In the first half, author Bret Oldham recounted his numerous alien abduction experiences to Connie Willis (info) and discussed the extensive testing he has undergone to prove the validity of his claims. This has included passing a polygraph exam, medical exams, special blood work, and most recently, a QEEG brain scan that was aired on the History Channel's Ancient Aliens.

Oldham called himself a "lifer," referring to his belief that he's been abducted multiple times throughout his life. Initially, he was unaware of the the encounters until a therapist helped him "break through" to remember them. During what he called one of his worst incidents, he recalled, he was forced to watch his captors forcibly removed a fetus from his girlfriend, who had also been abducted.

Although part of the reason Oldham originally went public with his claims was to lend a voice of support to fellow abductees, he said that more recently he's become wary of the harassment and skepticism he's encountered from others, including mysterious strangers who have followed and confronted him and his family. On other occasions, Oldham reported, his computer was hacked, his house was surveilled, and he discovered a bloody handprint in his bedroom. Consequently, he explained, "It was a good time to back off," and he has related little about his experiences for the past two years. Nevertheless, Oldham encouraged survivors of alien abductions to come forward with their stories, if only to a therapist.

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In the latter half, Col. Mike Brown, who has been studying PTSD and veteran suicide for decades, shared the work he does to support members of the armed forces as they grapple with the effects of combat and other stressors. "I've seen great men and women doing extraordinary things in horrific situations," he said. "I've spent the last six years dedicating myself to our veterans to help them through some of the transitions they're going through after years of war." Some of the most urgent concerns Brown cited were the extremely high rates of suicide among veterans, insufficient psychological and spiritual support, and feelings of guilt and isolation.

To make the realities of war concrete for listeners, Brown detailed specific examples of the memories that many in our military carry with them the rest of their lives. In one, a Marine endured the sights and smells of charred bodies as he entered an airplane downed by enemy rockets in Iraq. In another incident, a convoy of soldiers worked to clear the remains of a seven-year-old Iraqi boy lodged underneath their vehicle as his mother screamed in anguish.

The effects of such traumatic events are seen in the "epidemic" numbers of servicepeople who report depression, shame, and suicidal ideation, Brown stated. Consequently, diagnoses of PTSD are all too common among veterans.