Winston Churchill was talking about the 18th Airborne Corps podcast when he famously said: "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

This is it, friends. The final episode. But not really the end of the podcast as you can always go back and listen to the old episodes at any time. 

It's been a wild ride. Thanks for listening. Keep talking to each other.

Throughout our 20-year war in Afghanistan, so many me and women from that country risked themselves and their Families to support American service members and units. In the telling of that war, those Afghans must not be forgotten. Their sacrifices and the risks they took on our behalf are so real, the consequences for them so stark; the debt we owe to them is so steep.

One of those Afghans is a 25-year-old woman named Zamzama Safi. "ZZ", as she is affectionately known, had a trauma-filled childhood. Her father was an officer for the Afghan Army, making her a target of the Taliban as a child. As a teenager she was captured and held captive by the Taliban, only to later reunite with her Family. She later served as an interpreter for American forces herself.

At the end of the American presence in Afghanistan, ZZ was able to leave the country, making her way to Saint Louis, Missouri, with the help of a group of American military officers alongside whom she served.

This is ZZ's story. It's a story of courage and triumph. It's a story of trauma and tragedy. It's a story we all should hear as we seek to make sense of our experience in Afghanistan.

Hey, friends! How's your 2022 going? Hope the New Year has been good for you so far. We're sure it's going to be a great year. And, if not, you at least have this podcast to look forward to!

General Paul Funk, commander of the Fort Eustis, Virginia-based US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), joins the 18th Airborne Corps podcast for episode 105. Paul talks about recruiting, training, and retaining a force that represents the country at a time of dynamic national and international change. 

American society is evolving, global threats are progressing, technological change is accelerating. The American Army, too, must change. TRADOC is leading the way here, implementing new methods of communicating with potential Soldiers across the Nation, evaluating American citizens for Army service, and then educating, leading, and preparing Soldiers for continued service and for a new, more complex kind of combat.

This is a good, thoughtful discussion with Paul Funk, one that offers wisdom and insight for every Army leader. There are few topics more important to the institution of the US Army than the future of the force.