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Benjamin Sledge is a wounded combat veteran. He served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, serving most of his time under Special Operations Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command. He's received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and two Army Commendation Medals for his actions overseas. He's also a multi award-winning author, having penned several viral articles and two books, the most recent being 'Where Cowards Go To Die', an unflinchingly honest detail of his time served overseas and the haunting experiences that followed.
Since then, Ben's dedicated himself to his family and his creative works, tapping into his unique narrative voice characterized by a rare blend of poetic eloquence and unfiltered authenticity. But how does an aspiring comic-book artist end up going to Afghanistan, anyway? What's the story behind that Purple Heart of his? And when a soldier does finally come home from war, does their mind ever truly leave the battlefield?
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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
13:27 - Growing up in broken arrow
25:02 - WWII vs Vietnam
33:23 - College Boy
38:51 - Welcome to Afghanistan
48:06 - Border Combat
01:00:16 - The Mission That Went Wrong
01:05:00 - Wounded in Action
01:21:08 - Going Home
01:26:24 - A Team in Ramadi
01:33:35 - Corruption (and Stealing Money) in Iraq
01:37:43 - Civil Affairs Efforts
01:45:10 - Moral Injury
02:09:23 - Bronze Star
02:12:14 - Divorce on Deployment
02:22:55 - Post-Traumatic Growth
02:34:57 - The Catalyst Towards Psychology
02:45:02 - Advice for Transitioning Veterans
02:54:24 - Therapy Through Writing
03:11:31 - What's Next?
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Support Benjamin Sledge -
Get Your Copy of Benjamin's book, 'Where Cowards Go To Die' at https://benjaminsledge.com/where-cowards-go-to-die
Website - https://benjaminsledge.com
IG - https://www.instagram.com/benjamincsledge
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