Martha Raddatz on "The Hero Next Door": Military Service, Patriotism & Purpose in a Divided America
On Brand with Donny DeutschShow Notes
ABC News chief global affairs correspondent and co-anchor of This Week, Martha Raddatz, joins Donny to discuss her powerful new book, The Hero Next Door: Stories of Patriotism and Purpose — and why America's post-9/11 generation of veterans deserves to be called the next "Greatest Generation."
From flying 10-hour combat missions in Afghanistan to embedding with troops in Iraq, Martha has spent decades on the front lines building deep relationships with the men and women who serve. In this conversation, she shares unforgettable stories from the book — including Marine Derek Herrera, who was paralyzed in battle and went on to revolutionize medical care for other wounded veterans; Kevin Schaefer and Steve Workman, who survived the Pentagon on 9/11; and Medal of Honor recipient Sal Giunta, whose quiet heroism brought a Korean War veteran to tears at Arlington Cemetery.
Martha and Donny talk about:
Why service members volunteer — and what drives them when they come home
The hidden battle with PTSD after the war ends
The devastating exit from Afghanistan and its toll on veterans
How these heroes can unite a divided country
Why Martha says knowing these people has made her a better journalist — and a better human being
Whether you're a military family, a history buff, or simply someone hungry for stories of real American courage, this episode will restore your faith in humanity.
📚 The Hero Next Door is available now wherever books are sold.
Be sure to check out the On Brand with Donny Deutsch YouTube page.
We'd like to thank our sponsor Strawberry.me
Go to Strawberry.me/DONNY and start with a coaching trial today.
For our listeners, tell them it was the On Brand with Donny Deutsch Podcast that sent you and get 50% off your first session. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from On Brand with Donny Deutsch
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt returns to talk about where things stand six months after his last visit, and his answer is that the alarm hasn't subsided. He and Donny dig into the ADL's new State of the Arts report, which looked at 40 of America's top museums, including the Met, MoMA and LACMA. None of them included Jewish identity in their diversity commitments. Only six formally recognized Jewish American Heritage Month, and five of those dropped it after October 7th. Greenblatt calls it a "quiet erasure" of Jewish and Israeli artists.
Billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein (Carlyle Group co-founder, Baltimore Orioles owner, and host of Bloomberg's The David Rubenstein Show) talks about Trump's future, the war with Iran, AI, and his new book, Speaking of America: Great Conversations at the Library of Congress.
Bestselling thriller author Harlan Coben reveals his writing process, how to beat writer's block, and the heartbreaking story behind his father's last words.
This week Donny Deutsch and Lou Pellegrino run through who's up and who's down in American culture. They start with a CDC report finding that most U.S. adults are running on empty, then compare notes on five o'clock naps and why sleep has become a $100 billion industry. From there it's senior TikTok creators talking openly about sex and intimacy, the University of Chicago banning AI and laptops from its core courses, and the dictionary's newest additions, including "parasocial," "cuffing season," and "Sunday scaries."
Anthony Scaramucci joins Donny Deutsch to break down his new book, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, a sharp and surprisingly self-critical look at how America got here. The SkyBridge founder and co-host of The Rest Is Politics: US walks through the three turning points he believes set the stage for MAGA: letting China into the WTO without checking its rise, the post-9/11 wars funded by tax cuts that blew up the deficit, and a 2008 bailout that rescued the banks but left Main Street behind. As Scaramucci puts it, Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party "had a baby, and they named it baby MAGA."