We’re Lying About War - And Veterans Are Paying For It. With Melinda Grisby

We need to stop lying about war.Not softening it. Not dressing it up. Lying. Because what Melinda Grisby shared with me isn’t the version you see in movies—it’s the version we actively avoid. Limbs torn apart. Burned bodies. Children caught in the blast radius. So let me ask you—why are we still so comfortable romanticizing something this brutal?Melinda spent 10 years in the Air Force, serving two tours in Iraq as an ER medic. What she carries home isn’t pride—it’s images, smells, and trauma that don’t fade. PTSD doesn’t clock out. It follows you into your sleep, into your parenting, into every quiet moment. And yet we keep repeating “thank you for your service” like that somehow covers the cost. Does it? Or does it let us avoid actually facing what we’re asking people to endure?Here’s where it gets uncomfortable—we’re not just talking about war, we’re talking about systems that depend on it. Profit. Power. Manufactured narratives. Why are the loudest voices cheering for war the ones least likely to fight in it? And why are veterans the ones left to clean up the emotional wreckage—with barely enough support to survive it?If we’re serious about change, then we have to be honest. War isn’t heroic. It’s devastating. And until we’re willing to sit with that truth, we’re going to keep repeating it.Find more info on Melinda/Brown Girl Pride here: Brown Girl Pride Facebook Brown Girl Pride TikTokBrownGirlPride Instagram photos and videosCheck out Melinda’s Suggested Resources below:Veterans Of Foreign Wars (VFW)Get help from a VA accredited representative or VSOChapters00:00 The Reality of War: A Veteran's Perspective05:41 The Harsh Truth of Combat Injuries10:08 Mental Health Struggles Post-War14:53 The Challenge of Reintegration into Society20:37 The Misconception of War and Violence25:11 The Call to Action for Understanding Veterans30:12 The Complexity of Military Orders and Morality39:28 The Irony of Military Socialism49:40 The Unending Cycle of War55:13 The Dilemma of Military Service for Youth58:00 The Role of AI in Warfare01:04:14 Profit Over Humanity: The Economics of War01:10:01 The Manufactured Nature of War Narratives01:15:17 Reframing Choices for the Next GenerationContact Tabitha:[email protected]://tabithazeigler.com/