Coming home was supposed to be the safe part. For the 1st Battalion 17th Infantry, it did not work out that way. They lost 22 soldiers during their 2009 to 2010 Afghanistan deployment, then as many more after returning home. At one funeral, a soldier finally said what many were thinking: "When is someone going to do something about this?" That question pushed former platoon leader Adam Swift to start searching for an answer in the middle of the night, which led him to The Independence Fund and its unit retreat program, Operation Resilience.

Scott sits down with Adam and Independence Fund Deputy Chief of Operations Steven Rozina to hear how Operation Resilience brings entire units back together for a long weekend. Flights are covered, the veteran pays nothing, and the schedule blends fun sober events like NASCAR and hockey with long, guided clinical sessions. Units literally map out their deployment, from pre-mob through the worst days downrange and into life back home, finally talking through firefights, IED blasts, and moral injuries they have carried alone for years.

Adam shares what it was like to watch brothers he had not seen in 15 years walk out of the hotel elevators, and how The Independence Fund quietly recreated the teepee memorial from their FOB so the unit could honor their fallen around a final-night bonfire. You will also hear exactly how to get your own unit considered for Operation Resilience and why you do not need to be in command to step up and start the process.

Timestamps:

• 00:03:30: The suicide funeral that sparked Operation Resilience and a hard decision to say no more
• 00:09:30: Adam realizes being home feels more dangerous than Afghanistan after losing 22 more brothers
• 00:15:15: Inside the marathon clinical session, where the unit spends eight hours walking through their deployment
• 00:17:45: Elevators open, brothers step out, and a battalion reconnects after 15 years apart
• 00:49:15: Scott's challenge to listeners to be the one who steps up and brings their unit to Operation Resilience

• Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1
• The Independence Fund Website: https://independencefund.org/
• Operation Resilience: https://independencefund.org/pages/operation-resiliency
• Follow The Independence Fund on X: https://twitter.com/indyfund
• Follow The Independence Fund on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheIndependenceFund/
• Follow The Independence Fund on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/independencefund/
• Follow The Independence Fund on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-independence-fund/
• Follow The Independence Fund on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUrXtHO1C7HiGNSoOfWlqwg
• Follow Adam Swift on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-swift-281a688b/
• Follow Adam Swift on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adam.swift.940
• 17th Infantry Association: https://www.17thinfantry.org/

Marine combat leader and entrepreneur Rich Brown shares how TBI ended his time in uniform, pushed him into building Honor Bound FIT, and led to GUIDON22, a 22-mile ruck that pairs hard miles with stories of veterans and first responders lost to suicide. You will hear how those stories, family testimonies, and simple phrases like "good friends have hard conversations" give vets a way to move, talk, and stop passing their pain to the people they love.

Timestamps:

• 02:30: From Marine infantry and TBI to unexpected entrepreneurship
• 08:45: Launching Honor Bound FIT in a parking lot on Memorial Day
• 13:10: How GUIDON22 turns rucks and stories into suicide awareness
• 21:20: Passing on your pain vs letting your tribe carry it with you
• 33:40: Creative ruck events, community impact, and how to get involved

• Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1
• Website: https://www.HonorBoundFIT.com
• Follow Rich Brown on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisIsRichBrown
• Follow Rich Brown on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisrichbrown
• Follow Rich Brown on Twitter/X: https://www.x.com/@sheepdogalpha1
• Follow Rich Brown on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheepdogalpha/

View the transcript for this episode.

Warrior Haven USA offers veterans a different path after service: valuable skills, work experience, and a solid income without being pushed into college and a cubicle. Retired Navy SEAL and CEO Marty Strong explains how he joined his Marine Recon friend on a Florida horse farm to build a program that blends a virtual business academy, woodworking and metal shops, a culinary track, and partnerships with equine therapy and service dog groups.

Through short experiences, multi-week courses, and full apprenticeships, vets learn in-demand trades, challenge the myth that only degrees lead to success, practice humility, and approach transition like serious training, gaining purpose, confidence, and a new mission.

Timestamps:

• 03:45 Challenging the college-only version of the American dream
• 07:27 Inside Warrior Haven USA and life on the horse farm
• 17:00 Three levels from therapy day to paid apprenticeship
• 30:05 Building the Harry Sargent Veterans Vocational Center
• 37:10 Tough love on humility, offices, and starting at the bottom again

• Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1
• Warriors Haven USA Website: https://www.warriorshavenusa.com
• Follow Warriors Haven USA on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WarriorsHavenUSA/
• Follow Warriors Haven USA on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/warriorshavenusa/
• Follow Warriors Haven USA on Twitter/X: https://x.com/warriorshavenus
• Other links: https://www.martystrong.com

View the transcript for this episode.