“We The People: A Spoken Ballad for America” — written by David Burnell for Echo Valor — is a powerful, cinematic spoken word piece celebrating the spirit of unity and freedom. Drawing on the words of our Founding Fathers and the courage of everyday Americans, this ballad reminds us that we are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. It is a call to remember that unity is our strength and freedom is our promise, honoring the heroes of our past and the dreams of our future. Let freedom ring, and let us rise together as Americans.

Some victories are measured not by survival, but by who lives because you didn’t.

Greater Love: Mogadishu, 1993 is an Echo Valor episode documenting the actions of Delta Force snipers Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart during the Battle of Mogadishu.

This episode focuses not on tactics or spectacle, but on the moment of decision—when two men repeatedly requested insertion into an unwinnable situation in order to protect a wounded crew member.

They did not survive the fight.But because of them, someone else did.

Both men received the Medal of Honor posthumously.

Echo Valor exists to tell stories forged in courage, duty, and sacrifice.

👉 Subscribe to Echo Valor for more true stories of courage and service👉 Visit echovalor.com to learn more about the Echo Valor mission

There’s a moment—just before stepping into chaos—when everything slows down.

The noise fades. The world narrows. And a quiet voice says, Go.

David Burnell has spent a lifetime answering that call.

From military service and tactical operations to search and rescue missions, humanitarian deployments, and high-risk environments across the world, he has stood where few are willing to stand—between chaos and the innocent.

But Built by Fire is not just about the missions. It is about what they cost.

The weight is carried long after the moment ends. The unseen battles. The quiet toll of service that doesn’t fade when the uniform comes off. It is about the moments that break a man—and the ones that rebuild him.

Told with honesty and hard-earned clarity, this memoir takes you beyond the action and into the reality of a life lived in service. It reveals how purpose is forged not in comfort, but in adversity, and how the same fire that tests you can ultimately transform you.

This is a story of:

* Service when it costs everything

* Brotherhood forged under pressure

* Loss, resilience, and survival

* Faith discovered in the hardest places

* Redemption that reshapes a life

This book is for anyone who has faced hardship, carried unseen burdens, or searched for meaning after everything has changed.

Because the truth is simple:

* The fire will come.

* You don’t get to choose that.

* But you do get to choose

* who you become in it.

Built by Fire is a powerful, authentic account of courage, faith, and the kind of purpose that can only be forged through experience.

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ “The book is so captivating. The real life stories really make you think about life and humanity and those who have the call to offer that to all. David is a true hero and to hear his experiences makes me appreciate all those brave men who, daily, sacrifice their life to protect us all. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll think, and you’ll find gratitude. A good read!” - Diane

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ “Your recent episode about "The Boy Named Red" from your book Built by Fire genuinely stuck with me, especially the way you described shaping your mindset amid the violence surrounding your childhood in Lawndale. That constant readiness to confront tough realities is a powerful theme.” - Eve

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ “What an extraordinary life. Very interesting and good read.” - Lezlee

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ “Engaging read that kept the pages turning.”

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ The way this book captured your journey through war zones and humanitarian rescues was unforgettable, but what stuck with me most was your transparency about scars turning into purpose. The mix of service, loss, and hope is so rare in podcasting, and your reflections on how faith helped anchor you were truly compelling.” - Lyndon

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ “A Powerful and Unforgettable Journey

Built by Fire is more than a memoir—it's a raw, honest, and deeply moving account of a life shaped by service, struggle, and unshakable purpose. David takes you into the heart of combat zones, rescue missions, and humanitarian crises with a level of vulnerability and grit that's rare and refreshing.

What sets this book apart is how it weaves together intense, real-world experiences with moments of spiritual clarity and personal redemption. It's not just about what happened—it's about why it matters.

This book will speak to anyone who has worn a uniform, faced trauma, or simply asked the deeper questions about purpose and pain. It's a tribute to resilience, brotherhood, and faith in the face of the impossible. Highly recommended.” - Clark

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ “As someone who’s worked in recovery operations, this book hit me hard. David doesn't sugarcoat the realities of the job—the loss, the trauma, the weight you carry home—but he also shows the strength and light that can come from walking through fire. It's raw, real, and redemptive.” - Carlos

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ “I picked this book up expecting stories of military bravado. What I found instead was a deeply human account of service, grief, faith, and quiet courage. David writes with clarity and purpose, but it’s his humility and honesty that moved me the most. This book changed how I think about sacrifice and calling.” - Megan

