VetLine

Was your military service "enough"? A lot of veterans quietly carry that question with them long after they've left the service. VetLine host Adam Braatz sits down with retired U.S. Army Captain Jason Church to talk about why that question misses the point entirely. Jason lost both legs below the knee to an IED while leading a patrol in Afghanistan in 2012 — an experience that could easily define...

Nobody in the civilian workplace is going to pull you aside and tell you how the game is played — you're just expected to know. Army veteran and HR expert Gary Steensgard is back with Adam Braatz to go deeper on what civilian workplaces actually look like from the inside: how to build credibility without rank, how to navigate conflict without a chain of command, and what most veterans get wrong ab...

Military HR had one speed: screw up, face consequences, move on. Civilian HR operates on a completely different frequency — unwritten rules, performance improvement plans, and politics nobody briefed you on. Army veteran and HR expert Gary Steensgard has lived both worlds, and he joins Adam Braatz to break down what EVERY veteran needs to know when they step into the civilian workplace, whether th...

Stars and Stripes has been covering the American military experience since the Civil War — embedded with troops, funded by the government, and editorially independent from it. That last part is the interesting part. Adam Braatz sits down with Corey Henderson of Stars and Stripes at their Washington D.C. headquarters to dig into what the outlet actually is, what it's for, and how it protects its ne...

Walk into one VA clinic and you've got a sharp, attentive care team, short wait times, and a system that actually feels like it's working. Walk into a different one and you're wondering if anyone read your file. Same system. Same mission. Completely different experience depending on your zip code. Adam and Zach dig into why VA care quality varies so dramatically from facility to facility, and why...

(Part 2) If you're already service-connected for one condition, there's a good chance you're entitled to more — and most veterans don't know it. Secondary conditions are disabilities that develop as a direct result of an existing service-connected condition. Bad knee leading to chronic hip or back problems. PTSD driving sleep apnea or hypertension. The VA is supposed to compensate you for the whol...

If you're already service-connected for one condition, there's a good chance you're entitled to more — and most veterans don't know it. Secondary conditions are disabilities that develop as a direct result of an existing service-connected condition. Bad knee leading to chronic hip or back problems. PTSD driving sleep apnea or hypertension. The VA is supposed to compensate you for the whole picture...

(Part 2) Micromanagement. Constant availability. Communication that only flows one direction. Leadership that mistakes fear for respect. Most people see those as warning signs. A lot of veterans don't. Adam Braatz and Zach Zdroik break down a recent article on the hallmarks of a toxic workplace, and get into why veterans don't just put up with that stuff, they often can't see it for what it is. Wh...

Micromanagement. Constant availability expectations. One-way communication. Leadership that rules by intimidation. For most people, those are red flags. For many veterans fresh out of service, they seem like a normal part of work. Hosts Adam Braatz and Zach Zdroik dig into a recent article breaking down the telltale signs of a toxic workplace — and unpack why so many veterans don't just tolerate t...

Social Security and VA disability benefits are two massive systems that affect millions of veterans, and almost nobody explains how they actually interact. Or don't. VetLine host Adam Braatz chats with Lauren Zwirlein, Partner and President of Tabak Law, to cut through the confusion. They break down the different types of Social Security benefits ( SSI, SSDI, and retirement) and get into the real...

Don't you hate it when someone claims to speak for all veterans? "Veterans feel this way." "All vets believe that." Anyone who talks about the veteran community as a monolith fundamentally misses the point — and probably hasn't spent much time actually listening to veterans. Or at least not veterans outside their immediate friend group. Veterans are individuals. Treat them like it. They all think...

Loneliness is killing veterans — and that's not an exaggeration. Research consistently shows veterans experience isolation at significantly higher rates than the general population, and the health consequences go far beyond mental health: cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, shorter lifespans. The military builds some of the strongest social bonds imaginable, and then discharge severs them a...

VetLine is a podcast about the veteran experience — the real one. Nobody asked for a veteran winter biathlon mock draft. We did one anyways. Adam Braatz and Zach Zdroik sit down to tackle the hard-hitting questions — like which veterans, in their prime, would you want on your five-person biathlon squad? If you've ever wanted to hear two guys enthusiastically overthink something that doesn't matter...

VetLine is a podcast about the veteran experience — the real one. The VA disability system is changing in 2026, and if you're filing a claim or appeal, one of the biggest decisions you'll make is who handles it. In this episode, host Adam Braatz sits down with Jim Brzezinski, CEO of Tabak Law, to break down your real options: filing yourself, working with a VSO, hiring a law firm, or falling victi...

VetLine is a podcast about the veteran experience — the real one. In Episode 1, hosts Adam Braatz and Zach Zdroik start where every good conversation should: with the wins. What does military service actually build in a person? What skills, habits, and instincts do veterans carry into the civilian world and workplace that most people never stop to name? This episode breaks down the genuine advanta...