ABOUT THE HOST

JOSH WEDDELL

Josh Weddell spent fifteen years in law enforcement serving multiple municipalities across upstate New York, working patrol, investigations, and narcotics operations. He remains a certified New York State Law Enforcement Instructor.

Before and during his law enforcement career, Josh also served his country in the New York Air National Guard and the United States Air Force. His military service included multiple active-duty deployments, including Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also spent twelve years serving his community as a volunteer firefighter.

During his deployment to Iraq, Josh was exposed to toxic burn pits — open-air waste incinerators that burned everything from chemicals and medical waste to plastics, munitions, and other hazardous materials. Nearly two decades later, he lives with serious lung disease caused by that exposure and relies on supplemental oxygen.

A motor vehicle accident ultimately forced Josh’s retirement from law enforcement, but it did not end his commitment to service.

THE BLUE LINE VOICE-Blood, Sand & Smoke

The Blue Line Voice — Blood, Sand & Smoke was built to give first responders, veterans, their families, and others affected by toxic exposure a place to tell their stories the way they actually lived them.

The conversations go beyond the uniform, the badge, or the deployment. Guests talk about the calls, missions, experiences, injuries, losses, and struggles that stayed with them long after the moment was over.

But the story is only part of the mission.

Josh focuses heavily on what helped people move forward. Mental health treatment, peer support, faith, service dogs, veteran organizations, first-responder programs, brotherhood, family, and other resources all become part of the conversation. What works for one person may not work for another, but sharing those experiences gives someone listening another place to start.

The mission of The Blue Line Voice is simple: tell the stories, break the stigma, educate the public, and connect people with resources that can actually help.

Josh also uses his writing and advocacy to raise awareness about toxic burn pit exposure and the health conditions affecting veterans, while continuing to speak openly about the realities faced by law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, dispatchers, veterans, and their families.

If you serve, have served, love someone who serves, or are carrying something most people never see, The Blue Line Voice- Blood, Sand & Smoke was built for you.

YOU MAY LOVE THE JOB, BUT THE JOB DOESN’T LOVE YOU.