Tales from the Corps

Get ready for a hilarious journey through our military days, including bizarre incidents like a dog, a machete, and a perplexed neighborhood. We also dive into the grueling world of combat sports and the mental toll of a warrior's mindset.

While reminiscing about our youth, we discuss the transformation of friends and ourselves, share thoughts on Las Vegas, and contemplate a reunion. Plus, we explore the unique camaraderie of the military and the unexpected humor found in unexpected places.

Our overseas military service reveals stark lifestyle differences and a newfound appreciation for life's simple pleasures. We touch on unsettling dreams and end with a riotous UFC uniform story. Tune in for laughter, reflection, and perhaps a tear or two.

Contact Michael Francis:
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UFC legend Mark “The Hammer” Coleman joins Tales From The Corps for an open conversation about alcoholism, sobriety, recovery, and rebuilding his life after addiction.

At the time of this conversation, Mark was more than two years sober and joined us on National Sober Day to talk about the years alcohol controlled his life, the damage it caused, and what ultimately pushed him toward making a change.

Mark discusses the role friends, support, discipline, patience, and faith played in his recovery and why accepting help became an important part of getting sober. He reflects on the difference between fighting inside a cage and confronting a problem that couldn't be beaten through toughness alone.

The conversation also explores the stigma surrounding addiction and recovery, why people struggling with alcohol can resist asking for help, and how speaking openly about sobriety can make it easier for someone else to admit they're struggling.

Co-host Adam Gray also shares his own perspective during the conversation as Mark and the crew discuss maintaining structure, staying active, and continuing to move forward when life gets difficult.

This isn't a story about winning every day. It's a conversation about alcoholism, accountability, recovery, and continuing to choose sobriety one day at a time.

Featuring:
🥊 Mark “The Hammer” Coleman — UFC Legend & UFC Hall of Famer

TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
📸 Instagram: @talesfromthecorps
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Marine Corps combat veteran Jon Stough joins Tales From The Corps to revisit stories from Lima Company 3/6, their time in Afghanistan, and the reunion that brought Marines who served together back into the same room years later.

Jon discusses helping organize a Lima 3/6 reunion in Houston, Texas, with support from Semper Fi & America's Fund, creating an opportunity for Marines and their families to reconnect with people they hadn't seen in years.

The conversation quickly turns into exactly what happens when Marines reunite—old nicknames, questionable decisions, field stories, plenty of beer, and memories that haven't been told in a very long time. From names like “Marlboro Man” and “Quagmire” to stories from training and deployment, the people behind the memories take center stage.

Jon also joins us in looking back on Afghanistan, including life at the Hummer, extreme weather, dangerous missions, and the moments that were anything but funny when they happened. Years later, those experiences remain part of the shared history connecting the Marines who were there.

The conversation also remembers Darnell and other Marines lost along the way, honoring the people who aren't able to sit around the table at the reunion and tell the stories themselves.

This episode is about more than getting the old platoon back together. It's about reconnecting with the Marines you served beside, remembering those who are gone, and keeping the stories of Lima 3/6 alive.

Featuring:
🪖 Jon Stough — Marine Corps Combat Veteran, Lima Company 3/6

Support service members, veterans, and military families through Semper Fi & America's Fund:
Semper Fi & America's Fund

TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
📸 Instagram: @talesfromthecorps
🪖 Virtual Barracks: VirtualBarracks.com
💬 Discord: Join the Virtual Barracks
📧 Business Inquiries: [email protected]

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Marine Corps combat veteran Jon Stough joins Tales From The Corps to trade stories about deployments, barracks life, tattoos, and the strange situations that somehow become normal when you're surrounded by Marines.

Jon joins the conversation for stories from their years in the Corps, including combat deployments, barracks rooms full of smashed furniture, rooftop sunbathing overseas, and the kind of decisions that probably seemed completely reasonable at the time.

The conversation explores the humor and unpredictability of everyday Marine Corps life alongside the more serious experiences that come with serving and deploying together. Years later, some of the smallest and most ridiculous moments are often the ones everyone remembers.

Jon also joins us for a conversation about tattoos and Marine Corps culture, including the stories behind them, the misconceptions surrounding Marines with tattoos, and why ink becomes such a common part of military life.

From deployment memories to barracks chaos, this episode captures the side of Marine Corps service that rarely appears in official histories—the bizarre stories, inside jokes, and experiences that Marines continue telling each other long after leaving active duty.

Featuring:
🪖 Jon Stough — Marine Corps Combat Veteran, Lima Company 3/6

TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
📸 Instagram: @talesfromthecorps
🪖 Virtual Barracks: VirtualBarracks.com
💬 Discord: Join the Virtual Barracks
📧 Business Inquiries: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Marine Corps combat veteran and radio operator Joshua Rupe joins Tales From The Corps to talk about Iraq, battlefield communications, Marine Corps training, and adjusting to life after war.

