2025

Ep 10 - Memorial Day: Saluting Real Stories of Sacrifice

To everyone who has lost someone. To everyone who feels they should have taken someone's place. We thank you for the sacrifice of your loved ones and for you still being here, honoring that sacrifice. You are not forgotten or unwanted.

Garrett

May 26, 2025 — 4 min read

Original Air Date: 05/26/2025
Episode Number: 10

Link to Podcast Spotify Recording
Link to Podcast YouTube Recording

Summary

Every May, Garrett, and his Wife watch movies based on real stories about the sacrifice, typically from the military. We wanted to do something a bit different and talk about how those movies have changed our perspective about the wars that America has been engaged in for the last 20 years. We talked about Zero Dark Thirty, American Sniper, 13 Hours, The Covenant (The only one not based on a real story, but tells an important part of the promise America is supposed to uphold), and Hacksaw Ridge. Every single one of them hits home for different reasons.

Drink Recipe Name

0:00

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Cocktail with Gold Luster Dust

🥂 Mocktail: “Zero Hour”

Ingredients:

2 oz Strawberry purée Syrup
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1 oz Orange Juice
0.5 oz Pomegranate Juice (or just a splash for layering)
Club soda or tonic water to top
Garnish: strawberry and lime wheel skewer, or a dramatic sugar rim

Instructions:

Shake strawberry purée, lime juice, and orange juice with ice.
Strain into a tall glass over fresh ice.
Gently float a bit of pomegranate juice for a “sunset” effect.
Top with club soda or tonic for fizz.
Garnish with a fresh, fruit-forward flourish.

🍸 Cocktail: “Desert Gold”

Ingredients:

1 oz Bourbon
0.5 oz Cointreau
0.5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
0.5 oz Plum Liqueur (adds complexity and light fruit)
0.25 oz Hot Honey Syrup (1:1 hot honey and water, 1 cinnamon stick and two star-anise. Placing ingredients in skillet, heat for about 10 minutes while honey dissolves. Let cool, place in airtight container in the fridge. Pull cinnamon stick and star anise out after desired flavor is achieved. Cinnamon can be very over powering so pull that first. I did a couple of hours for the cinnamon stick)
2 dashes Orange Bitters
Garnish: lemon wheel or starfruit slice

Instructions:

Shake all ingredients with ice until chilled.
Strain into a coupe or rocks glass.
Garnish with something golden (lemon wheel, dehydrated orange, or edible gold dust if you want to go glam).

Links to things discussed

Pictures of the Hats

Pictures of the Shadow Boxes

Show Timestamps (YouTube Video)

00:00 - Intro and Drinks
01:48 - ASVAB
05:32 - The Gift
06:24 - The Premise of Memorial Month
08:11 - Hacksaw Ridge Synopsis
09:25 - Zero Dark Thirty Synopsis
11:29 - American Sniper Synopsis
12:37 - The Covenant Synopsis
14:13 - What Have We Been Up to?
21:27 - 13 Hours Synopsis
22:58 - Question 1
26:10 - Question 2
31:11 - Question 3
36:15 - Question 4
38:15 - Question 5
45:05 - Question 6
50:40 - Question 7
57:35 - Question 8
01:06:28 - Rapid Fire Questions (They Aren't Rapid)
01:29:45 - Outro
01:33:04 - EXTRA: Moving