Blown up by a 25lb IED. Hunted by a sniper. Lost six Marines in one of the deadliest provinces in Afghanistan.

This is Marine Lt. Col. Mike Manocchio’s story — and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever heard, and it's right here on today's Urban Valor Episode! 

Mike led troops through nonstop combat in Marjah, Helmand Province — an area packed with IEDs, ambushes, and Taliban fighters tracking their every move. He survived a massive explosion, had sniper rounds miss his head by inches, and still went back out to lead his men.

But the hardest part wasn’t the firefights. It was what came after. The survivor’s guilt. The PTSD. The faces of the Marines who didn’t come home.

He opens up about the chaos of war, the day Kyle Carpenter threw himself on a grenade, and what it’s like trying to put the pieces back together when the war ends — but the battle doesn’t.

If you’re looking for Afghanistan war stories, Marine IED survival, or veteran interviews — this one’s going to stay with you.

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Video chapters: 
00:00 – Blown Up by a 25lb IED in Marjah
03:42 – Why He Joined After 9/11
07:15 – First Deployment & Losing Marines Early
12:01 – Training for the Surge in Afghanistan
18:30 – Marjah Patrols & Taliban Ambushes Begin
27:04 – IED Blast Knocks Him Out Cold
36:02 – Sniper Round Nearly Hits His Head
44:50 – Six Marines Lost in Combat
57:43 – Taliban Coordinated Attack Across Bases
1:27:50 – Mental Health Collapse & Finding Help

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