He earned two Bronze Stars, called in airstrikes under fire, and lost brothers to suicide. But his hardest fight came after the war.

Combat Controller Eric Lionheart didn’t just see combat — he lived through four-hour firefights, called in F-15s under fire, and carried the weight of survivor’s guilt when he came home alone. He opens up about the loss of his teammates, the battle to stay alive after the battlefield, and the foundation he built — First There — to save others when nothing else worked.

This is not just a story about war. It's about what happens when warriors are left to fight alone.

👉 Follow Beyond the Dispatch for raw stories that bring our heroes out of the shadows — and give them the mic.