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑“Built by Fire is a rare kind of memoir—one that tells the truth without ego and honors the burden of service without complaint. David Burnell’s journey through combat zones, disaster sites, and spiritual crucibles reminds us that warriors aren’t just forged in fire… they’re refined by it. A must-read for anyone who has served—or loved someone who has.” - Conrad

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ “Even though I have not ever been called to the same acts of service and sacrifice, I have related to these challenges that David has gone through and I have shed tears and have felt hope in the out come of these challenges. This book is an intimate and very honest expression. Once I started listening to, I couldn’t stop. It’s clear message of hope and hope in Christ is heart wrenching and wonderful. The insight to the sacrifices our Service men and women make was eye opening for me. Thanks to all how serve others in rescue, protection and armed service. This book can help us heal and find hope.” -Lindy

On March 4, 2002, on a snow-covered summit in Afghanistan, a helicopter insertion turned into a fight for survival. A teammate fell into enemy-held terrain.

The team moved toward him under fire. And in the chaos that followed, Technical Sergeant John A. Chapman—an Air Force Combat Controller attached to a Navy SEAL element—was wounded, separated, and later fought on after others believed he was dead.

This is Echo Valor: service without spectacle—where the decision to stay becomes the difference between who returns and who doesn’t.

Echo Valor exists to tell stories forged in courage, duty, and sacrifice.

👉 Follow and subscribe for more true stories of valor👉 Visit echovalor.com to learn more about the Echo Valor mission

In this gripping episode of the Echo Valor Podcast, David Burnell shares a raw, personal chapter from his youth, featured in his book, Built by Fire. Set in Lawndale, California, “The Boy Named Red” recounts the haunting experience of growing up as the son of an LAPD officer in a neighborhood where that badge made you a target.

Every morning, David walked past a house where a red-haired gang member—ironically named Red—would threaten to kill his father. Red wasn’t just a bully. He was a storm brewing. A ghost-in-the-making. Years later, that threat became real when Red engaged in a fatal shootout with a Torrance police officer just blocks from David’s home.

This is more than a story about fear—it’s about vigilance, violence, and the vow of a young boy who learned that the good guys can never truly clock out. Through fire drills, fists, flags, and fear, David forged a mindset that would shape a lifetime of service and readiness.

“The bad kids were always ready… so I made myself ready too.”

This episode blends vivid storytelling, emotional reflection, and a lesson that resonates beyond the streets of Lawndale—into the heart of anyone who has ever stood for something in a world that pushes back.

Based on a true story from the book Built by Fire by David Burnell.

Find this and other episodes from the Echo Valor Podcast by searching “Echo Valor Podcast” on your favorite podcast platform. You can also discover original music by searching “Echo Valor Music” on your favorite streaming platform, and explore books and written works by searching “David Burnell” on Amazon to visit his author page.

This gripping episode tells the true story of a defining moment in David Burnell’s childhood—a moment when fear had a face, a name, and a daily routine. As a young boy, David was relentlessly bullied, cornered, and humiliated. Day after day, he endured it… until one conversation with his father changed everything.

The Bully and the Boy is more than a tale of playground justice. It’s a raw and honest reflection on what it means to confront fear—not without it but despite it. With cinematic pacing and vivid emotional detail, the ballad captures the tension of a school bathroom turned battlefield, the crack of a first punch, and the moment a young boy reclaims his power.

This story is pulled directly from a chapter in David Burnell’s memoir Built by Fire, where he shares life-altering lessons forged through service, struggle, and faith. Now adapted as a spoken ballad for the Echo Valor podcast series, this piece resonates with anyone who’s ever felt small, cornered, or powerless—and reminds us all that courage is not born… it is chosen.

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Sometimes the mission isn’t why you think you’re there.

In this deeply reflective episode of the Echo Valor Podcast, David Burnell recounts his solo journey to Japan following the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami. He went expecting to recover the dead—operating independently in frozen ruins, radiation zones near Fukushima, and alongside Mexico’s legendary Los Topos recovery team. The work was hard, dangerous, and unrelenting.

But the mission didn’t end in the rubble.

While waiting in Sendai, David encountered two young American volunteers—both far from home, both carrying unseen burdens. What followed were quiet conversations, spoken without ceremony or agenda—what David calls the velvet hammer: truth delivered with compassion. One young man was searching for escape. The other was fleeing heartbreak. Both needed direction more than distance.

