PODCAST · society
Battle Scars
by Panoply
Some firefights and bomb blasts never make the news or the history books, but they’re still incidents that changed the lives of those involved. In each episode, host and former soldier Thom Tran talks to fellow veterans of our recent wars. We hear from a badly burned vet who became a TV star; a medic who says God answered his prayers on the battlefield; and one of the few women soldiers to take an enemy life in action. Thom also shares his memories of fighting in Iraq, where a sniper's bullet came within an inch of killing him. Sometimes raw, often funny, but always arresting.
Episodes
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Yay! Training is Fun? Episode 4
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Draft Episode for Mar 21, 2025
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Welcome to the world
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Surrounded, Outnumbered, Shot in the Throat... But I Fought On.
Simon Moloney took up a lonely sniper position in an Afghan building, not realising it was the headquarters of the local Taliban. Suddenly he and his comrade came under heavy fire from all sides. A bullet slammed into Simon's throat - a wound which should have killed him in minutes. Bleeding and...
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From War in Afghanistan to a Fight in the NFL
Former Green Beret and NFL player Nate Boyer never picks the easy path or runs away from conflict. In Afghanistan, he learned to trust and respect the local soldiers whose lives and views at first seemed so alien to his American eyes. Back home, when quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat out the...
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I Fought with Hate... Until it Caught Up On Me
As a soldier in US Army Special Forces, Tu Lam fought all over the world. He saw action in the wars you see on the TV news, but also in smaller conflicts you've probably never heard about. As a former refugee himself, he wanted to help innocent people in those strife-torn places. However, Tu saw…
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Don't Die with Skeletons in Your Closet
In Iraq, Arnold Strong went hunting for a terrorist bomb and found it right under his feet. The realisation of how close he'd come to death again and again on his tour made him think about the skeletons in his closet. On leave, he decided to tell his wife a secret he'd buried deep inside. The...
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I Tried to Help Land Our Black Hawk, Then Passed Out
Tammy Duckworth was having the best day of her deployment in Iraq - at the controls of a US Army Black Hawk helicopter - when insurgents launched an attack on the aircraft. Small arms fire peppered her side of the chopper... then a rocket-propelled grenade tore through the fuselage and detonated…
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The First Woman to Kill in Battle
Chantelle Taylor was a combat medic in Afghanistan. She took pride in being highly trained in both those trades; saving lives, but also taking them when necessary. During a Taliban ambush on her unit, Chantelle played her role fighting off the attackers. During the firefight she "engaged" one of...
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When I Went to Iraq it Killed My Dad Back Home
Kate Hoit had a fight on her hands from childhood. She waged a war on booze in her home, trying to get her alcoholic parents sober. She succeeded with her beloved father, until she was sent to Iraq and he fell dramatically off the wagon. Kate loved her deployment - it was the making of her - but…
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When the Caskets Start Coming Home
Arti Walker-Peddakotla escaped her controlling parents by joining the peacetime army. She wanted to continue her medical studies. But as her fellow soldiers began to fall in combat after 9/11, someone had to work in the mortuary and "process" their bodies. So day after day, Arti greeted the dead…
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Panoply Fall 2017 Trailer
We’re thrilled to present Panoply’s Fall 2017 lineup of shows. They include the satirical self-improvement show “Dexter Guff is Smarter Than You (And You Can Be Too),” the creepy paranormal series “Haunted,” “Family Ghosts,” in which people play detectives in their own family mysteries, “You Must...
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God Loves Medics
Manny Penuel says God wanted him to join the army and become a combat medic. The Lord also kept Manny safe from bullets and bombs which should have killed him. God also answered Manny's prayers as he patched up badly wounded comrades on the battlefields of Afghanistan - with some men surviving...
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Landmines freaked me out... and guess what got me?
JR Martinez was trapped in a burning vehicle for five long minutes. Coming back from Iraq he had to come to terms with the scarred face that now looked back in the mirror, and the feeling that his army buddies had abandoned him when he needed them most. Just as he fought to stay alive in the...
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Trailer
Thom Tran took a bullet in his head on his fourth day fighting in Iraq. In Battle Scars he talks candidly to others who served during our recent wars about their own battles, abroad and at home. With Thom having been forced to swap a career in the military for life as a stand-up comedian, the…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Some firefights and bomb blasts never make the news or the history books, but they’re still incidents that changed the lives of those involved. In each episode, host and former soldier Thom Tran talks to fellow veterans of our recent wars. We hear from a badly burned vet who became a TV star; a medic who says God answered his prayers on the battlefield; and one of the few women soldiers to take an enemy life in action. Thom also shares his memories of fighting in Iraq, where a sniper's bullet came within an inch of killing him. Sometimes raw, often funny, but always arresting.
HOSTED BY
Panoply
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Battle Scars have?
Battle Scars currently has 15 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Battle Scars about?
Some firefights and bomb blasts never make the news or the history books, but they’re still incidents that changed the lives of those involved. In each episode, host and former soldier Thom Tran talks to fellow veterans of our recent wars. We hear from a badly burned vet who became a TV star; a...
How often does Battle Scars release new episodes?
Battle Scars has 15 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Battle Scars?
You can listen to Battle Scars on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Battle Scars?
Battle Scars is created and hosted by Panoply.
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