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 completely
• The untold stories that get carried to the grave
• How the Fallen Comrade Ceremony she pioneered creates space for healing ⁠Who We Are - Opus Peace⁠
• What dying veterans taught her about living fully
• Why stoicism becomes a prison instead of a door

This 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.org⁠

READ 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

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Listen & Subscribe to Veteran Story Hour: Voices of Valor, Presented by SALUTE of Virginia, everywhere podcasts can be heard

Every 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.

It is time for co-host, Zach Hale, to tell his story.

In this episode of Veteran Story Hour, Zach shares his journey from rural Virginia to EOD training, through the long nights of medical work, and into the heart of a marriage that taught him what strength really means.

This is a story about growing up twice — once in uniform, and once in love. About the weight of duty, the quiet battles no one sees, and the woman who helped him rediscover what it means to feel.

For every veteran, spouse, or listener who’s ever had to start over — this conversation reminds us: the mission might end, but the purpose doesn’t.

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Listen & Subscribe to Veteran Story Hour: Voices of Valor, Presented by SALUTE of Virginia, everywhere podcasts can be heard

Every 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.

On this special spotlight episode of Veteran Story Hour, we sit down with Kara from Dynamic Aviation — a Shenandoah Valley company doing extraordinary work behind the scenes of national and global crises.

From spraying vaccine-laced bait across forests to combat rabies, to helping contain the screw worm crisis threatening U.S. livestock, Dynamic Aviation modifies aircraft to serve communities in crisis. But the mission doesn’t stop in the air. Kara discusses their efforts on the ground — supporting veterans through job transitions, hosting internship programs for local high schoolers, and creating meaningful career pathways that don’t require a college degree.

We also get a behind-the-scenes look at their annual Halloween-themed golf tournament, benefiting Salute of Virginia.

This is an episode about innovation, service, and showing up for others — and what it means when a company chooses impact over publicity.

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Listen & Subscribe to Veteran Story Hour: Voices of Valor, Presented by SALUTE of Virginia, everywhere podcasts can be heard

Every 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.