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The Vanguard Wall Podcast

There's People Who Need You That Haven't Met You Yet" - Ranger CSM Michael Burke on His Darkest Day & Recovery (Part 2)

Nov 11, 2025 · 4 hr 16 min · Episode 24 · 184.5 MB
0:00-4:16:04

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From a 12-year-old kid in Montana wearing hand-me-downs to Command Sergeant Major—this is the story of what happens when you almost lose everything, and the fallen hero who saved you one last time.

Command Sergeant Major Michael Burke (Ret.) served 14 deployments, completed 1,000+ combat operations, and rose from struggling private to the top enlisted ranks. But on October 22, 2015, when he learned his mentor MSG Joshua Wheeler was killed in action, everything came crashing down.

WHO WAS MSG JOSHUA WHEELER? Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler was a Delta Force operator and Ranger Regiment legend with 11 deployments. On October 22, 2015, he was killed during a hostage rescue in Hawija, Iraq—the first American KIA against ISIS. Wheeler charged enemy positions to protect his team and 70 hostages, earning the Silver Star posthumously.

For Burke, Wheeler was the man who believed in him when no one else did. The man who made him feel like he belonged. Because of Josh Wheeler, Burke served 22 more years. When Wheeler died, Burke reached his breaking point.

THIS EPISODE:

  • "I don't want to be on this earth anymore"—Burke's darkest moment
  • The therapy session that broke the dam
  • "I kind of broke my brain"—TBI, trauma, and childhood wounds
  • What would Josh do? The question that saved his life
  • "There's people who need you that haven't met you yet"
  • "I quit in my mind a million times. Just not today."
  • The Focus Framework: Leading with 3 priorities
  • From lacking empathy to making it your superpower
  • Veterans got veterans: Why peer support saves lives
  • Message to 12-year-old Mike in Montana: "Everything is worth it"

⚠️ Recorded on the 10-year anniversary of MSG Wheeler's death. Contains discussion of suicide ideation, PTSD, and trauma. Burke shares to save lives.

🆘 IF YOU'RE IN CRISIS:

  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (Call/Text)
  • Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255, Press 1

🔗 Michael Burke: @mike_s._burke or www.legendsofthe75th.com

"There's people that need you that don't even know you yet. You never go on a target alone. This is just a new mission—and we need you." — CSM Michael Burke

This interview will save lives. Share it.

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