The battlefield changes you, but the real fight might start when you get home. Ben Sykes went from web designer to Marine machine gunner during the invasion of Iraq, living through relentless firefights, surreal moments in Saddam's palaces, and the strange calm of enemy fire becoming routine. But nothing prepared him for the turbulence of reintegration. Restless nights, the crash of losing combat's adrenaline, and the struggle to fit into a world that no longer made sense. In this conversation, Ben opens up about the chemical withdrawal of leaving war, the dangerous paths veterans can fall into, and the hard-earned lessons he wishes he'd known during his transition. Whether you've been in the fight yourself or love someone who has, his story is a brutally honest look at what it takes to reclaim your footing after service. Timestamps: 00:10:40 - Trading Hollywood for the yellow footprints 00:12:50 - First firefight on the road to Baghdad 00:23:10 - Securing Saddam's palace and the gold they never saw 00:28:50 - The chemical withdrawal of coming home 00:37:00 - From homelessness to finding a new mission Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Transcript View the transcript for this episode.