Sam Brasfield: Navy EOD, Combat, and Finding Purpose After Service — SMS: #149
From Shoot Me Straight with Dave & Eddie by David Fields & Eddie Gallagher
January 15, 2026 · 1h 18m
About this episode
Sam Brasfield discusses his journey from Navy EOD officer to helping veterans find purpose after service.
In this episode of Shoot Me Straight, Eddie (@eddie_gallagher) and Dave (@davidfields22) sit down with Sam Brasfield(@droppedbomb), a retired Navy EOD officer with over 36 years of service, to talk about combat, leadership, transition, and finding purpose after the uniform comes off.Sam shares his journey from enlisted sailor to EOD officer, multiple combat deployments in Iraq, defusing hundreds of IEDs, and leading teams in some of the most dangerous environments in the world. But this conversation goes far beyond war stories.After retiring from the Navy, Sam hiked the Appalachian Trail as a way to decompress, reflect, and reset — a transition that reshaped how he views service, identity, and life after the military. That journey ultimately led him to his current mission: helping build Veterans Lodge, a first-of-its-kind campus focused on healing veterans and their families — mentally, physically, and spiritually.This is an honest, grounded conversation about leadership, purpose, faith, burnout, transition struggles, and why so many veterans feel lost after service — and what can actually help.⚠️ Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of combat, war, suicide, and…
People in this episode
Hosts: Eddie Gallagher, David Fields
Guest: Sam Brasfield
Topics covered
- military service
- veteran transition
- leadership
- mental health
- purpose
- combat experience
Keywords
- Navy EOD
- combat
- veteran transition
- leadership
- mental health
- Appalachian Trail
- Veterans Lodge
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Veterans Lodge
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