The Movies Don’t Show This Side of War | Col. Nick Nichols #506 | The Way I Heard It

Summary

War’s Unseen Realities

Retired Air Force Col. Nick Nichols describes nearly 30 years of service, including six deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. He says fighter pilots depend on ground crews to keep aircraft mission-ready, and praises maintainers and tanker crews as essential but often overlooked members of the force—roles that popular war films tend to leave out.

A Combat Mission That Stayed With Him

Nichols recounts a 2013 mission over Afghanistan’s Helmand Province. He was the only fighter pilot immediately available to support troops taking fire, but he could not identify the attackers. He made a low, noisy show of force and helped enable an evacuation. However, a ground controller died while speaking to him over the radio, and others were wounded.

Afterward, seeing his wife on FaceTime brought back memories of his own father’s death when Nichols was 15. The experience underscores the limits of what air support can do and the emotional burden service members carry.

Service, Loss, and the Return to Civilian Life

Nichols says his central purpose in combat was helping young troops get home. He and Rowe discuss survivor guilt, the sacrifices military families make during deployments, and the difficulty of transitioning out of a highly structured military career.

Nichols argues that the public can become detached from the costs of war, and that veterans and their families should not be forgotten once their service ends. Rowe also stresses the need to hear more first-person accounts from people who have served.

Folds of Honor

As president of Folds of Honor, Nichols describes the organization’s scholarships for the spouses and children of military personnel and first responders who have died or become disabled. He says the foundation has awarded about $240 million and supported tens of thousands of scholarships, while still being unable to fund thousands of qualified applicants in a school year.

He emphasizes that the purpose is not education for its own sake, but helping families pursue opportunities and build a future. The conversation also mentions a free, round-the-clock mental-health resource for military and first-responder families through a foundation partner.

Trade Education and Skilled Work

Rowe and Nichols discuss working together to expand scholarship support for vocational and technical training. They argue that public ideas of success should not focus exclusively on four-year college degrees: many skilled jobs are in demand, pay well, and are less readily replaced by AI.

They point to opportunities in fields such as construction, maintenance, and the defense industrial base, and call for more recognition of workers who keep infrastructure and essential services running.

Stories That Make the Point

Nichols credits country musician John Rich, a Folds of Honor supporter, with helping bring attention to the foundation. The two hosts also discuss Saving Private Ryan, especially its opening and its closing question about whether a survivor has “earned” the sacrifices made for him.

For Nichols, the film captures the lasting weight of wartime loss, even as many aspects of military service remain unseen on screen.

Presenters and Contributors

• Mike Rowe — host
• Col. Nick Nichols — guest, retired U.S. Air Force officer and president of Folds of Honor