Urban Valor: the podcast

Ronald Long is a United States Marine Corps veteran who served from 2009–2013, leaving the Marines as an E-4 Corporal. In this episode of Urban Valor, Ronald shares his incredible story of joining the U.S. Marines, experiencing combat, surviving an IED explosion, losing a fellow service member beside him, and confronting experiences that would follow him long after the battlefield.

But Ronald’s story started LONG before the Marine Corps...

He grew up in Northern California in a Puerto Rican family that endured financial hardship, his sister’s battle with cancer, his mother’s addiction, abuse inside the home, and eventually the breakup of his family.

As a kid, Ronald learned pretty damn quickly how to survive.

By his teenage years, that meant helping raise his sisters, trying to help keep his family financially afloat, getting involved in selling marijuana, witnessing violence around his friends, and reaching adulthood without much of a plan for what came next.

Then life changed FAST.

Ronald began a relationship, discovered he was about to become a father, and suddenly needed a way to provide for a family.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere...

A Marine Corps recruiter called.

Ronald signed the paperwork, went to boot camp, and began a path that would eventually put him into situations very few people can truly understand.

And somehow, even surrounded by some incredibly dark moments, Ronald’s Marine Corps stories can also be absolutely hilarious.

From doing boot camp practically BLIND because nobody gave him his glasses...

...to Marines breaking into the WRONG barracks...

...to a drill instructor apparently studying World of Warcraft just so he could figure out new ways to destroy the recruits playing it. 

But combat was different.

Ronald describes transporting bodies, seeing horrific injuries become almost routine, and the moment a pressure plate detonated feet away from him.

For a moment, his mind transported him somewhere completely different.

Then Abdul came crashing back into his reality.

And Ronald realized his friend was dead.

Thank you to Ronald Long for trusting us with his story.

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Chapters: 
00:00 Preview
01:04 Meet Marine Veteran Ronald Long
02:17 His Sister’s Battle With Cancer
04:19 Addiction and Abuse at Home
10:15 His Family Nearly Loses Everything
12:30 Gang Violence and Losing a Friend
17:55 Life Before the Marine Corps
23:16 Finding Out He Was Going to Be a Father
23:55 The Marine Corps Recruiter Calls
25:50 Leaving for Boot Camp
26:50 Going Through Boot Camp Nearly Blind
28:26 Breaking Into the Wrong Barracks
32:34 World of Warcraft Meets Marine Boot Camp
37:02 Becoming a Squad Leader
39:18 MCT and Becoming a Radio Operator
44:42 Arriving in the Fleet
45:58 A Wild Night With His Corporals
50:53 Becoming a Field Radio Operator
52:10 Preparing for Afghanistan
59:19 Taking Over Communications in Afghanistan
1:00:07 Becoming Addicted to Combat Patrols
1:01:42 The Push Along Route 611
1:03:39 Abdul Steps on an IED
1:04:29 Realizing Abdul Is Dead
1:05:16 Surviving the Blast
1:06:52 Faith, Anger, and Wanting to Die
1:15:20 Returning to Afghanistan
1:15:39 Becoming Desensitized to Death
1:17:00 The True Cost of the Deployment
1:26:14 Surviving Another Major Battle
1:27:22 Coming Home From a Brutal Deployment
1:29:43 Trying to Become a Husband and Father
1:41:19 Getting Married Days After Coming Home
1:42:34 Discovering His Wife Was Unfaithful
1:45:24 Preparing for Another Deployment
1:52:40 Waking Up Injured in Thailand
1:54:19 His Unit Leaves Without Him
1:56:10 Stranded and Trying to Rejoin His Unit
2:00:04 Traveling Through the Middle East
2:06:53 Finally Rejoining His Marines
2:11:02 Deciding to Leave the Marine Corps
2:12:23 Transitioning to Civilian Life
2:13:53 Moving Millions on the Las Vegas Strip
2:24:14 A Fight Changes His Career
2:26:22 Becoming a Counterterrorism Instructor
2:27:04 Finding Purpose Again
2:31:06 Struggling With Suicidal Thoughts
2:31:55 Losing His Purpose Again
2:34:00 Sitting in a Parking Lot With a Gun
2:34:19 The Phone Call That Kept Him Alive
2:35:25 Losing Fellow Marines to Suicide
2:37:16 Finding a New Mission After the Military
2:37:56 Turning Veteran Trauma Into Comedy
2:42:15 Helping Veterans Find Purpose
2:43:02 Stories Over Stigma
2:43:39 Ronald’s Message to Other Veterans
2:44:33 Closing

