Coming home from war doesn’t mean the battle is over. What happens when the warrior inside you keeps fighting?

Vietnam veteran and Army helicopter pilot Robert Mitchell survived combat, a fiery helicopter crash, severe burns, and nearly eight months in a military hospital. But surviving Vietnam was only the beginning of his journey home.

In this deeply personal conversation, Robert explores the idea of the “warrior spirit”—the part of a person awakened through military training and combat that doesn't simply disappear when the uniform comes off. His search for healing eventually took him from Vietnam to Europe and the Greek village of Mirtos, becoming the foundation for his book Journey to Mirtos.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Recognize why coming home physically doesn't always mean you've returned emotionally—and why Robert describes that unfinished feeling as remaining inside the battle.

• Understand the moment Robert's perception of war collided with its moral reality when a young helicopter pilot was ordered to kill a Vietnamese civilian who refused an interrogation command.

• Hear how Robert's Vietnam tour ended in seconds when a passenger jumped onto his helicopter during a slope landing, rupturing the fuel tank and triggering the fiery crash that severely burned him.

• Explore why healing doesn't necessarily mean eliminating the warrior spirit. Robert describes transforming the killer instinct awakened by war into an instrument of justice and healing.

About Robert Mitchell

Robert Mitchell served as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, including service with the 1st Cavalry Division. After his helicopter crash and lengthy recovery, his search for meaning eventually took him through Europe and Greece and became part of the journey documented in Journey to Mirtos. He later spent 27 years teaching junior high and high school, a transformation he describes as moving from the warrior archetype to the teacher archetype.

🎙️ If this episode helped you, please follow the show and leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts — open the app, search VET S.O.S. Presents: The Scoop, scroll down, and tap “Write a Review.” It takes 30 seconds and puts this show in front of a veteran who needs it right now.

⏱️ EPISODE CHAPTERS

00:00 - When the War Ends but the Warrior Keeps Fighting
03:23 - Robert Mitchell's Journey to Vietnam
08:51 - Training to Become a Combat Helicopter Pilot
16:06 - Mythology and the Warrior Spirit
22:55 - Tet Offensive: Robert's Introduction to Combat
26:40 - What Is the Warrior Spirit?
29:57 - Seeing the Enemy as Human
34:16 - When War Collided With Morality
37:49 - The Helicopter Crash That Ended His Vietnam Tour
41:21 - The “Failed Initiation” That Followed Him Home
43:43 - Coming Home Physically, but Not Internally
51:10 - Leaving America in Search of Healing
59:28 - The Dream That Forced Him to Confront Death
1:01:34 - Transforming the Warrior Spirit
1:06:41 - Journey to Mirtos and Robert's Books
1:08:42 - Stop Fighting Yesterday's Battle

🎧 Explore the Full VET S.O.S. Network

▶ VET S.O.S. — Flagship Show
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Operation Startup
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Learning Lifeline
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: The Scoop
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Testimony Strong

🔗 Connect with VET S.O.S.

Website: vetsospodcast.com
Twitter: @vetsospodcast
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/vetsospodcast
YouTube: youtube.com/@vetsospodcast
Facebook: facebook.com/vetsospodcast
Instagram: instagram.com/vetsospodcast
TikTok: tiktok.com/@vetsospodcast

#VETSOS #VeteranPodcast #GrabTheLifeline #HeroesMediaGRP
#MilitaryTransition #VeteranMentalHealth #CombatVeteran #VietnamVeteran
#Podcast #Veterans #MilitaryLife

Female veterans have always been part of the story. The question is whether we've actually been listening.

EPISODE PREMISE

What happens when you stop telling veterans' stories for them and create enough trust for them to tell those stories themselves?

Author Susan L. Combs returns to The Scoop to discuss Wonder Woman: The Untold Stories of Female Veterans—built from hours of conversations with 12 women whose experiences span military leadership, deployments, motherhood, discrimination, sexual assault, resilience, and life after service. Susan recorded their conversations, returned their chapters to them, and gave each woman final authority over what she was ready to share.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Recognize the veterans you may be overlooking — and why Susan intentionally designed the book cover without showing the women's faces to challenge the traditional image of what a veteran looks like.

• Understand why responsible storytelling requires consent, not just accuracy — including why some women removed deeply personal experiences from their chapters and others stepped away from the project entirely.

• See the hidden cost military service can have on families through Callie's story of leaving three children under five for deployment and Jill's experience later sending her own sons into military service.

• Hear the common thread connecting 12 very different military journeys: a desire to serve something bigger than themselves—and the people beside them who made service meaningful.

About Susan L. Combs:

Susan L. Combs is an author, entrepreneur, speaker, and founder of Pancakes for Roger, a nonprofit supporting veterans and military families. The daughter of a retired major general, Susan grew up surrounded by military service and carried that perspective into Wonder Woman: The Untold Stories of Female Veterans, giving 12 women the space to tell their military stories in their own voices.

🎙️ If this episode helped you, please follow the show and leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts — open the app, search VET S.O.S. Presents: The Scoop, scroll down, and tap “Write a Review.” It takes 30 seconds and puts this show in front of a veteran who needs it right now.

