meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
What's Ray Saying?

Bonus: Death, Sex and Money - What Military Service During “Peacetime” is Really Like

What's Ray Saying?

Ray Christian

Blackhistory, Storytelling, Story, Africanamerican, Slam, Arts, Blackculture, History, Storyteller

5.0644 Ratings

🗓️ 20 August 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We want to share with you this special episode of Death, Sex & Money, a Slate podcast. Ray joins host Anna Sale to share why he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1978, what it was like serving in the years between major conflicts, and the challenges he faced leaving military life behind. He reflects on the trauma he carried, his time as a paratrooper and drill sergeant, and how he eventually found his way into academia and storytelling. The conversation continues what Anna does best: exploring the hard questions and hidden struggles that shape our lives. You can find Death, Sex and Money wherever you get your podcasts.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hi, friends. This is Ray, the source of all black knowledge, and I want to share a podcast with you that you may already be familiar with.

0:09.9

Now, its content is fascinating and expansive, and it has a legendary host.

0:15.9

That show is called Death, Sex, and Money, a Slate podcast that's hosted by Anna Sale, a show that explores

0:24.5

the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation.

0:30.8

I show that stands out as one of the best of all times and one of my very long-time favorites,

0:37.2

a show that's consistent and culturally relevant.

0:40.3

I show that I'm proud to add my small voice to.

0:45.3

Now, if you're not already a listener, trust me, you will not be disappointed.

0:52.3

Anna is one of the best interviewers on the planet.

0:57.3

I love how she speaks with all sorts of people,

1:00.1

famous and not famous,

1:01.7

and give space to the parts of life that can make us feel bewildered,

1:06.9

alone,

1:08.2

or like we're going through something that's not talked about openly enough.

1:12.7

Follow and listen to Deaf, Sex, and Money, wherever you get your podcast. Enjoy.

1:19.4

If you were to ask a random person on the street, whether the United States is currently at war,

1:25.0

what do you think they'd say? Maybe, not technically, kind of.

1:30.1

The U.S. military is in a kind of limbo right now. That's actually been pretty typical over the last several decades.

1:36.9

We haven't declared a formal war against anyone, but military activity is happening. Service members are training all the time, and just a few weekends ago, some of them did drop bombs on another country, Iran.

1:51.6

This quote-unquote peacetime activity has me thinking about a few things. First of all, peacetime in the U.S. is actually pretty active.

2:01.5

And I've also been thinking about what it's like to serve in the military during these in-between times.

2:07.2

What are people looking for when they enlist?

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Ray Christian, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Ray Christian and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.