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DISCLAIMER: The views and experiences shared in this interview are those of the individual and are recounted from personal memory.

#UrbanValor #usarmy #podcast

U.S. Army tanker Carlos Manjarrez served as an M1 Abrams armor crewman from 2012 to 2018. In this episode of the Urban Valor Podcast, Carlos shares the story of growing up in San Bernardino, joining the United States Army with a baby on the way, choosing a combat MOS, becoming an Army tanker, and experiencing the wild personalities, leadership, training, and brotherhood that came with life in an armor unit.

Carlos didn’t grow up with some perfectly mapped-out plan to become an M1 Abrams tanker.

After graduating high school in 2011, college wasn’t clicking. He had a child on the way, wasn’t sure what came next, and eventually walked into a military recruiting station looking for one thing:

A combat job.

He considered the Marines first, but the available jobs weren’t what he wanted. Then he walked into the Army recruiter’s office and was given several options—including cavalry scout, mortarman, and 19K M1 armor crewman.

Carlos picked tanks.

But this conversation goes WAY beyond the Army...

Chapters:
00:00 Wild Army Tanker Stories
01:17 Growing Up in San Bernardino
03:01 Growing Up Without His Father
07:26 Taking a DNA Test to Find the Truth
10:30 Growing Up Around Gangs & Street Culture
15:35 The Police Encounter That Became a Wake-Up Call
19:35 Why He Wanted to Join the Military
22:45 Walking Into an Army Recruiting Office
24:06 A Baby on the Way Changes Everything
26:25 Choosing 19K Army Tanker
26:56 Basic Training Begins
31:45 Getting Smoked by the Drill Sergeants
36:13 What Army Basic Training Was Really Like
39:44 Questioning Whether He Made the Right Decision
40:17 His Son Is Born During Training
40:40 Getting Orders to Fort Stewart
46:16 Life in His First Army Unit
47:52 National Training Center at Fort Irwin
48:35 How an M1 Abrams Tank Crew Works
49:25 Becoming an M1 Abrams Gunner
49:45 Earning the Legendary Tanker Boots
51:01 Preparing to Fire the M1 Abrams
59:02 Getting “Killed” During an NTC Mission
1:00:14 Seeing a Soldier’s PTSD Triggered in Training
1:02:15 Live Mortar Rounds Land Next to Their Tank
1:06:01 Preparing for an Afghanistan Deployment
1:06:29 Orders Suddenly Change to Germany
1:06:45 Training With U.S. Allies in Germany
1:08:17 The Sketchy M1 Abrams River Crossing
1:15:28 Pranks Played on New Army Tankers
1:16:42 Tank Crew Traditions & Gunnery Pranks
1:20:09 What Firing an M1 Abrams Feels Like
1:21:15 Why Every Tank Crew Member Matters
1:32:06 Leaving the Army & Trying to Become a Cop
1:34:31 Losing a Close Army Friend
1:35:45 Finding a New Career Through Helmets to Hardhats
1:37:28 Becoming a Groundman & Working Toward Lineman
1:54:12 His Advice to Young Soldiers
1:55:07 Final Thoughts

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✅ SUBSCRIBE to support Urban Valor and the courageous Veterans who tell their stories AND so you NEVER miss a weekly episode of our veteran stories. New stories every Sunday!

