MILITARY What We Brought Home By Wesley Sykes, Managing Editor P at McGinty and Mike Izzo are trying to bridge the gap between those who've served and civilians while offering a platform to service members to grapple with the complicated emotions surrounding their experiences of war and peacetime. Both are Army veterans who deployed to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division during the height of the war in Iraq. Since leaving active duty, they've each simultaneously felt tremendous pride in their service while also struggling at times to reconcile some of their experiences. Over the years, for McGinty through recovery and Izzo through mental health therapy, they've 12 | Tactical Training & Conditioning | Summer 2023 both realized that these feelings are not mutually exclusive. Since that realization, they have been looking to connect with other veterans who may also be finding themselves in some part of this gray area, through their podcast series, What We Brought Home. Beginning during the COVID-19 pandemic, the What We Brought Home podcast offers a judgment-free forum to anonymously share personal stories to help both storytellers and listeners find connection and better cope with the complicated emotions of military service. Season 2 of What We Brought Home concluded in June 2023 with 18 episodes available.