Join Mike & Friends TONIGHT for "Laughter as Medicine!" with Warriors for Life (WFL)

Col (Ret) Mikel Burroughs
10 hours ago
3 min read

Join our Volunteer, Army Combat Medic Veteran, & Music Writer/Producer Mike Williams TONIGHT for "Mike Check" edition of Warriors for Life (WFL) Online, sponsored and presented by Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV).

We are asking everyone to share who we are and what support that Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV) is providing via WFL. If you know someone who is a veteran, first responder or a family member/caregiver, please ask them to join us for at least one meeting so they can learn more about what we do and how they can share their wisdom with others who may be able to learn from them.

TONIGHT's Topic: "Laughter as Medicine!"

Join Mike & Friends TONIGHT for a discussion about "Laughter as Medicine!" - Veteran-Focused, Trauma-Informed Resilience.

Humor is part of military culture, and used intentionally—with consent and guardrails—laughter becomes a practical nervous-system tool for Veterans. It can reduce stress, loosen threat-lock, and rebuild connection.

“Laughter doesn’t erase what Veterans carry—it gives the nervous system a safe exhale, and the heart a way back to the team.”

Alright family—let’s make a little room for the kind of laughter that doesn’t erase what we carried, but helps the body set it down for a breath.

This is an open invite to our Veteran community: drop your most ridiculous, harmless, can’t-believe-that-happened war stories—the ones that still make you laugh in spite of everything. The absurd moments. The Murphy’s Law masterpieces. The “if you weren’t there you’d swear I’m lying” scenes.

Not because it was easy. Because we know laughter is sometimes how the nervous system whispers: “Stand down… you’re safe right now.”

What we’re looking for

The funny and human moments: the chaos that didn’t need bullets to be legendary
The stories that end with: “And that’s why we can’t have nice things.”
The kind of ridiculous that makes a buddy text: “BROOOO ��”

Story prompts (pick one)

Funniest MRE trade / MRE betrayal you ever witnessed
Most ridiculous inspection moment (or the “creative problem-solving” before it)
A time gear failed in the dumbest, most comedic way possible
Your best “lost LT” / “new guy” moment (keep it kind)
The weirdest field-expedient invention that somehow worked
The most absurd radio call / miscommunication that became legend
A moment when you realized: “We are running this operation on caffeine and hope.”

Guardrails (keep it safe + supportive)

Keep it non-graphic (no gore, no vivid trauma detail).
No OPSEC, no identifying names, no doxxing—protect people and places.
Punch up, not down. No humiliating someone who can’t consent.
If your story brushes heavy terrain, feel free to add “CW: heavier edge” or keep it lighter.
Anyone can pass. Silence is allowed.

Veterans Crisis Line (24/7): Dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255, or use online chat.

Mike Williams shares a Song

"Laughter As Medicine"

We learned to speak in nicknames,

in stories that start with, “So there I was…”

and end with a grin we didn’t plan—

because sometimes that’s how you breathe.

Laughter doesn’t outrank the heavy stuff.

It just helps the body stand down—

one quick shake in the chest,

then the calm rolls in like “all clear”

after the noise.

Some days your brain stays posted on watch,

threat-level: midnight.

But a good joke can widen the room:

I’m still here. I’m still human.

Tactical relief—no denial required.

Try the field kit:

one small laugh (a clip, a tale, a “remember when”),

two minutes of slow exhale,

one text to a buddy—

“Bro… you won’t believe what I just did.”

And if you’re in a circle, keep it safe:

no cheap shots, no “gotcha,”

just the kind of humor

that says, quietly,

You belong here.

Because sometimes medicine

isn’t a cure—

it’s the moment your nervous system whispers,

Stand down, soldier…

and your heart finds the team again..

Warriors for Life (WFL) Online "Mike Check" edition presented by Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV) — Friday (TONIGHT), February 27, 2026, @ 4:30 PM PT, 5:30 PM MT, 6:30 PM CT, & 7:30 PM ET

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83145057228

Thank you,

Mike Williams, Army Combat Medic Veteran, Music Writer/Producer, & Volunteer Facilitator, Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV)