The Veterans Unmasked’s Podcast

Some people leave the military. Others never stop serving. In Episode 007 of Veterans Unmasked, we sit down with Tim Stroud, an Army veteran, combat medic, veteran advocate, and founder of Stay Tuned For Vets, to discuss what service truly looks like after the uniform comes off. From his experiences as an Army medic to creating programs that connect veterans through music, woodworking, community events, and peer support, Tim shares why purpose, connection, and service remain just as important after military life. This conversation isn't just about military service. It's about continuing to answer the call. In this episode, we discuss: ✅ Serving as an Army Combat Medic ✅ Transitioning from military service ✅ The mission behind Stay Tuned For Vets ✅ Veteran community outreach ✅ Why purpose matters after service ✅ Music and creative healing ✅ Building relationships within the veteran community ✅ Leadership beyond the military ✅ Helping veterans reconnect ✅ Continuing to serve after taking off the uniform About Tim Stroud Tim Stroud is an Army veteran, combat medic, and the founder of Stay Tuned For Vets, an organization dedicated to connecting veterans through community, music, creative projects, education, and service opportunities. His mission is simple: No veteran should feel alone after their service ends. About Veterans Unmasked Veterans Unmasked is a nonprofit organization preserving the stories of veterans, first responders, Gold Star families, military spouses, caregivers, and community leaders through long-form documentary-style conversations. Every interview becomes part of our permanent Legacy Archive so these stories will never be forgotten. Where Silence Ends. Learn More 🌐 Website https://VeteransUnmasked.org 📚 Legacy Archive https://VeteransUnmasked.org/the-legacy-archive 🎧 Listen on Podbean https://veteransunmasked.podbean.com 📺 Subscribe on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@VeteransUnmasked Connect with Stay Tuned For Vets Stay Tuned For Vets If this conversation inspired you, please consider subscribing, leaving a comment, and sharing it with another veteran, first responder, or family member. Every share helps preserve another story. Veterans Unmasked is a long-form documentary podcast preserving the stories of veterans, first responders, Gold Star families, military spouses, and caregivers. New episodes premiere every Monday at 5:00 AM CT on podcast platforms, with full video episodes released Fridays at 5:00 PM CT on YouTube.

What is life really like beneath the ocean's surface? For more than 12.5 years of military service, Cory Kammerdiener answered that question as a U.S. Navy submariner. Serving aboard the USS Drum, the USS Dolphin, and with the Near Term Mine Reconnaissance (NMRS) program, Cory experienced a side of military service that few people ever see. In Episode 006 of Veterans Unmasked, Cory takes us inside the world of the Silent Service, sharing stories of emergency situations aboard submarines, the realities of serving underwater for months at a time, and the brotherhood forged beneath the surface. During this conversation, Cory discusses: ⚓ Life aboard U.S. Navy submarines ⚓ The culture of the Silent Service ⚓ A collision with a Panamanian cargo ship ⚓ Flooding in the engine room ⚓ A dangerous hydrogen sulfide leak ⚓ The transition from military service to civilian life ⚓ Building a successful business after the Navy ⚓ The value of the VA Home Loan and veteran benefits Today, Cory is the owner of HOMEROCK Realty, where he continues serving others by helping families achieve homeownership while remaining a strong advocate for the veteran community. Every Veterans Unmasked episode exists to preserve the stories, experiences, sacrifices, and legacies of the men and women who have served—before those stories are lost. ☕ Proud Partner: Iron Soldiers Coffee Company Use promo code: IRONUNMASKED Save 5% on all coffee, tea, and BBQ sauce. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌐 Website: Support the Mission Cashapp: $VeteransUnmasked 🎧 Listen On: Spotify Apple Podcasts Amazon Music iHeartRadio 📱 Follow Veterans Unmasked: Instagram: @VeteransUnmasked X: @VeteranUnmasked ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Veterans Unmasked is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by a Disabled Combat Veteran / Gold Star Husband and dedicated to preserving the stories of veterans, first responders, and Gold Star families. If you believe these stories matter, please Like, Subscribe, Share, and consider supporting the mission. Honor. Remember. Never Forget.

