I like podcasts, and I like stories, so why not have a podcast about a subject as captivating as war? In each episode of this podcast I talk to a veteran and they tell a few stories from when they were deployed.
Deployment stories are usually pretty profound. A lot are about self-transformation or enlightenment. Others are about things that push our moral or politically correct boundaries, like violence and cultural conflict. However, many stories involve the mundane - like spending days reading off and verifying the serial numbers of sensitive items, or querying the people on your base as to why there are no toilets inside Afghan portapotties. What makes this podcast interesting is that the stories aren’t filtered - they’re told from the people who experienced them.
I’m Ryan Fadden — a full-time consultant, army veteran, and audio engineer. I was an infantryman from 2010 until 2013, with a 2011 deployment to Afghanistan. I grew up playing and recording music and I’ve maintained enough of that technical background to allow me to create and produce this podcast! At some point I realized that deployment stories, no matter the subject matter, are just always good. They document the extremes of humanity, which usually allows them to be hilarious, sad, or intense. I mean, just take a step back and think of the deployment scenario:
Everybody has guns
You’re so physically close to your team that you’re constantly hearing, smelling, and/or seeing them perform their bodily functions and/or bodily urges.
You’re so emotionally close to your team that you’re constanly discussing things that are private or taboo, like porn, drug use, legal issues.
Your entire mission relies upon effectively collaborating with a strange group of people that speak a different language than you, act different than you, look different than you, worship a different god than you.
The US military itself is extremely geographically, socio-economically, culturally, and racially diverse organization, and your interactions with your own team, at least initially, can be as peculiar as your interactions with the local populace.
Death and serious injury is a major daily consideration.
You’re bored as fuck, a lot.
Performing hygiene is difficult.
If you dig this podcast be sure to subscribe and rate! Also, if you’re a veteran with some stories of your own, give me a shout at intheaterpodcast@gmail.com. Or, you can also fill out the form on this site within the “Schedule a Chat” section. Stay chaotic and enjoy these awesome stories!