⏱️ EPISODE CHAPTERS

00:00 — Introduction: Are We Actually Listening?
05:07 — What's Changed Since Susan's First Visit
07:33 — The Story Behind the Wonder Woman Cover
10:23 — The Moment the Book Idea Took Shape
13:22 — Finding the Women Behind the Stories
15:31 — Giving Veterans Ownership of Their Stories
17:31 — Motherhood, Deployment & the Cost to Families
22:15 — The Responsibility of Telling Someone Else's Story
24:48 — Protecting What Someone Isn't Ready to Share
26:18 — Discrimination, Identity & Angie's Story
32:17 — Why Female Veterans Can Become Invisible
35:32 — Four Decades of Service: Rita's Story
38:20 — What Happens When Veterans See Themselves in the Book
40:09 — Six Questions That Opened 12 Different Stories
41:10 — “What's the Syrup?” Finding the Good Stuff
46:10 — Could There Be More Wonder Woman Stories?
51:40 — What Susan Wants Female Veterans to Know
53:31 — The Common Thread: Something Bigger Than Yourself
58:14 — Stop Trying to Be “One of the Guys”
59:24 — The Book & Pancakes for Roger Veteran Grants
1:04:04 — The Challenge: Find Her, See Her, Hear Her
1:07:10 — Closing: Give Yourself the First Chance

🎧 Explore the Full VET S.O.S. Network:

▶ VET S.O.S. — Flagship Show
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Operation Startup
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Learning Lifeline
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: The Scoop
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Testimony Strong

🔗 Connect with VET S.O.S.:

Website: vetsospodcast.com
Twitter/X: @vetsospodcast
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/vetsospodcast
YouTube: youtube.com/@vetsospodcast
Facebook: facebook.com/vetsospodcast
Instagram: instagram.com/vetsospodcast
TikTok: tiktok.com/@vetsospodcast

#VETSOS #GrabTheLifeline #HeroesMediaGRP #TheScoop #FemaleVeterans #WomenVeterans #VeteranStories #MilitaryWomen #MilitaryTransition #Veterans

EPISODE PREMISE

Graham Paul Roberts survived war, but coming home brought a different battle. After 20 years in the British Army, close protection work in Iraq, and years instructing in Syria, Graham returned carrying combat experiences, grief, nightmares, alcohol misuse, hallucinations, and eventually a diagnosis of complex PTSD.

In this deeply personal conversation with Kings Scott, Graham explains why silence can protect us temporarily but eventually become its own enemy—and how accepting professional help, rebuilding purpose, and speaking openly helped him begin living instead of simply surviving.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Recognize when silence stops protecting you and starts controlling you. Graham describes how unprocessed trauma grew from silence into something that dominated his life—and why speaking became part of taking that power back.

• Understand the emotional preparation military training often cannot provide. Graham explains the gap between being tactically prepared for combat and being emotionally prepared for what you may see, experience, and carry afterward.

• See why military identity can run much deeper than a uniform. For Graham, the Welsh Guards became the family, belonging, discipline, and "comfort blanket" he had been searching for since childhood.

• Rediscover purpose when the person you were in uniform no longer defines you. Graham's journey has come full circle: the child who struggled in special education became a soldier, instructor, and combat veteran—and now teaches children with special educational needs.

About Graham Paul Roberts:

Graham Paul Roberts is a 20-year British Army veteran who served with the Welsh Guards as a reconnaissance soldier, physical training instructor, NCO, and later as an instructor at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. After military service, he worked in close protection in Iraq and spent several years instructing in Syria.

Today, Graham teaches children with special educational needs and is the author of Echoes in Silence, his true account of war, trauma, resilience, and recovery.

🎙️ If this episode helped you, please follow the show and leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts — open the app, search VET S.O.S. Presents: The Scoop, scroll down, and tap "Write a Review." It takes 30 seconds and puts this show in front of a veteran who needs it right now.

⏱️ EPISODE CHAPTERS

00:00 - When the War Follows You Home
03:44 - Graham Paul Roberts: The Boy Who Wasn't Meant to Thrive
14:30 - Childhood, Bullying, and the Mentor He Never Had
22:01 - When the Military Becomes Your Family
29:34 - Into the Shadows: Losing Rank and Rebuilding Identity
33:59 - The Emotional Weight of Military Service
36:51 - Why There's No Emotional Checklist for War
41:55 - Syria: When Training Became Real Combat
46:37 - When War Followed Graham Home
53:18 - Complex PTSD and Finally Accepting Help
58:03 - When Silence Becomes the Enemy
1:00:46 - Finding Purpose After Trauma
1:02:56 - Creating Distance From Traumatic Memories
1:04:19 - Why Veterans Need Purpose
1:06:28 - Recognizing the First Signs of Healing
1:13:44 - Echoes in Silence & Graham's Mission
1:15:00 - Break One Silence: The Lifeline Message

🎧 Explore the Full VET S.O.S. Network:

▶ VET S.O.S. — Flagship Show
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Operation Startup
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Learning Lifeline
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: The Scoop
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Testimony Strong

🔗 Connect with VET S.O.S.:

Website: vetsospodcast.com

Twitter: @vetsospodcast

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/vetsospodcast

YouTube: youtube.com/@vetsospodcast

Facebook: facebook.com/vetsospodcast

Instagram: instagram.com/vetsospodcast

TikTok: tiktok.com/@vetsospodcast

Support the Mission: givebutter.com/vetsos

#VETSOS #VeteranPodcast #GrabTheLifeline #HeroesMediaGRP #TheScoop #VeteranMentalHealth #CombatPTSD #PTSDRecovery #VeteranTransition #VeteranResilience #Podcast #Veterans #MilitaryLife #VeteranCommunity #MentalHealth