Third Squad

Latest Episodes:

BONUS: One Last Climb Sep 02, 2022

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Camp Pendleton, CA: Patrol Base Fires veterans Manuel Mendoza, John Bohlinger, Michael Minor, and Noah Southworth reunite at their former Marine base on California’s Pacific Coast to place a new memorial marker for their deceased comrades.

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The End of the Road Feb 09, 2022

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Asheville, NC: Teresa Bradley still lives in the house where she grew up and where she raised her twin sons, Michael and Timothy Dutcher. In the final visit of the journey, Teresa and Tim tell the story of Michael’s life and how his death continues to haunt their family.

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I Think This is Hell Jan 13, 2022

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Ventnor City, NJ: Jeffrey Lopez grew up steps away from the Atlantic Ocean with a house full of brothers who loved to fight. His mother, Rosibel, escaped war-torn El Salvador in hopes of raising her family in peace—and her son’s deployment to Sangin was a nightmare come true.

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Sandcastles in the Tide Jan 06, 2022

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Deer River, NY: As a teenager, Taylor Moody had a mohawk and cared more about punk shows than school. He tells Elliott about his tough adjustment to the disciplined life of a Marine and his quest to find a place for himself back home.

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Chasing The War Dec 16, 2021

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Greensburg, PA: As squad leader, Jeric Fry’s biggest responsibility was to keep his Marines alive. He could never have known that he’d save the life of one of his Marines years after the squad came home.

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Bad Paper Dec 09, 2021

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Lexington, KY: In Sangin, Scott McEtchin told Elliott that he joined the Marines to get his life together after a bout of teenage trouble. But trouble wasn’t far behind when McEtchin got back from Afghanistan.

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Make Peace or Die Dec 02, 2021

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Palmer, AK: Elliott takes a detour from the road trip to fly to Alaska, home to David Richvalsky, Third Squad’s machine gunner. During an ATV trip to a glacier, Richvalsky describes the gaps in his memory caused by concussions from IED blasts—which he says may actually help him avoid dwelling on the worst moments of his deployment.

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Third Squad on Here & Now Nov 26, 2021

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Elliott Woods discusses the making of Third Squad with Scott Tong on WBUR’s Here & Now.

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Husband, Father, Killer Nov 18, 2021

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Spearfish, SD: As Third Squad’s radio operator, John Bohlinger had the grim task of calling in medevac helicopters for his wounded friends. He also had awesome firepower at his fingertips. With his wife Hannah by his side, Bohlinger tells Elliott about the difficult transition from a trained killer back to a husband and father.

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Nothing to Lose Nov 11, 2021

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Rapid City, SD: Brian Shearer was a gung-ho 17 year-old when he joined the Marines, with nothing to lose but the PlayStation he willed to his brother. In Sangin he was a designated marksman whose job was to kill with long-range precision. A father of two boys now, he learns from his own dad what it was like to send a child off to war.

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