<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/unlocked-russ-roberts-on-the-weight"&gt;Periodically&lt;/a&gt; around these parts the audience demand for unpaywalling certain subscribers-only episodes becomes too clamorous to ignore. So it was with &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Members Only #286&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, our gripping conversation with celebrated author &lt;strong&gt;Sebastian Junger&lt;/strong&gt; about his harrowing new book, &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/88402/9781668050835"&gt;&lt;em&gt;In My Time of Dying&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Please consider making this a non-members only episode,” wrote beloved subscriber &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian/comment/178587922"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;James G&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. “Ditto,” seconded &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian/comment/178822785"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Daniel Cavelli&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. “I wanna send this to many people.” Similar beseechings from &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian/comment/178918617"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;random_academic&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian/comment/179783594"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jake O’Finkelstein&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;[Dr.]&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian/comment/181017790"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jeff Singer&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian/comment/179085148"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lara Merkel Ross&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian/comment/179534302"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oren&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, who added: “I have a friend who barely survived a massive heart attack last month. And I can think of many others who will be inspired by this incredible conversation.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To our longtime paying customers: We hear you! Please share the episode widely, either as a one-off or a come-on!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To our many brand new paying subscribers, brought here by a &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/cyber-monday-25-off-annual-subs-to"&gt;generous gift&lt;/a&gt;, welcome to this weird &amp; wonderful community, and please enjoy full run of the Comments and &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/chat/815642"&gt;Chat&lt;/a&gt;. And to those seeing/hearing us for the first time, or just flying in the very back of the plane, here is the type of content that can come with a &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/subscribe"&gt;paid subscription&lt;/a&gt;. As our dear old D.C. pal &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian/comment/179218187"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maura Flynn&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; put it, “You make my support increasingly worthwhile and I encourage everyone who can to contribute on the highest possible level. Great stuff, rock on!”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You know what to do.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•You can always start drinking again&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Enough to make ⅔ of these grown men cry&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Sebastian’s (most recent) near-death experience&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Danger in, insight out&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Momento Mori&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•There’s nothing so dangerous as a wounded Apache&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Don’t have an aortic rupture in Truro in July&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•ICU humor&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Hi dad&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•An existential digression&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Better than the one with Will Farrel&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Ideological Duolingo&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Hot tip from an immigration officer&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Old-time antisemitism&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Bestselling author sleeps with chainsaw&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Sarajevo &amp; the Spanish Civil War&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Men’s Journal and the good old days of war reporting&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•The folly of Afghanistan and nation-building on the cheap&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Some things are sacred&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Investigating near death experiences&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Don’t test Santa Claus&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Etymology of a curse&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Atheists, physicists, and consciousness&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•God of the gaps&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Yes, we are literally talking about quantum physics&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•The science of myth&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•The reason for the need the idea of heaven&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Restrepo&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Why we all need a &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/88402/9781455566389"&gt;tribe&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Things were better when they were bad&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•If you’re not sufficiently terrified, you’re not getting it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•A tribute to dangerous jobs&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•Making meaning in a meaningless universe&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;•A Bostonian goodbye&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;YouTube link:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Follow The Fifth Column&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;YouTube: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/redirect/9e5f160b-065d-42ce-92a4-edf21df804ae?j=eyJ1IjoiZTQzMWYifQ.dc-8vtNe6mnVPNyWzBj8PVjHOlHrTw5oo2hNegjrHnA"&gt;@wethefifth&lt;/a&gt;Instagram: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/redirect/49442cc1-448b-481d-a04c-a58e62415aa9?j=eyJ1IjoiZTQzMWYifQ.dc-8vtNe6mnVPNyWzBj8PVjHOlHrTw5oo2hNegjrHnA"&gt;@we.the.fifth&lt;/a&gt;X: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/redirect/e5c13b74-b540-4b93-a1ed-2ba2670462c1?j=eyJ1IjoiZTQzMWYifQ.dc-8vtNe6mnVPNyWzBj8PVjHOlHrTw5oo2hNegjrHnA"&gt;@wethefifth&lt;/a&gt;TikTok: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/redirect/971da500-8db0-4269-9aaf-7d7459adf93a?j=eyJ1IjoiZTQzMWYifQ.dc-8vtNe6mnVPNyWzBj8PVjHOlHrTw5oo2hNegjrHnA"&gt;@wethefifth&lt;/a&gt;Facebook: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/redirect/09c07840-5930-4c66-aa76-064acebd229a?j=eyJ1IjoiZTQzMWYifQ.dc-8vtNe6mnVPNyWzBj8PVjHOlHrTw5oo2hNegjrHnA"&gt;@thefifthcolumn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit &lt;a href="https://www.wethefifth.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&amp;#38;utm_campaign=CTA_2"&gt;www.wethefifth.com/subscribe&lt;/a&gt;</description>

