Spotlight: Opus Peace & Fallen Comrade Ceremony with Deborah Grassman

Deborah Grassman spent 30 years as a VA hospice nurse practitioner, sitting at the bedside of over 10,000 dying veterans. And what she witnessed changed everything we think we know about trauma, healing, and what veterans actually need from us.This isn't a comfortable conversation.It's not supposed to be.Deborah identified something she calls Soul Injury—a wound beyond PTSD, beyond moral injury—that separates people from their true selves. It's caused by unmourned loss, unforgiven guilt, and the fear of helplessness that gets buried so deep, it sabotages lives for decades.In this episode, Deborah breaks down:Why most veteran "thank yous" miss the mark completelyThe untold stories that get carried to the graveHow the Fallen Comrade Ceremony she pioneered creates space for healing ⁠Who We Are - Opus Peace⁠What dying veterans taught her about living fullyWhy stoicism becomes a prison instead of a doorThis episode will challenge how you think about service, sacrifice, and what it truly means to honor those who served.Because healing our nation after war? That's on ALL of us.CONNECT WITH DEBORAH GRASSMAN & OPUS PEACE:🌐 Opus Peace: ⁠https://opuspeace.org⁠📖 Soul Injury Resources: ⁠https://soulinjury.org⁠READ DEBORAH'S BOOKS:📚 Peace at Last: Stories of Hope and Healing for Veterans and Their FamiliesAmazon: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Peace-Last-Stories-Veterans-Families/dp/0918339723⁠Opus Peace Store: ⁠https://opuspeace.org/Shop/Peace-at-Last⁠📚 The Hero Within: Redeeming the Destiny We Were Born to FulfillAmazon: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Hero-Within-Deborah-Grassman/dp/0918339766⁠---Listen & Subscribe to Veteran Story Hour: Voices of Valor, Presented by SALUTE of Virginia, everywhere podcasts can be heardEvery veteran has a story worth preserving—stories of courage, sacrifice, humor, and humanity. Veteran Story Hour captures these remarkable personal histories directly from the voices of the men and women who’ve served our nation. Recorded live each week at SALUTE of Virginia in Waynesboro, this podcast creates a living history, ensuring these powerful memories are preserved and shared for generations to come. Hosted by John Fairbanks of the Shenandoah Valley Story Network, join us as we honor those who served by listening, reflecting, and remembering.Because every veteran’s story deserves to be told—and every voice deserves to be heard.