Home Base Nation

Today, we have a special episode recorded in Southern California just after Veterans Day. We gathered the day before the unforgettable 4th Annual Torchbearer Ball, hosted by VETS (Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions), which raised $960,000 for veterans and families with its continued mission to end veteran suicide and support psychedelic-assisted therapy. My four guests discuss this critical time, and we dial in on the progress and the specific need to expand this care and research. You’ll hear from Marcus Capone, Retired Navy SEAL and co-founder of VETS; Amber Capone, co-founder of VETS, Home Base PAT clinician, and actor Eliza Dushku Palandjian; and COO of Home Base, Michael Allard. We also talk about the impact of PAT for veteran health, from suicide prevention to brain health, in the new documentary, In Waves and War, just released on Netflix, brought to the screen by award-winning directors Jon Schenk and Bonni Cohen. The Washington Post just released its Top 10 movies of 2025, listing this film at #7. So, if you are tuning into this podcast, you will want to see this movie! Home Base is also excited and honored to become the newest member of the VALOR Coalition (Veterans Alliance for Leadership, Outreach, and Recovery), alongside VETS, the Navy SEAL Foundation, the Green Beret Foundation, and the Wounded Warrior Project.

Today on HBN, we close out Season 9 with a salute to you all, a Grateful Nation, for showing up and supporting the mission of Home Base. We look forward to bringing you new conversations and content in the Fall, and we'll welcome back to the mic, Dr. Ron Hirschberg, as we look to Season 10. On July 26, 2025, 3,000 runners and walkers participated in the 16th annual Run to Home Base, presented by RTX, either in person at historic Fenway Park or virtually around the country. To date, this year's event has raised over $3.6 million - a record-breaking figure for our most critical annual fundraiser - in support of Home Base's mission to heal the invisible wounds of war for Veterans, Service Members, Military Families, and Families of the Fallen at no out-of-pocket cost to them. In this episode you'll hear from Red Sox Broadcaster Tom Caron, who was joined during a Red Sox pregame by Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks and Home Base Captain Kristi Hendriks, both who were guests on this podcast a few episodes ago, as well as Bekah Salwasser of the Red Sox Foundation, and Jack Hammond of the Home Base Program to discuss the impact and importance of the Run to Home Base event. Next, you'll go to the morning of July 26 at Fenway Park for the introductory ceremony for the Run to Home Base. This year, paying special tribute to Veteran and Service Member First Responders. You'll hear from Tom Werner, Red Sox Chairman; Dr. Richard Carmona, the 17th Surgeon General of the United States; our Executive Director, General Jack Hammond; and an incredible testament to the Home Base Mission and a personal journey in getting his life back - with Army Veteran Ezequiel "Zeek" Grimaldo.

We are pleased to present this special episode from a podcast headed by our fellow podcaster, friend, and supporter of veterans, Buzz Knight. Buzz has been a force in media, working as a strategist and a media executive for decades. He has an excellent podcast called "Takin' A Walk", a show that focuses on resilience, mental health, and amazing stories through the healing power of music. We are fortunate to cross-pollinate with Buzz to share an episode of "Takin' A Walk" where he shares an interview with the Chief Executive Director for the Home Base, retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Jack Hammond.

We are pleased to present this special episode from a podcast headed by our fellow podcaster, friend, and supporter of veterans, Buzz Knight. Buzz has been a force in media, working as a strategist and a media executive for decades. He has an excellent podcast called "Takin' A Walk", a show that focuses on resilience, mental health, and amazing stories through the healing power of music. We are fortunate to cross-pollinate with Buzz to share an episode of "Takin' A Walk” where he shares an interview with our friend and previous guest on the Home Base Nation Podcast, Mary Gauthier.

We have published 120 episodes since 2019. For this new season, we thought it would be a good idea to look back on some of the highlights of our conversations and select 20 episodes that resonated with veterans, service members, military families, and the civilians who support them. But first up, you'll hear from some of the folks at Home Base who wake up every day with the same mission in mind, no matter what they do at the Center of Excellence in the Navy Yard and beyond.