Joshua shares his experiences serving as a Marine radio operator, where staying calm and maintaining communications could become critical when situations changed quickly. He reflects on his deployment to Iraq, the responsibility that came with his role, and the Marines and leaders who influenced him along the way.

The conversation includes Joshua reconnecting with former commander Colonel Pitchford and reflecting on leadership, mentorship, and the relationships that remain years after Marines stop serving together.

Joshua also takes us back to Stone Bay and his experience with Surveillance and Target Acquisition, discussing an assignment that initially intimidated him but ultimately became an important part of his time in the Corps.

The conversation moves into life after combat, navigating the VA, and transitioning from the Marine Corps into civilian life. Joshua discusses the differences between military and civilian culture, the strange pieces of Marine Corps language and routine that stick with you, and the role other combat veterans played in helping him adjust after coming home.

From Iraq and battlefield communications to Stone Bay, leadership, the VA, and life after service, Joshua's story captures both the responsibilities Marines carry while serving and the relationships that continue after the uniform comes off.

Featuring:
🪖 Joshua Rupe — Marine Corps Combat Veteran | Sniper & Radio Operator

TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
📸 Instagram: @talesfromthecorps
🪖 Virtual Barracks: VirtualBarracks.com
💬 Discord: Join the Virtual Barracks
📧 Business Inquiries: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Marine Corps veteran Juan Ramirez joins Tales From The Corps to trade stories from Lima Company 3/6, deployments overseas, and the transition from military service into civilian life.

Juan looks back on the people and experiences that shaped his time in the Marine Corps, from unexpected visits by senior leadership and time at 29 Palms to deployment memories from Kandahar, Afghanistan.

The conversation also explores experiences involving the Israel Defense Forces in Israel, the relationships formed through military service, and how veterans stayed connected as social media began making it easier to find Marines they hadn't spoken to in years.

Juan discusses his own transition after leaving the Corps, including moving from hospitality into security work and an assignment in Mexico. He shares lessons learned about adapting to civilian careers, financial planning and investing, and dealing with unexpected events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The conversation also turns to VA benefits and the importance of veterans understanding the resources available to them after military service.

Between the serious subjects are plenty of Marine Corps memories, inside jokes, and stories about the strange experiences that become part of a unit's history—including the idea of preserving some of those memories through a Lima 3/6 unit yearbook.

Featuring:
🪖 Juan Ramirez — Marine Corps Combat Veteran, Lima Company 3/6

TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
📸 Instagram: @talesfromthecorps
🪖 Virtual Barracks: VirtualBarracks.com
💬 Discord: Join the Virtual Barracks
📧 Business Inquiries: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to Tales From The Corps—a podcast built around the stories Marines and veterans tell each other long after the uniforms are packed away.

In our first episode, we introduce the conversations behind the show and share stories from our years in the Marine Corps, from the serious experiences that shaped us to the completely ridiculous moments that somehow became permanent memories.

We talk about Marine Corps life, leaving active duty, infantry and weapons MOSs including 0351 and 0341, barracks life, chow halls, CARs, deployments, and the personalities you never forget. Some stories can be told publicly. Others will probably stay locked away with the Marines who were there.

The conversation also explores life after the Corps and the different directions veterans take when military service ends, including entrepreneurship, business ownership, networking, and finding new skills and interests in the civilian world.

More than anything, this first episode establishes what Tales From The Corps is about: honest conversations, Marine Corps humor, military stories, and preserving the experiences of the people who served.

Some stories are serious. Some are ridiculous. Some probably shouldn't be told at all.

Welcome to Tales From The Corps.

TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
📸 Instagram: @talesfromthecorps
🪖 Virtual Barracks: VirtualBarracks.com
💬 Discord: Join the Virtual Barracks
📧 Business Inquiries: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to, Tales from the Corps, presented by SBX. Join my fellow Marine, Adam, Addy Joe, Gray, and myself, Mike, Frank Francis as we share our stories from our time in the United States Marine Corps.

In addition to our tales, we will have guests joining us each week, ranging from fellow Marines and veteran business owners and professionals to professional athletes and more. If you're a fan of war stories, crazy Libo antics, and the wild happenings during combat deployments, then Tales from the Corps is the podcast for you.

So, ruck up, fall in, and follow us on Apple, Spotify, or your preferred platform, and leave us a five-star rating. Join us on this journey as we relive our Tales from the Corps!  

TALES FROM THE CORPS
Real stories. Unfiltered conversations. Veterans, families, historians, and the people preserving their legacy.

🎥 YouTube: Tales From The Corps Podcast
🎵 TikTok: @tales.from.the.corps
📸 Instagram: @talesfromthecorps
🪖 Virtual Barracks: VirtualBarracks.com
💬 Discord: Join the Virtual Barracks
📧 Business Inquiries: [email protected]