Your engagement greatly supports our mission to share authentic and impactful veteran stories.

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DISCLAIMER: The views and experiences shared in this interview are those of the individual and are recounted from personal memory.

#UrbanValor #usarmy #podcast

Marcos Estrada went from surviving Chicago gang violence to becoming a United States Marine Master Sergeant—and fighting in Operation Phantom Fury.

Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Marcos grew up surrounded by poverty, domestic violence, drugs, gangs, and crime. His father battled heroin addiction and spent much of Marcos’ childhood in prison. By 15, Marcos had already been shot at, stabbed, arrested for serious felonies, and pulled deeper into the gang lifestyle.

Then the Marine Corps gave him another path.

In today's Urban Valor interview, Marcos shares how he escaped Chicago gang life, joined the U.S. Marines, became an infantryman, and completed a 20-year military career that included multiple combat deployments.

But whew… getting there was anything but simple.

Marcos talks about watching his mother rebuild her life after suffering devastating injuries, the neighborhood Marine who unknowingly inspired his future, entering the Marine Corps with multiple waivers, and the drill instructors who saw potential in a broken kid before he could see it himself.

He also recounts intense combat during Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah—including RPG fire, ambushes, land mines, wounded Marines, and the moment he saw fellow Marine Stacey Green lying motionless after an explosion.

This isn’t just a Marine Corps combat story.

It’s a story about trauma.

Brotherhood.

Accountability.

And what can happen when someone is finally given structure, responsibility, and a reason to believe they can become more than their environment.

Marcos didn’t erase his past when he became a Marine…

He transformed it into grit, leadership, and purpose.

Watch the full interview to hear how a kid from Chicago’s South Side survived the streets, earned the title Marine, rose to Master Sergeant, and faced some of the most dangerous fighting of the Iraq War.

Subscribe to Urban Valor for more uncensored military stories, veteran interviews, Marine Corps combat experiences, and firsthand accounts from the men and women who served.

👍 Like this video to support and show appreciation.

🗣️ Comment your support or ask any questions. Sometimes, our interviewees respond, and we at Urban Valor will do our best to respond as well!

✅ SUBSCRIBE to support Urban Valor and the courageous Veterans who tell their stories AND so you NEVER miss a weekly episode of our veteran stories. New stories every Sunday!

Your engagement greatly supports our mission to share authentic and impactful veteran stories.

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CHAPTERS
00:00 Operation Phantom Fury Ambush
01:37 Growing Up on Chicago’s South Side
03:08 Surrounded by Gangs and Crime
04:34 His Father’s Addiction and Violence
06:02 Forced to Grow Up at Seven Years Old
07:38 The House That Became a Safe Haven
08:48 The Marine Who Changed His Life
09:59 Waterboarded by a Marine as a Kid
12:26 Reuniting With His Childhood Hero
15:35 His Mother’s Incredible Recovery
16:39 Becoming Involved in Gang Violence
17:27 Shot At in a Chicago Alley
18:15 Retaliating Against a Rival Gang
19:54 Trapped Behind Enemy Lines
21:41 Realizing He Had Been Stabbed
24:21 Treating the Wound Without a Hospital
25:40 Secretly Visiting a Marine Recruiter
27:40 Returning to Enlist at 17
29:12 Joining the Delayed Entry Program
30:01 Felony Arrests and Military Waivers
31:09 Preparing for Marine Corps Boot Camp
32:19 Leaving His Old Life Behind
33:21 Becoming a Standout Recruit
34:45 The Drill Instructor Who Believed in Him
36:27 How Marine Boot Camp Was Structured
37:29 The Infamous Sugar Sandwich
41:16 Marine Combat Training
42:06 Choosing the Infantry

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DISCLAIMER: The views and experiences shared in this interview are those of the individual and are recounted from personal memory.