The Fifth Column

Kmele Foster, Michael Moynihan, and Matt Welch

UNLOCKED: Atheist in a Foxhole, w/ the Great Sebastian Junger

DEC 3, 2025113 MIN
The Fifth Column

UNLOCKED: Atheist in a Foxhole, w/ the Great Sebastian Junger

DEC 3, 2025113 MIN

Description

<p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/unlocked-russ-roberts-on-the-weight">Periodically</a> around these parts the audience demand for unpaywalling certain subscribers-only episodes becomes too clamorous to ignore. So it was with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian"><strong>Members Only #286</strong></a>, our gripping conversation with celebrated author <strong>Sebastian Junger</strong> about his harrowing new book, <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/88402/9781668050835"><em>In My Time of Dying</em></a>.</p><p>“Please consider making this a non-members only episode,” wrote beloved subscriber <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian/comment/178587922"><strong>James G</strong></a>. “Ditto,” seconded <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian/comment/178822785"><strong>Daniel Cavelli</strong></a>. “I wanna send this to many people.” Similar beseechings from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian/comment/178918617"><strong>random_academic</strong></a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian/comment/179783594"><strong>Jake O’Finkelstein</strong></a>, <strong>[Dr.]</strong> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian/comment/181017790"><strong>Jeff Singer</strong></a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian/comment/179085148"><strong>Lara Merkel Ross</strong></a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian/comment/179534302"><strong>Oren</strong></a>, who added: “I have a friend who barely survived a massive heart attack last month. And I can think of many others who will be inspired by this incredible conversation.”</p><p>To our longtime paying customers: We hear you! Please share the episode widely, either as a one-off or a come-on!</p><p>To our many brand new paying subscribers, brought here by a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/cyber-monday-25-off-annual-subs-to">generous gift</a>, welcome to this weird & wonderful community, and please enjoy full run of the Comments and <a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/chat/815642">Chat</a>. And to those seeing/hearing us for the first time, or just flying in the very back of the plane, here is the type of content that can come with a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/subscribe">paid subscription</a>. As our dear old D.C. pal <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wethefifth.com/p/atheist-in-a-foxhole-w-sebastian/comment/179218187"><strong>Maura Flynn</strong></a> put it, “You make my support increasingly worthwhile and I encourage everyone who can to contribute on the highest possible level. Great stuff, rock on!”</p><p><p>You know what to do.</p></p><p>•You can always start drinking again</p><p>•Enough to make ⅔ of these grown men cry</p><p>•Sebastian’s (most recent) near-death experience</p><p>•Danger in, insight out</p><p>•Momento Mori</p><p>•There’s nothing so dangerous as a wounded Apache</p><p>•Don’t have an aortic rupture in Truro in July</p><p>•ICU humor</p><p>•Hi dad</p><p>•An existential digression</p><p>•Better than the one with Will Farrel</p><p>•Ideological Duolingo</p><p>•Hot tip from an immigration officer</p><p>•Old-time antisemitism</p><p>•Bestselling author sleeps with chainsaw</p><p>•Sarajevo & the Spanish Civil War</p><p>•Men’s Journal and the good old days of war reporting</p><p>•The folly of Afghanistan and nation-building on the cheap</p><p>•Some things are sacred</p><p>•Investigating near death experiences</p><p>•Don’t test Santa Claus</p><p>•Etymology of a curse</p><p>•Atheists, physicists, and consciousness</p><p>•God of the gaps</p><p>•Yes, we are literally talking about quantum physics</p><p>•The science of myth</p><p>•The reason for the need the idea of heaven</p><p>•Restrepo</p><p>•Why we all need a <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/a/88402/9781455566389">tribe</a></p><p>•Things were better when they were bad</p><p>•If you’re not sufficiently terrified, you’re not getting it.</p><p>•A tribute to dangerous jobs</p><p>•Making meaning in a meaningless universe</p><p>•A Bostonian goodbye</p><p>YouTube link:</p><p><strong>Follow The Fifth Column</strong></p><p>YouTube: <a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/redirect/9e5f160b-065d-42ce-92a4-edf21df804ae?j=eyJ1IjoiZTQzMWYifQ.dc-8vtNe6mnVPNyWzBj8PVjHOlHrTw5oo2hNegjrHnA">@wethefifth</a>Instagram: <a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/redirect/49442cc1-448b-481d-a04c-a58e62415aa9?j=eyJ1IjoiZTQzMWYifQ.dc-8vtNe6mnVPNyWzBj8PVjHOlHrTw5oo2hNegjrHnA">@we.the.fifth</a>X: <a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/redirect/e5c13b74-b540-4b93-a1ed-2ba2670462c1?j=eyJ1IjoiZTQzMWYifQ.dc-8vtNe6mnVPNyWzBj8PVjHOlHrTw5oo2hNegjrHnA">@wethefifth</a>TikTok: <a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/redirect/971da500-8db0-4269-9aaf-7d7459adf93a?j=eyJ1IjoiZTQzMWYifQ.dc-8vtNe6mnVPNyWzBj8PVjHOlHrTw5oo2hNegjrHnA">@wethefifth</a>Facebook: <a target="_blank" href="https://substack.com/redirect/09c07840-5930-4c66-aa76-064acebd229a?j=eyJ1IjoiZTQzMWYifQ.dc-8vtNe6mnVPNyWzBj8PVjHOlHrTw5oo2hNegjrHnA">@thefifthcolumn</a></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://www.wethefifth.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_2">www.wethefifth.com/subscribe</a>