Warrior Narratives Podcast, a podcast created by KSJD’s Erik Quiroz, aims to tell the stories of veterans who live in the region.
This “facilitated storytelling podcast,” according to Army veteran Quiroz, was created to help record veterans’ stories and give them a “safe place” to talk about their time in the service.
Quiroz is the producer and host of the podcast. The podcast is partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
“It’s designed as kind of a mechanism for veterans to have their narratives recorded,” Quiroz told The Journal.
Quiroz hopes to have the podcast enshrined in the National Archives, and he said he has been working on creating contacts there to make it happen.
“It’s a safe place for veterans to talk about their service,” Quiroz said. “It’s not just about their time in the service, but also a personal narrative. They can talk about the whole story arc of their individual selves prior to the military.”
After sharing stories about a veteran’s life prior to the service, they talk about their time in the military.
“It’s not a traditional interview per se,” Quiroz said. “I’m more of a guide, and I guide them to tell stories.”
Quiroz shared that he came up with the idea for the podcast because of what he has experienced as a veteran.
“I think a lot of the stuff that comes out about veterans through the media or just general understanding is often a lot different that the lived experiences of veterans,” Quiroz said. “I wanted to create something that would let the general public be able to understand veterans on more of a human level.”
While Quiroz acknowledged that some veterans may feel uneasy about a podcast, he hopes to help them feel comfortable to share their stories with their friends, family and the rest of the world through the podcast.
One time, Quiroz said he heard from the wife of a veteran that had been on his podcast, and she told him that some of the stories he’d told she’d never even heard, and they had been married for 10 years.
Storytelling as an art form can help bring about a sense of healing, Quiroz said, and he expressed his desire for his podcast to use the art of storytelling to bring about peace and closure in a veteran’s life by allowing them to tell their story and be heard.
“Art can be a healing modality,” Quiroz said. “That’s something that we’re focused on, which is healing through art. It’s more than just a podcast. It’s a way for veterans to express and talk about their story and be in a place where they feel like they’re being listened to and heard.”
The podcast was started in 2023 and has four episodes that are out on all streaming platforms. By May, Quiroz is hoping to have 12 released episodes.
Quiroz shared that one specific veteran story that he has heard so far, which involved a local veteran named Jess, was particularly memorable.
Jess, who is Native American, told Quiroz a “beautiful story” about an indigenous ceremony he was part of before his enlistment that helped him become a warrior.
Though Quiroz said there has been a stigma surrounding these kinds of ceremonies in the past with certain groups, he worked with Jess and they decided to air it in the episode.
“That episode for me personally was probably the most engaging in the podcast,” Quiroz said.
Veterans who are interested in sharing their story with Quiroz can contact him at Erik@WarriorNarratives.org.
Podcast episodes can be viewed on all streaming platforms.
