In this week’s episode of Urban Valor, we sit down with U.S. Army veteran Denny Giamazzo, who was raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, Denny faced unspeakable abuse—abandoned by his drug-addicted mother, burned with cigarettes, and left alone for days as a young child. After entering foster care, he found brief moments of hope, but the scars of his past never left him.

Denny opens up about nearly dying during Army basic training after a routine wisdom tooth extraction went horribly wrong, landing him in the ICU. He later deployed to Afghanistan, where he was forced to pull mangled bodies from trucks and survive gunfire in exposed overwatch positions. Now a mental health advocate, Denny speaks candidly about his struggle with PTSD, self harm thoughts, and how he's working to rebuild his life through veteran brotherhood and mentorship.

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Video Chapters: 
00:00 – Haunting memories from Afghanistan
00:40 – Early life: Abuse, neglect, and abandonment
01:45 – Placed in foster care and finding hope
03:30 – Adopted by aunt, strong sibling bond
06:00 – Struggles with masculinity, fatherlessness
13:00 – Joining the Army after college dropout
19:00 – Nearly dies from wisdom tooth extraction
24:30 – Deployed to Afghanistan: Real combat begins
28:45 – Ambushed in overwatch position
36:00 – Sniper takes out enemy after close call
44:00 – PTSD, trauma from seeing mangled bodies
48:30 – Suicidal thoughts, VA crisis call
52:00 – Struggles in marriage and emotional volatility
55:00 – Healing through therapy and The Forge
1:03:00 – Veteran support and personal growth
1:05:30 – Helping other veterans

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