A Veteran’s Take on Mental Health, Moral Injury and Soul Repair Ft. Benjamin Sledge w/Anita Nowak - Purposeful Empathy

Military service leaves invisible wounds. In this special series devoted to widening our circle of empathy for people who are often misunderstood, listen to this unflinching episode featuring Benjamin Sledge, a Purple Heart combat veteran and author of Where Cowards Go to Die. Benjamin recounts why 9/11 inspired him to join the U.S. military and how combat in Afghanistan and Iraq changed his life. He also talks about PTSD, the invisible wounds many veterans carry after they come home, and the people who kept him alive, both on and off the battlefield.Together, we explore:The human cost of combat and what it does to one’s mind, body, and soulThe long road to recovery from moral injury and PTSDWhat civilians often misunderstand about military vets How empathy can be life-saving for vets carrying invisible woundsThis is a soul-stirring conversation about courage, suffering, healing and resilience that you don’t want to miss.00:00 Preview01:00 Introduction 07:12 Benjamin’s backstory13:17 Military service as a path to purpose18:03 What is healthy masculinity?24:04 Fighting in Afghanistan’s mountains29:53 The “Don’t Die Policy:” How soldiers cope with fear30:57 How Benjamin earned his Purple Heart 40:43 The hidden cost of war43:11 “Moral injury” and “soul repair”46:33 How to heal from combat50:22 What civilians get wrong about veterans55:27 Benjamin Sledge’s book: Where Cowards Go to Die01:00:08  How veterans find their way out of depression01:03:03  Inside the battle of Ramadi (the Iraq war’s most violent city)01:11:26  How brotherhood in war creates lifelong bonds01:18:43  How empathy shows up in the military01:22:10  Reasons why everyone should have a veteran friend01:25:16  Benjamin Sledge’s Purposeful Empathy storyCONNECT WITH BENJAMIN✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-sledge/✩ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/benjamincsledge/ ✩ Website https://benjaminsledge.com/CONNECT WITH ANITA✩ Email [email protected] ✩ Website https://www.anitanowak.com✩ Buy a copy of Purposeful Empathy http://tiny.cc/PurposefulEmpathyCA✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitanowak/✩ Instagram https://tinyurl.com/anitanowakinstagram✩ Podcast Audio https://tinyurl.com/PurposefulEmpathyPodcast✩ Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/anitanowak.bsky.socialBENJAMIN’S WORK✩ Where Cowards Go to Die by Benjamin Sledge https://www.amazon.com/Where-Cowards-Die-Benjamin-Sledge/dp/168451164X✩ Rewrite: The Journey from Self-Harm to Healinghttps://www.amazon.com/ReWrite-Journey-Self-Harm-Benjamin-Sledge/dp/0999154508✩ Benjamin’s article: Today’s Problem with Masculinity Isn’t What You Think https://humanparts.medium.com/todays-problem-with-masculinity-isn-t-what-you-think-b43e80edcf60SHOW NOTES✩ Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoefferhttps://tinyurl.com/udytxuzf ✩ The Stand by Stephen Kinghttps://www.amazon.com/Stand-Stephen-King/dp/0307743683Video edited by Jad Misri, Green Horizon Studio