Echoes Unfiltered

“Today was a heavy but powerful conversation with Bell. We talked about healing, about the echoes that still linger, and about our brother Shannon — who Bell was leading when he was taken from us. We remembered the good times, and we didn’t shy away from the bad. That’s what Echoes Unfiltered is about: telling it straight, honoring the fallen, and finding hope in the middle of it all.

Thanks for listening and carrying these stories ...

“In this first Midweek Short Echo, I share the night fireworks went from celebration to combat flashbacks. What should’ve been a fun evening at Eagle Lake with my son turned into pounding heartbeats, hypervigilance, and a reminder that trauma doesn’t check the calendar.

It’s raw, it’s short, and it’s real. Maybe your ‘fireworks’ aren’t fireworks at all — maybe it’s something else that takes you back. You’re not broken, and you’re no...

**“In this episode of Echoes Unfiltered, I sit down with my brother-in-arms, Geoff, to talk about what healing looks like after combat. He shares how even in Ramadi, where the weight was crushing, he couldn’t truly laugh — only fake it to get through. We talk about the trauma that followed us home, the impact it had on those around us, and the long road to healing.

Geoff opens up about his journey with finding peace in the aftermath...

📖 Episode Description

In this raw and unfiltered episode of Echo’s Unfiltered, Sam reconnects with fellow soldier Matt Aide to revisit their time in Ramadi. From the adrenaline of deployment to the ridiculous squad traditions, Aide opens up about the scariest moments, the bonds that kept them steady, and how those experiences still shape his life today.

Expect laughter, reflection, and honesty as the two brothers-in-arms talk about ...

In this powerful solo episode, Sam Stratton speaks directly to veterans, service members, and anyone battling the unseen war at home. He shares a raw message about the reality of “22 a day” — reminding us those aren’t just numbers, but husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, and friends we’ve served beside.

Sam lays out practical tactics for fighting back against the darkness, from calling a battle buddy to breaking destructive patterns...

In this episode of Echoes Unfiltered, I sit down with my squadmate Kopmeyer to talk about Ramadi, brotherhood, and the chaos we lived through. From running over cones at the fuel depot to facing real danger on mission, we dig into what it meant to have each other’s backs—and how it still matters today.

📖 Want to go deeper? Grab my book Echoes from the Sandbox on Amazon.
✍️ Or, if you’d like a signed copy, Venmo me at @Sam-St...

In this episode of Echoes Unfiltered, Sam brings you boots-on-the-ground reality from Day One in Iraq.

He walks us through the transition from cushy Kuwait — with its outdoor movie theater and Green Bean Coffee — to the unforgiving heat of Ramadi, where the gravity of war slammed into every sense.

This is where the mission got real. The comfort faded, the fear crept in, and the true beginning of the deployment took shape.

With reflect...

In this first episode of Echoes Unfiltered, I introduce myself — Sam Stratton — and explain why this podcast exists.

I served as a combat engineer in Iraq during the height of the war in Ramadi. I came home with more than just medals. I came home with echoes — trauma, silence, shame — and for years I didn’t talk about it.

This podcast isn’t about politics. It’s about honesty. It’s about the things we carry and the things we can’t say...