#UrbanValor #Marines #OperationPhantomFury

Marine Corps veteran Keith Johnson served as an electronics surveillance operator during the Vietnam era, intercepting Russian military communications from a highly classified communications center in Morocco. Assigned to 2nd Radio Battalion, Keith monitored the Russian Black Sea Fleet while working inside a facility containing sensitive military intelligence, classified messages, and enormous quantities of explosives.

But Keith’s Marine Corps story didn’t begin at boot camp…

It began with a brutal childhood in Chicago.

At only six years old, Keith sat in a courtroom and testified against the stepfather who had violently beaten his mother. He grew up surrounded by alcoholism, abuse, street violence, broken trust, and moments that would remain burned into his memory for the rest of his life.

And somehow… he refused to let any of it destroy what was good in him.

In today's Urban Valor episode, Keith shares how he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, became a squad leader during boot camp, stood against violent “blanket parties,” and discovered that real leadership wasn’t always about using more force.

Sometimes, strength meant protecting the person everyone else wanted to punish.

Keith later became a Marine Corps electronics surveillance operator with a top-secret security clearance. While many of his friends received orders to Vietnam, Keith was sent to North Africa, where he helped process sensitive military communications and intercept activity from the Russian Black Sea Fleet during the Cold War.

His stories range from the deadly serious…

To a care package filled with popcorn and mold-covered pepperoni that somehow became a feast for an entire barracks.

Yeah… this interview takes a few turns.

Keith also opens up about heartbreak, anger, faith, suicidal thoughts, brotherhood, and the deeper reason he believes he was prevented from going to Vietnam.

Today, he continues serving others through prison ministry, Bible studies, veteran organizations, scholarships, military funerals, and support for people who feel like society has left them behind.

This isn’t simply a Marine Corps story.

It’s a story about surviving violence without becoming consumed by it…

Leading without abandoning people…

Finding purpose after pain…

And learning that sometimes the hardest person to save is yourself.

👍 Like this video to support and show appreciation.

🗣️ Comment your support or ask any questions. Sometimes, our interviewees respond, and we at Urban Valor will do our best to respond as well!

✅ SUBSCRIBE to support Urban Valor and the courageous Veterans who tell their stories AND so you NEVER miss a weekly episode of our veteran stories. New stories every Sunday!

Your engagement greatly supports our mission to share authentic and impactful veteran stories.

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CHAPTERS
00:00 Moldy Pepperoni in the Barracks
01:25 Meet Marine Veteran Keith Johnson
01:42 Growing Up in Chicago
05:17 His Mother’s Violent Marriage
06:06 Testifying in Court at Six Years Old
12:28 Growing Up Around the Police Station
17:00 Protecting His Family
25:21 His Grandmother’s Prediction
29:42 Enlisting in the Marine Corps
31:31 Arriving at Marine Corps Boot Camp
34:25 Becoming Fourth Squad Leader
40:34 Challenging a Golden Gloves Boxer
42:28 Stopping the Boot Camp Beatdowns
45:33 Motown in the Quonset Hut
48:29 Receiving a Dear John Letter
51:21 Why Everyone Wanted His Squad
57:14 Becoming a Signals Intelligence Marine
59:53 Trusting Marines Without Locks
1:00:58 Sent to North Africa Instead of Vietnam
1:01:22 Intercepting Russian Military Communications
1:12:13 The Pepperoni Care Package
1:17:26 Getting a Top-Secret Clearance
1:21:22 Leading Sergeants as a Corporal
1:23:27 The Mistake That Put Him on Guard Duty
1:34:39 Finding Faith and Healing
1:35:56 What He Misses About the Marine Corps
1:37:37 How Being a Veteran Opened Doors
1:44:47 Heartbreak, Anger and Losing Hope
1:46:31 The Bullet He Believes Was Meant for Him
1:47:07 Prison Ministry and Life After the Corps

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DISCLAIMER: The views and experiences shared in this interview are those of the individual and are recounted from personal memory.