Days later, they returned home.

Months later, David learned that one of those conversations helped set a young man on a path that led him to join the elite U.S. Air Force Pararescue—men whose lives are defined by rescuing others at the cost of their own comfort and safety.

This episode is not just about disaster response. It’s about divine intersections, unseen assignments, and the reality that sometimes the most important rescues are not of the dead—but of the living souls we are sent to meet.

Because not every mission pulls someone from the water.Some help them find their way home.

— David Burnell

Find this and other episodes from the Echo Valor Podcast by searching “Echo Valor Podcast” on your favorite podcast platform. You can also discover original music by searching “Echo Valor Music” on your favorite streaming platform, and explore books and written works by searching “David Burnell” on Amazon to visit his author page.

It takes a wolf to hunt a wolf.

In this powerful episode of the Echo Valor Podcast, host David Burnell sits down with David Fabricius—former South African Special Forces instructor, high-performance coach, and proud American citizen—to explore the deeper meaning behind Lt. Col. Dave Grossman’s “Sheep, Sheepdog, and Wolf” analogy. Fabricius challenges the standard narrative, introducing the idea of the benevolent wolf. This protector understands predators because he is one, yet chooses discipline, honor, and the defense of the innocent.

Drawing on his upbringing in the wilds of Africa, elite military service, and a lifetime of working with warriors and leaders, Fabricius explains why freedom must be fiercely guarded, how political and social instability erode it, and why only those willing to face real danger can stop real threats. This conversation dives into mindset, responsibility, and the call to train, prepare, and live as guardians in uncertain times.

Find this and other episodes from the Echo Valor Podcast by searching “Echo Valor Podcast” on your favorite podcast platform. You can also discover original music by searching “Echo Valor Music” on your favorite streaming platform, and explore books and written works by searching “David Burnell” on Amazon to visit his author page.

Most violence does not begin with an attack.It begins with a shift.

A moment when something feels off.A subtle change in behavior.A quiet internal warning that’s easy to dismiss.

This audiobook exists for that moment.

In Before It Happens, David Burnell draws on decades of experience in high-risk environments, disaster response, and real-world protective work to teach one essential skill: how to recognize danger early—while you still have choices.

This is not an audiobook about fighting.It is not about weapons, aggression, or dominance.

It is about awareness, judgment, and decision-making before violence ever begins.

Through calm, clear narration, Burnell walks you through how threats actually develop in everyday life—how people test boundaries, how environments quietly signal risk, and why good people freeze when they haven’t prepared mentally. You’ll learn how to read behavior instead of appearances, how to protect personal space, why secondary locations are so dangerous, and how to think clearly when pressure rises.

The audiobook introduces practical mental frameworks—used by professionals but accessible to anyone—that help you stay present, notice the shift, and make the next right move without panic or fear.

Most importantly, Before It Happens helps you trust your instincts again.

Not to make you anxious.Not to make you suspicious.But to help you move through the world calm, aware, and prepared.

This audiobook is for parents, professionals, travelers, students, and anyone who understands that the best defense is recognizing danger early enough to avoid it.

Because once an attack begins, options disappear.

But before it happens, you still have control.

Find this and other episodes from the Echo Valor Podcast by searching “Echo Valor Podcast” on your favorite podcast platform. You can also discover original music by searching “Echo Valor Music” on your favorite streaming platform, and explore books and written works by searching “David Burnell” on Amazon to visit his author page.

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This episode features a standalone chapter from the book Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell.

In Chapter 7 – Reading the Room & the Streets, David Burnell takes you deep into one of the most vital survival skills: understanding what your environment is trying to tell you. Whether you’re walking into a gas station, a restaurant, or across a quiet parking lot, the room—and the street—are speaking.

Drawing from decades of experience in protective operations, disaster zones, and training simulations, David teaches how to identify subtle environmental cues and behavioral red flags before danger happens. You’ll learn how to:

• Read body language, hands, and posture
• Identify abnormal patterns and environmental red flags
• Scan for exits, barriers, and transitional zones
• Trust your subconscious, "cold prickly," and use it as data

This isn’t about paranoia. It’s about pattern recognition.
 This isn’t about being a warrior. It’s about being aware.

Train your eyes, trust your gut, and tune into the signals—because the room always tells a story.

This is a single chapter from the full-length audiobook Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts, available on Audible, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon.

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