This week’s Urban Valor episode features Marine veteran Gino Garcia. Gino was born and raised in Pomona, CA. 

At the age of 14, he joined the Devil Pups program, which inspired him to want to become a United States Marine. Gino initially wanted to enlist in the infantry; however, some of his veteran family members convinced him to choose an occupation that would make for a smoother transition back into the civilian world, so he picked supply. 

He conducted three deployments during his enlistment. After transitioning out of the Marine Corps, Gino founded Vibe Fitness Training Center in Rialto, CA. 

Gino is an excellent example of a veteran who used his military experience to build a successful business, and much of what he learned in the Marines is present in his business.


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This week’s Urban Valor episode features Marine veteran, Ryan Coughlin. Ryan grew up in North Brookfield Massachusetts. He was inspired to join the Marines by his Marine veteran grandfather who fought in Iwo Jima during WWII. Ryan served two combat deployments to Afghanistan. He talks about how his deployments made him appreciate his life in America. 

Towards the end of his enlistment, Ryan succeeded in qualifying for a lateral move to Explosives Ordinance Disposal but was denied reenlistment because of the tattoos he had acquired during his initial enlistment. They made him sign a document stating he failed to withhold the standards of the Marine Corps, and attempted to prevent him from being able to enlist in any other branch of service. 

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This week’s Urban Valor episode features Marine veteran Nivardo Gonzalez. 

Nivardo grew up in Long Beach, CA. He wasn’t interested in college, so he enlisted in the Marine Corp as an Infantry Rifleman. Nivardo conducted two combat deployments during his enlistment. 

During one of those deployments, he and his unit were met with intense combat after occupying a Taliban stronghold known as the “Green House.” 

Nivardo leaves us with how his experience in the military changed his life and what he’s doing to keep a healthy mental state of mind. 

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This week’s Urban Valor episode features Army Ranger veteran Brad Jacobson. Brad grew up in Washington State as a Mormon. Once he stopped attending church, his mom kicked him out of the house. While homeless, Brad enlisted in the Army to change his situation and became an Army Ranger. He would conduct multiple combat deployments. One of which involved the death and cover-up of former NFL player and Army Ranger, Pat Tillman. Brad takes us inside what occurred on that tragic day and leaves us with how it affected his mental health upon transitioning back into civilian life.   
 
Pat Tillman was a former NFL player who gave up his career to enlist in the U.S. Army after the September 11 attacks. He was killed by friendly fire on April 22, 2004, while serving in Afghanistan.

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This week’s Urban Valor episode features Marine veteran, Roland Vandenberg. Roland was born in Inglewood, CA and grew up in the desert of Lake Los Angeles. He came up in the party crew scene of the 90’s and was kicked out of multiple high schools. Roland made his way into the Marine  Corps and ended up on the frontlines during the Invasion of Iraq in March 2003. He would go on to conduct multiple deployments and had to medically retire due to an injury he sustained while in service. Roland is now the Co-Founder of Romeo Echo USA. 

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This week’s Urban Valor episode features Navy and Air Force veteran Gary Mathieson. Gary was born on Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, where his father was flying B-52s as a Bombardier Navigator. Growing up around pilots his entire life inspired him to enlist in the military, and when the Gulf War began, Gary felt the need to serve. Gary’s job required him to be prepared to survive being captured, which entailed him partaking in strenuous training and overcoming his fear of claustrophobia and heights. Navigating the military lifestyle placed hardships on Gary and his family. On top of that, the superintendent for a school district he was teaching at did not support his military service, which created financial stress on his family.

Thank you so much for your service Gary! We appreciate you!

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This week’s Urban Valor episode features Army veteran Travis Story. Travis grew up in Villa Park, CA. He was the youngest of five boys. His father’s rule for the boys was they had to leave the house at the age of 18, which was part of Travis’ inspiration for joining the Army. He enlisted as a Black Hawk Helicopter Mechanic and got married while on active duty. As Travis’ marriage fell apart, so did his mental health. He attempted to get help while on active duty to no avail. His actions, due to his frustration for the lack of help, got him demoted from E-5 to E-3. Upon transitioning, Travis’ mental health continued to spiral. He got arrested at the VA while trying to get help and found himself facing a 15-year prison sentence.

Military mental health and veteran mental health continue to be a consistent and repetitive story on Urban Valor, whether it's combat veterans with PTSD or other forms of mental illness. 

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This week’s Urban Valor episode features Army veteran Luke Simianer. Luke was born in Nebraska, then moved to Virginia, and grew up in Section 8 housing. 

The 9/11 attacks inspired him to enlist in the Army. Luke was only 17 when he went through Army Airborne school. He did a combat deployment to Afghanistan, where he had quite the experience with snipers, hard drives, and donkeys, to say the least. 

Luke was reprimanded by his command after making an anonymous video about being hazed. After working several blue-collar jobs upon transitioning, Luke founded “Clusiv,” the world’s first e-learning platform for the blind.

This week’s Urban Valor episode features Marine veteran Keene Sherburne. Keene grew up in California’s high desert. His Vietnam veteran father was a “prepper”, which led to law enforcement conducting 19 searches on their home. After Keene’s parents went to jail, he was forced to fend for himself at the age of 15. He enlisted in the Marine Corps and became an infantry machine gunner. While in Iraq, Keene was blown up twice and received two purple hearts. Due to his severe brain trauma, he was forced to medically retire. As Keene was being processed, he was punished for a ridiculous incident, considering everything he had just been through. He now finds peace as a yoga instructor but says every day is still a struggle. 


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This week’s Urban Valor episode features Marine veteran Joel Ramirez. He grew up in Salem, Oregon, and found himself getting into many fights. Joel enlisted into the National Guard; however, his older brother was enlisted in the Marines and forced Joel to retract his enlistment so he could also go to the Marines. He enlisted into the Marine Corps as an 0311 Rifleman. Joel had a rough time as a new Marine and endured a lot of hazing. He had the opportunity to experience many different cultures overseas. Upon transitioning out, Joel found himself depressed and attempted suicide by cop. Eventually, he pulled himself out of the darkness and began attending paralegal school to be able to help veterans through what he’s experienced.