Marine Corps machine gunner Matthew Dolan survived a massive IED blast in Fallujah, Iraq and that was only one of several moments that nearly killed him.

Today's Urban Valor podcast, Matthew shares what it was like serving as an 0331 Marine machine gunner with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. He discusses deploying to Fallujah, operating as part of a quick reaction force, being shot at by an enemy he could not see, surviving a double-stacked 155mm IED, and becoming trapped inside a military vehicle as it rolled into a river.

Yeah… this one gets WILD.

Matthew’s story isn’t only about explosions and close calls.

It’s about growing up with a younger sister battling cystic fibrosis…

Walking into a Marine Corps recruiting office after getting yelled at by his boss…

Training under veterans of Operation Phantom Fury…

And arriving in a completely blacked-out Fallujah as a 19-year-old kid from Kansas thinking, “What the hell did I get myself into?”

Matthew describes the strange reality of fighting insurgents who rarely presented a clear target. One moment, he was searching vehicles and tracking high-value individuals. The next, he was taking sniper fire, responding to indirect fire or driving roads known for improvised explosive devices.

Then came the blast.

Matthew’s vehicle was the fourth to cross an IED buried beneath the road. The first three vehicles passed over it without detonating the device.

His didn’t.

The explosion cracked the vehicle’s axle, tore away part of the Humvee and knocked Matthew unconscious. His fellow Marines pulled him from the vehicle, strapped him to a stretcher and rushed him to medical treatment.

What happened inside the medical bay somehow became one of the funniest...and most unfiltered...IED survival stories we’ve ever heard.

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🗣️ Comment your support or ask any questions. Sometimes, our interviewees respond, and we at Urban Valor will do our best to respond as well!

✅ SUBSCRIBE to support Urban Valor and the courageous Veterans who tell their stories AND so you NEVER miss a weekly episode of our veteran stories. New stories every Sunday!

Your engagement greatly supports our mission to share authentic and impactful veteran stories.

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CHAPTERS
00:00 Surviving an IED and a Sinking Vehicle
01:31 Meet Marine Machine Gunner Matt Dolan
02:02 Growing Up With a Sister Battling Cystic Fibrosis
08:43 The Family Legacy That Inspired Him to Serve
10:58 The Argument That Made Him Join the Marines
12:56 Telling His Family He Enlisted
15:02 Marine Corps Boot Camp
21:15 Becoming an 0331 Machine Gunner
23:51 Joining 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines
26:27 Arriving in Fallujah
28:49 Al-Qaeda Makes an Example of an Informant
30:13 The First Time He Was Shot At
32:03 Running Quick Reaction Force in Fallujah
36:15 Recovering a Fallen Marine’s Sniper Rifle
41:38 Fighting an Enemy He Couldn’t See
43:39 His Humvee Detonates a Massive IED
46:59 Rushed to the Medical Bay
51:22 Returning to Fallujah
56:02 A Four-Year-Old Girl Is Killed
1:00:00 The Reality of His Second Iraq Deployment
1:06:03 Marines Go Rooftop to Rooftop With Eggs
1:08:13 Surrounded by Iraqi Police
1:10:26 Sneaking Through an Iraqi Family’s House
1:28:51 A Marine’s Rifle Goes Missing
1:31:00 Japan, Korea and Australia
1:36:04 Losing the Combat Mindset
1:40:00 Preparing for Afghanistan
1:50:45 Remembering the Marines He Lost
1:55:08 Learning Matt Abate Was Killed
1:58:23 A Gunny Gives Him a Reality Check
2:11:26 Surviving the Vehicle Rollover
2:13:18 Watching a Massive Firefight
2:17:46 Pills, Alcohol and Returning to Afghanistan
2:18:09 His Fifth Combat Deployment
2:20:34 Completely Lost in His Own Head
2:21:31 A DUI and the Collapse of His Career
2:23:08 One Final Barracks Disaster

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DISCLAIMER: The views and experiences shared in this interview are those of the individual and are recounted from personal memory.

