with Erik Monarca of Chat 62 Podcast for a conversation about brotherhood, podcasting, preserving history, and ensuring that every veteran's voice has a place in history—because in the end... Your Story Matters.