Mark Cupp served as an Army 19K Tanker after joining the military in 2008. Like many young soldiers during the Global War on Terror, he enlisted with a clear purpose: to serve his country and make a difference. In this episode of Veterans Unmasked, Mark shares stories from Fort Knox, Fort Hood, and his deployment to Iraq, including life in Kirkuk and Erbil. He reflects on military culture, deployment expectations versus reality, leadership lessons, and the moments that still make him laugh years later—including surviving incoming mortar fire while trapped inside a scorching porta-john. But this conversation goes far beyond military humor. Mark speaks candidly about PTSD, medical discharge, losing rank, struggling after service, marriage, divorce, fatherhood, recovery, and the difficult transition from soldier to civilian. He discusses how organizations such as Wounded Warrior Project, Operation Second Chance, church communities, and fellow veterans helped him rebuild his life and rediscover purpose. This is a conversation about resilience, accountability, healing, faith, and the people who stand beside us when life becomes difficult. Veterans Unmasked is dedicated to preserving the stories of veterans, first responders, Gold Star families, and the people who support them through honest, long-form conversations that ensure these experiences are never forgotten. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☕ Proud Partner: Iron Soldiers Coffee Company Use promo code: IRONUNMASKED Save 5% on all coffee, tea, and BBQ sauce. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌐 Website: Support the Mission Cashapp: $VeteransUnmasked 🎧 Listen On: Spotify Apple Podcasts Amazon Music iHeartRadio 📱 Follow Veterans Unmasked: Instagram: @VeteransUnmasked X: @VeteranUnmasked ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Veterans Unmasked is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by a Disabled Combat Veteran / Gold Star Husband and dedicated to preserving the stories of veterans, first responders, and Gold Star families. If you believe these stories matter, please Like, Subscribe, Share, and consider supporting the mission. Honor. Remember. Never Forget.

Veterans Unmasked | Episode 004 From fighting a war overseas to fighting fires at home, Sergio Payan's life has been defined by service. In this powerful episode of Veterans Unmasked, host Remy sits down with Army veteran, firefighter, and EMT Sergio Payan for an honest conversation about military service, brotherhood, sacrifice, loss, and the responsibility of continuing to serve others long after leaving the battlefield. Sergio shares stories from his Army service during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the transition back to civilian life, and his career as a firefighter and EMT. He also reflects on the loss of three close friends and fellow soldiers—PFC Aaron M. Genevie, PFC William C. Johnson, and PFC Michael P. Pittman—whose memories continue to shape the man he is today. This episode explores: • Service during Operation Iraqi Freedom • Brotherhood and military life • Coping with the loss of fellow soldiers • Transitioning from the Army to civilian life • Firefighter and EMT service • Mental resilience and purpose • Continuing to answer the call This episode is dedicated to the memory of: 🇺🇸 PFC Aaron M. Genevie 🇺🇸 PFC William C. Johnson 🇺🇸 PFC Michael P. Pittman Their service, sacrifice, and memory will never be forgotten. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ☕ Proud Partner: Iron Soldiers Coffee Company Use promo code: IRONUNMASKED Save 5% on all coffee, tea, and BBQ sauce. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌐 Website: Support the Mission Cashapp: $VeteransUnmasked 🎧 Listen On: Spotify Apple Podcasts Amazon Music iHeartRadio 📱 Follow Veterans Unmasked: Instagram: @VeteransUnmasked X: @VeteranUnmasked ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Veterans Unmasked is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by a Disabled Combat Veteran / Gold Star Husband and dedicated to preserving the stories of veterans, first responders, and Gold Star families. If you believe these stories matter, please Like, Subscribe, Share, and consider supporting the mission. Honor. Remember. Never Forget. #VeteransUnmasked #SergioPayan #ArmyVeteran #Firefighter #EMT #OperationIraqiFreedom #VeteranStories #FirstResponder #Brotherhood #MilitaryPodcast #FirefighterLife #NeverForget #GoldStarFamilies

In this episode of Veterans Unmasked, host Remy sits down with retired U.S. Air Force veteran Brice Porter for a candid conversation about military service, leadership, mental health, brotherhood, and finding purpose after the uniform comes off. After more than 20 years in the United States Air Force, Brice has continued his mission of serving others through the Men's Textile Collective Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping veterans build community, connection, and healing through creativity and shared experiences. Together, Remy and Brice discuss the realities of military life, the challenges many veterans face during transition, the importance of maintaining strong support networks, and why service doesn't end when a military career does. This episode is a powerful reminder that purpose can be found in unexpected places—and that every veteran's story matters. Learn More at: Men's Textile Collective Foundation About Veterans Unmasked Veterans Unmasked is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by a Disabled Combat Veteran / Gold Star Husband and dedicated to preserving the stories of veterans, first responders, and Gold Star families through long-form conversations that educate, inspire, and honor those who have served. Support the Mission: SUPPORT THE MISSION CashApp: $VeteransUnmasked Special Thanks: Iron Soldiers Coffee Co. Use promo code IRONUNMASKED for 5% off all coffee, tea, and BBQ sauce. Connect with Veterans Unmasked: Support the Mission: VeteransUnmasked.org/donate YouTube: @VeteransUnmasked Instagram: @VeteransUnmasked X: @VeteranUnmasked #VeteransUnmasked #BricePorter #AirForceVeteran #MensTextileCollectiveFoundation #VeteranStories #MilitaryTransition #VeteranMentalHealth #Leadership #Brotherhood #Podcast