Lito Villanueva went from a junior Air Force cyber specialist to a military contractor in Afghanistan, a special operations communications expert, and eventually a volunteer supporting teams near the front lines of the war in Ukraine.

In this episode, of Urban Valor, Lito shares the uncensored story of leaving the U.S. Air Force after two years, landing a $164,500 Afghanistan contractor job at 21, surviving daily mortar attacks at FOB Shank—better known as “Rocket City”—and entering the hidden world of special operations, C4ISR, military communications, drones, intelligence, surveillance, and kinetic strike operations.

He also opens up about the psychological cost of war, witnessing lethal operations, returning home disconnected from civilian life, battling depression, and finding a new sense of purpose through veteran suicide prevention and humanitarian work.

Years later, after Russia invaded Ukraine, Lito entered the country alone with humanitarian aid and eventually joined a team that needed his expertise in tactical communications, blue-force tracking, intelligence organization, and battlefield command-and-control systems.

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🗣️ Comment your support or ask any questions. Sometimes, our interviewees respond, and we at Urban Valor will do our best to respond as well!

✅ SUBSCRIBE to support Urban Valor and the courageous Veterans who tell their stories AND so you NEVER miss a weekly episode of our veteran stories. New stories every Sunday!

Your engagement greatly supports our mission to share authentic and impactful veteran stories.

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CHAPTERS
00:00 The Reality of War Behind the Curtain
01:22 Meet Lito Villanueva
02:05 Growing Up in a Filipino Navy Family
09:33 Why Lito Joined the Air Force
15:52 Why Basic Training Felt Easy
22:50 His First Air Force Assignment
25:30 The Leader He Refused to Follow
30:34 Leave the Air Force or Stay?
32:23 Life After the Military
34:34 Finding an Afghanistan Contractor Job
36:57 A $164,500 Job Offer at 21
42:28 Realizing He Was Going to a War Zone
01:07:56 Why He Returned to Afghanistan
01:09:46 Assigned to “Rocket City”
01:17:15 The Network Problem That Changed Everything
01:23:28 How He Entered Special Operations
01:29:02 Behind the Curtain of U.S. Military Power
01:44:59 The Conversation That Helped Him Heal
01:45:30 Building Battle Buddy for Veterans
01:50:42 Russia Invades Ukraine
01:52:51 Crossing Into Ukraine Alone
01:56:55 His First Mission to Kharkiv
01:58:39 Delivering Aid Near the Front Line
02:02:33 Joining a Ukrainian Support Team
02:08:54 Inside the Kharkiv Counteroffensive

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DISCLAIMER: The views and experiences shared in this interview are those of the individual and are recounted from personal memory.

Before Dustin Chappel ever stepped onto the battlefield, he had already spent his childhood fighting to survive.

Separated from his mother at just two years old, Dustin endured years of abuse, instability, homelessness, and constant moves before eventually dropping out of school and earning his GED. After witnessing the attacks of September 11th, he felt called to serve and joined the U.S. Army as a 12B Combat Engineer.

During two deployments to Iraq, Dustin conducted route-clearance missions, hunted insurgents, executed raids alongside infantry units, and survived some of the most dangerous streets in Baghdad. He describes a deployment where every patrol felt like "Russian roulette," facing complex ambushes, sniper fire, RPGs, and one of the most disturbing traps of the entire war... a body rigged to explode.

But this story doesn't end on the battlefield. Dustin opens up about the sniper round that was meant for him, dragging his wounded squad leader out of the line of fire, and the long road home — his fight with PTSD, checking himself into treatment, rebuilding his life, and the work he does today mentoring fellow veterans.

👍 Like this video to support and show appreciation.

🗣️ Comment your support or ask any questions. Sometimes, our interviewees respond, and we at Urban Valor will do our best to respond as well!

