hmTv at HMTC Podcasts Ep 397: The Fog of War and Humanity with Richard Acritelli and guest Donna Zephrine P1 on hmTv
In Part 1 of Ep 397 of The Fog of War and Humanity on hmTv, host Richard Acritelli welcomes U.S. Army veteran Donna Zephyrin for a wide-ranging conversation that begins long before the War on Terror. Donna reflects on her upbringing, her early leadership and service through JROTC, and how navigating learning disabilities helped shape her work ethic, resilience, and drive to overachieve. She shares the mentors who believed in her, the path from SUNY studies to the Army Reserve, and the intense, unforgettable moments of basic training and AIT, including the gas chamber, weapons qualification, and becoming a 63 Bravo mechanic working on Humvees and heavy vehicles.
The episode also offers a personal look at balancing military life with college and multiple jobs, coping with the loss of her father to cancer, and the day her world shifted forever: September 11, 2001, when she was at her reserve unit completing a PT test and was ordered to stay as the crisis unfolded. Grounded, candid, and deeply human, this first installment sets the stage for a deeper discussion in Part 2 about Donna’s service-era experiences and what the fog of war demands from those who live it.