In this episode of Veterans Unmasked, host Remy sits down with U.S. Marine Combat Veteran Taylor Mahaffey for a candid conversation about military service, combat deployments, and the often-overlooked challenges that follow after returning home. Taylor reflects on enlisting after the events of September 11th, training at Camp Pendleton, and deploying to Iraq during a time when mortar and RPG attacks were a regular part of daily life. But this conversation goes beyond combat. Together, they discuss the loss of structure after leaving the military, the isolation many veterans experience, the stigma surrounding mental health, and the reality that struggles such as anxiety, depression, addiction, divorce, and suicide affect veterans from every background—not just those who served in combat roles. Throughout the discussion, Taylor shares the moment he realized he was not alone in what he was experiencing and why veteran-to-veteran connection can be a critical step toward healing. This episode also highlights organizations and resources helping veterans find support, purpose, and community, including Sunny Creek Ranch, FOB Razor, the Marine Corps League, VA programs, county veteran services, and Montgomery County Veterans Treatment Court. Learn more about Equine Therapy: Sunny Creek Ranch - Horses for Heroes About Veterans Unmasked Veterans Unmasked is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by a Disabled Combat Veteran / Gold Star Husband and dedicated to preserving the stories of veterans, first responders, and Gold Star families through long-form conversations that educate, inspire, and honor those who have served. Support the Mission: SUPPORT THE MISSION CashApp: $VeteransUnmasked Special Thanks: Iron Soldiers Coffee Co. Use promo code IRONUNMASKED for 5% off all coffee, tea, and BBQ sauce. Connect with Veterans Unmasked: Support the Mission: VeteransUnmasked.org/donate YouTube: @VeteransUnmasked Instagram: @VeteransUnmasked X: @VeteranUnmasked #VeteransUnmasked #VeteranPodcast #MarineCorps #CombatVeteran #MentalHealthAwareness #PTSDAwareness #VeteranStories #MilitaryCommunity #USMC

In Part 2 of our Memorial Day launch episode, we sit down with Gold Star Wife Karen Pfeifer for a raw and honest conversation about grief, military family life, loss, resilience, and moving forward after tragedy. After sharing the story of losing her husband, PFC Chris Pfeifer, and giving birth to their child just 24 hours later in Part 1, this episode opens the door to a deeper discussion about the long-term realities faced by Gold Star families and the strength required to carry on. This is not scripted. This is not surface-level. This is a real conversation about sacrifice, love, trauma, survival, and remembrance. About Veterans Unmasked Veterans Unmasked is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by a Disabled Combat Veteran / Gold Star Husband and dedicated to preserving the stories of veterans, first responders, and Gold Star families through long-form conversations that educate, inspire, and honor those who have served. Support the Mission: SUPPORT THE MISSION CashApp: $VeteransUnmasked Special Thanks: Iron Soldiers Coffee Co. Use promo code IRONUNMASKED for 5% off all coffee, tea, and BBQ sauce. Connect with Veterans Unmasked: Support the Mission: VeteransUnmasked.org/donate YouTube: @VeteransUnmasked Instagram: @VeteransUnmasked X: @VeteranUnmasked #VeteransUnmasked #GoldStarSpouse #ArmySpouse  #VeteranStories #MilitaryTransition #VeteranMentalHealth #Leadership #Brotherhood #Podcast  

In this deeply personal two-part conversation, Gold Star Wife Karen Pfeifer shares the story of her husband, PFC Christopher Pfeifer of the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, and the life they were building together before war changed everything. From deployment and injury in Afghanistan to the final days spent at his side, Karen speaks openly about love, fear, grief, isolation, and the unimaginable reality of becoming a mother less than 24 hours after losing her husband. This episode is not about headlines or politics. It is about the human cost carried long after war ends. Veterans Unmasked exists to preserve these stories with honesty, dignity, and respect — ensuring the voices of veterans, Gold Star families, and those impacted by service are never forgotten. ⚠️ This episode contains discussions involving combat injuries, death, grief, and trauma that may be difficult for some listeners. These stories cannot be documented, preserved, and shared without the support of those who believe in this mission. Donations, sponsors, and community support directly help Veterans Unmasked continue recording and archiving conversations like this for future generations. About Veterans Unmasked Veterans Unmasked is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by a Disabled Combat Veteran / Gold Star Husband and dedicated to preserving the stories of veterans, first responders, and Gold Star families through long-form conversations that educate, inspire, and honor those who have served. Support the Mission: SUPPORT THE MISSION CashApp: $VeteransUnmasked Special Thanks: Iron Soldiers Coffee Co. Use promo code IRONUNMASKED for 5% off all coffee, tea, and BBQ sauce. Connect with Veterans Unmasked: Support the Mission: VeteransUnmasked.org/donate YouTube: @VeteransUnmasked Instagram: @VeteransUnmasked X: @VeteranUnmasked #VeteransUnmasked #GoldStarSpouse #ArmySpouse  #VeteranStories #MilitaryTransition #VeteranMentalHealth #Leadership #Brotherhood #Podcast  

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