✅ SUBSCRIBE to support Urban Valor and the courageous Veterans who tell their stories AND so you NEVER miss a weekly episode of our veteran stories. New stories every Sunday!

Your engagement greatly supports our mission to share authentic and impactful veteran stories.

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CHAPTERS
0:00 The Baghdad alleyway ambush (cold open)
1:15 Meet Dustin Chappel — Staff Sergeant, US Army
1:30 A chaotic childhood: Alabama, California & family separation
4:47 Reunited with his mother, sent to Texas
9:24 Dropping out, Job Corps & earning his GED
11:28 Joining the National Guard
16:50 Why he enlisted: where he was on 9/11
18:42 First tour, Iraq 2003 — weapons caches & munitions
21:12 The gate lesson from the future Sergeant Major of the Army
23:33 Second tour 2006: "Russian roulette every single day"
26:11 The brutal IED training range in Kuwait
28:45 The combat plane dive into Baghdad
30:40 16 days in — the shot that was meant for him
32:30 Complex ambush & the M203 through the window
36:03 The alleyway rescue — shells down his squad leader's back
41:04 Sergeant Clary gets shot
44:53 Picking up bodies & the body-borne IED
47:42 The promotion board — making Staff Sergeant
51:16 The pillowcase hostage rescue
54:56 The taxi driver shot in the head
58:27 The 7-foot plywood rifle punishment
1:02:47 His brother in Iraq — the Apache pilot
1:05:58 Coming home & the hardest transition
1:06:46 College, and the flag speech that changed everything
1:09:36 Recognizing the PTSD symptoms
1:12:49 Checking himself into treatment
1:15:57 Meeting his wife & starting to heal
1:18:32 Helping veterans today at Grand Canyon University
1:20:18 Becoming a grandfather & his message to live for today
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#VeteranStories #IraqWar #ArmyVeteran #CombatEngineer 

DISCLAIMER: The views and experiences shared in this interview are those of the individual and are recounted from personal memory.

Army Veteran Manny Pasillas Lucio shares the combat story that changed his life forever.

Born in Mexico and raised in California, Manny grew up navigating family tension, poverty, and the streets of Compton before deciding to join the Army after 9/11. After basic training at Fort Benning, he was sent to Fort Lewis, Washington, where he became part of a Stryker infantry unit and later joined a scout sniper platoon.

In this episode of Urban Valor, Manny opens up about his deployment to Iraq, including missions in Mosul, Baghdad, Taji, and Baqubah. He describes small team missions, hunting high-value targets, taking fire, encountering IEDs, working alongside other units, and the daily fear that came with operating outside the wire.

Manny also shares the devastating moment his Stryker was hit by an IED while returning to base. He woke up choking on smoke, heard screams around him, and later discovered his teammate Billy Ferris didn't survive the blast. That moment stayed with him long after Iraq.

After coming home, Manny struggled with PTSD, anger, depression, suicidal thoughts, family separation, and the painful reality of trying to become a father while still carrying the war inside him. He talks about pulling a gun on his mother after being startled awake, snapping at family members, feeling lost after the military, and eventually using education, therapy, fatherhood, and veteran advocacy to rebuild his life.

