{"podcast":{"title":"AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast","slug":"ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994","podcast_index_feed_id":4430994,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/podcast.ausa.org/feed.xml","website_url":"https://podcast.ausa.org/","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/4124058/army-matters-1400_wyjp4w.jpg","author":"Assn. of the United States Army","episode_count":100,"summary":"AUSA’s Army Matters podcast amplifies the voices of the Total Army – one story at a time. Join hosts LTG (Ret.) Les Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey every other Wednesday as they interview the modern chroniclers of the Army experience to discuss inspiring leadership stories, current issues faced by Soldiers and our military families’ journeys.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-15T20:18:33.143372+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994"},"episode":{"title":"The Price of Freedom: Service After Loss","slug":"the-price-of-freedom-service-after-loss","published_at":"2026-02-25T09:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994/the-price-of-freedom-service-after-loss","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994","url":"https://podcast.ausa.org/e/the-price-of-freedom-service-after-loss/","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/yxy5tz2zsz9i7iir/AM_TapsJennieBonnie_20260219291468.mp3","summary":"The military does many things with precision and honor, but for families left behind, the hardest journey often begins after the ceremony ends. Grief does not follow a timeline, and loss does not end with the rifle volley as the final notes of “Taps” play. In this deeply personal episode of Army Matters, hosts LTG (Ret.) Leslie Smith and SMA (Ret.) Dan Dailey sit down with two nationally recognized advocates for military survivors: Maj. (Ret.) Bonnie Carroll, U.S. Air Force, and founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Jennie Taylor, Gold Star spouse, mother of seven, and founder of the Major Brent Taylor Foundation. Both women share how the loss of their husbands reshaped their lives, and how survivor community, purpose, and service can coexist with grief. Together, they explore what military families truly need after loss, what civilians often misunderstand about grief, and why connection is the most powerful form of support. Guests: Maj. Bonnie Carroll, U.S. Air Force Retired, Gold Star Spouse and Founder, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) Jennie Taylor, Gold Star Spouse and Founder, Major Brent Taylor Foundation Has a member of the Army positively changed your life? Now is your chance to thank them publicly with a shoutout via our Hooah Hotline and have it possibly appear on an upcoming episode of AUSA’s Army Matters podcast! AUSA’s Army Matters podcast can also be heard on Wreaths Across America Radio on Monday at 8 pm Eastern. You can find Wreaths Across America Radio on the iHeart Radio app, the Audacy app, and the TuneIn app. Search the word Wreath. Donate: If you are interested in supporting AUSA’s educational programs, such as this podcast, please visit www.ausa.org/donate. Feedback: How are we doing? Email us at podca…","meta_description":"The military does many things with precision and honor, but for families left behind, the hardest journey often begins after the ceremony ends. Grief does…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2060,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994/episodes/the-price-of-freedom-service-after-loss/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ausa-s-army-matters-podcast-4430994/the-price-of-freedom-service-after-loss.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}