The Bunkhouse Podcast
The Bunkhouse: A Podcast Were Veterans Support Veterans
The hardest battles don’t end when the uniform comes off.
The Bunkhouse is a podcast about veteran mental health and everything that comes after service: the rough transitions, the loss of purpose, the identity you have to rebuild, the things nobody says out loud. Host Jon spent 16 years in the Marine Corps as a Data Systems Engineering Officer, including three combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. His own transition was rough. He’s seen what untreated struggle can do to a person and to a family, and he started this show so other veterans wouldn’t have to figure it out alone.
Each episode brings honest, unrehearsed conversations with veterans doing the work of putting a life back together. Some episodes are about the low places. Some are about faith, family, career, and finding a tribe that shows up. All of them are judgment-free.
New episodes drop on the 2nd Monday of every month. Want to share your story? Apply to be a guest at thebunkhousecast.com.
Be the light in someone’s dark
If you’re a veteran in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 and press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line
Juan Perez was a Marine infantryman and Scout Sniper who deployed to Helmand Province in 2010. After the Corps, he spent ten years as a police officer in Chicago. In this conversation with Jon, he explains why so many veterans leave one battlefield and quietly build another at home.
Juan talks openly about carrying survivor’s guilt for about 15 years, a transition he describes as “a playbook of mistakes, and I followed all of them,” and why chaos can feel like home when calm feels uncomfortable. Jon shares his own burnout and isolation in 2023, and both men talk about the role faith played in their turnarounds.
In this episode:
- Why “what you do” can’t be “who you are”
- Why the first year out of the military is so risky
- How policing recreated the squad culture, for better and worse
- Why your friends may not be the right people to ask for advice
- “Let guilt be your guide”: a simple tool for self-honesty
- Learning to stay present instead of living in anxiety
Content note: This episode includes discussion of combat loss, survivor’s guilt, alcohol use, and thoughts of not wanting to wake up. If you’re struggling, the Veterans Crisis Line is available 24/7. Dial 988, then press 1, or text 838255. You don’t have to fight this alone.
Connect with Juan: IG – @juan_perez_peace
Connect with The Bunkhouse: thebunkhousecast.com | info@thebunkhousecast.com
Real conversations about veteran mental health and life after service. Be the light in someone’s dark.
Recent Video Content
Podcast Details
The Bunkhouse Podcast is where veterans come to have the conversations that don’t always happen when the cameras are rolling or the uniform is on.
Hosted by Marine Corps veteran Jon Cole, The Bunkhouse features honest, unfiltered conversations about veteran mental health, life after service, identity, purpose, leadership, family, faith, resilience, and finding your tribe after the military.
Each episode brings veterans, advocates, leaders, and others from the military-connected community into the Bunkhouse to share more than their accomplishments. We talk about the struggles behind the story, the lessons learned along the way, and the experiences that helped shape who they are today.
Why tune in? Because someone else’s story may be the one you need to hear.
Listeners can expect authentic conversations that can be serious, vulnerable, inspiring, educational, and sometimes funny. There are no perfect transition stories and no expectation that every guest has everything figured out. The goal is simple: create a place where real people can talk about real experiences and remind others that they are not alone.
Whether you served, love someone who served, work within the veteran community, or simply believe our veterans’ stories matter, there is a seat for you in The Bunkhouse.
Pull up a chair. Join the conversation. And help us Be The Light In Someone’s Dark.
About the host
Jon Cole
Jon Cole is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 2, podcast host, and veteran mental health advocate who believes some of the most important conversations are often the ones people are afraid to have.
Before stepping behind the microphone, Jon spent 16 years in the Marine Corps as a Data Systems Engineering Officer, completing three combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. From combat deployments to teaching young Marines, his career taught him that leadership was about far more than technology, operations, or accomplishing the mission. It was about people: learning how to listen, lead through adversity, and taking care of those around you.
Jon’s transition out of the military ultimately shaped much of the voice he brings behind the microphone today. Losing the sense of purpose and belonging that came with military service forced him to confront some difficult realities about transition and mental health. He has also witnessed the devastating impact untreated mental-health struggles can have on veterans, families, and communities.
Today, Jon hosts The Bunkhouse Podcast, a veteran-focused show built around honest, unpolished conversations about mental health, life after service, identity, purpose, leadership, family, faith, and community. Originally created to share veterans’ journeys into technology and cybersecurity, The Bunkhouse evolved into something more personal: a platform dedicated to conversations Jon believes the veteran community cannot afford to avoid.
Behind the microphone, Jon is conversational, curious, candid, and personal. He isn’t looking for rehearsed answers or perfectly polished success stories. He wants to understand the person behind the story: the victories and failures, difficult moments, lessons learned, and the experiences that kept them moving forward.
At the center of Jon’s life are his growing Christian faith, his family, and his commitment to community. He believes having a tribe, people willing to show up for one another when life gets difficult, can be one of the strongest defenses against isolation and darkness.
Through The Bunkhouse, Jon uses storytelling to create connections, challenge the stigma surrounding mental health, and remind veterans and their families that they don’t have to fight their battles alone. Every conversation is intended to leave listeners with something honest, something useful, and perhaps something worth sharing with someone who needs to hear it.
His mission behind the microphone is simple:
“Be The Light In Someone’s Dark”
