The Warrior’s Profession — Resilience When the Uniform Feels Heavy Guest: Johnnie L. Gilpen Jr.

Dispatched & Dysfunctional

From battlefield to bedside — Navy Corpsman, Paramedic, and Pediatric Emergency PA-C Johnnie L. Gilpen Jr. has seen what survival really costs.

He’s answered the call of “Corpsman up!”, treated Marines in the chaos that follows, held dying children in a trauma bay, and fought his own way back from burnout.

Now, through The Art of Medicine: A Warrior’s Profession, he’s helping responders, clinicians, and veterans hold the line — and remember they still belong.

In this episode, Johnnie joins host Chris Stockton for a raw, peer-to-peer conversation about moral injury, faith, resilience, and the tools that keep us standing when the job tries to take everything.
From his “Foxhole Principle” to the “Cookie Jar,” Johnnie proves that warriors don’t need to break to be brave — they just need to stay human.

Episode Themes:
• Resilience after loss
• Building your “Foxhole Team”
• Tools for burnout and moral injury
• Why belonging is medicine
• Faith, family, and surviving the weight of the job

⚠️ Listener Advisory:
This episode contains graphic and emotional content, along with dark humor.
Discretion is advised.

🧠 SUPPORT OUTRO:
Need support right now? Text or call 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.
You’re not alone — not in this job, not in this fight.

Want to share your story or connect?
Visit critical-run.com or message the Facebook page Dispatched & Dysfunctional.

We’re building this — for you, for them, for all of us.

🔗 Guest Credits & Links

Johnnie L. Gilpen Jr.
🌐 johnniegilpen.com
📘 Tales From the Green Side – A Barstool Anthology (Amazon)
📄 LinkedIn
📘 Facebook Profile

🧠 Need support right now? Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org. You’re not alone — not in this job, not in this fight.
📱 Follow us on Facebook: Dispatched and Dysfunctional
🌐 Visit: www.critical-run.com to connect, share your story, or just vent
🎤 Got a call that changed you? Submit your story — we’ll carry it with care (and maybe a little dark humor).
⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast contains graphic content, emotional storytelling, and dark humor based on real-life EMS and first responder experiences. Listener discretion is advised.
Any medical discussion is personal opinion, not medical advice. Always follow your local protocols, medical direction, and training guidelines.
This podcast isn’t about fairy tales. It’s about real calls, real chaos, and the medics who survive both.
Dispatched & Dysfunctional — because sometimes the worst calls… make the best stories.