Chapters
00:00 Waking Up After the IED Blast
01:25 Manny’s Childhood in Mexico
02:48 Coming to the United States
03:49 Growing Up in Compton
08:08 Learning Independence as a Kid
10:05 Wanting to Become a Soldier
10:50 How 9/11 Changed Everything
11:37 Trying to Join the Military
14:04 Watching the Iraq Invasion Begin
15:31 Leaving for Basic Training
16:23 Arriving at Fort Benning
18:44 Building Confidence in Basic Training
22:11 Getting Sent to a Stryker Unit
23:24 Joining 5-20 Infantry
26:23 Becoming an RTO
27:57 Learning From Hard NCOs
32:19 Being Offered West Point
32:58 Moving to Scout Sniper Platoon
36:24 Deploying to Iraq
37:22 Landing in Kuwait
38:39 Arriving in Mosul
40:17 Small Kill Team Missions
41:11 First IED Strike in Iraq
41:51 Hunting a High-Value Target
43:30 Walking Outside the Wire
44:51 Capturing the Target
46:25 Moving From Mosul to Baghdad
47:11 Searching for a Downed Pilot
47:52 Taking Another IED Hit
49:26 Billy Borrows Manny’s Blanket
51:09 Spotting an IED on the Road
53:28 The Stryker Gets Hit
54:16 Escaping the Crushed Vehicle
56:08 Searching for Billy
57:30 Evacuating the Wounded
58:47 Sergeant Pucket’s Words After the Blast
59:18 Returning to Base in Shock
1:01:15 The Loss of Billy Ferris
1:05:04 Billy’s Memorial
1:06:14 Back to Combat Operations
1:07:04 Working With CIA and Special Forces
1:08:29 Testifying in the Green Zone
1:11:05 Inside Saddam’s Palace
1:12:00 Arriving in Baqubah
1:13:19 Taking Fire From All Sides
1:14:47 Clearing the City
1:15:13 The Scariest Missions of His Life
1:17:20 Finding Iraqi Police With Mortars
1:19:14 Ambush and Firefight
1:20:38 Becoming Numb to Loss
1:22:10 Fighting Al Qaeda in Baqubah
1:23:34 Coming Home From Iraq
1:25:22 Almost Going to Ranger Battalion
1:26:02 Leaving the Army
1:27:10 PTSD Hits at Home
1:28:26 Snapping Around Family
1:30:07 His Family Didn’t Know What Was Happening
1:34:12 Struggling in the Reserves
1:36:19 Drinking, Trouble, and Feeling Invincible
1:37:29 A Bad Experience at the VA
1:40:42 His Daughter Saved His Life
1:42:49 Using the GI Bill
1:43:14 Studying Psychology to Understand PTSD
1:44:53 “I Am Not My Mistakes”
1:45:39 Breaking Cultural Cycles
1:46:35 Becoming a Better Father
1:47:20 Helping Veterans Today
1:49:10 Reconnecting With Family
1:51:20 Why Manny Puts Himself First Now
1:52:02 Talking Honestly With His Daughter
1:53:24 Advocating for Veterans and Families
1:54:34 Manny’s Message to Struggling Veterans

Marine Corps veteran Alex D’Hue served from 2002 to 2008 and was assigned to Third ANGLICO, where he worked in small fire control teams providing air support while attached to other units. In this episode of Urban Valor, Alex shares the story of his difficult childhood, growing up between America and Belgium, surviving an abusive household, and eventually joining the Marine Corps after 9/11.

Alex opens up to Urban Valor about the chaos of Marine Corps boot camp, the moments that nearly broke him, and how getting assigned to Third ANGLICO changed the direction of his military career. He later deployed to Iraq, where his team supported missions outside the wire, worked alongside Iraqi forces and U.S. units, and experienced the reality of combat in a way he never forgot.

One of the most intense moments of Alex’s deployment happened during a mission when his best friend Jackson took a sniper round to the helmet. Alex describes hearing “sniper fire,” seeing Jackson on the ground, dragging him back under cover, checking for blood, and realizing the helmet had stopped the round from going through. He also reflects on how the team’s movement afterward may have saved his own life.

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Chapters: 
00:00 Marine sees his best friend hit by sniper fire
01:13 Alex D’Hue’s Marine Corps background
01:32 Growing up in a broken home
04:58 Being sent to Belgium as a child
06:09 His grandfather’s World War II legacy
08:42 Child services visits the home
11:18 Growing up American in Belgium
13:37 Losing his grandmother to cancer
17:17 Returning to America at 13
19:41 His father’s murder trial
25:38 Reuniting with family in California
27:29 Abuse inside the household
30:16 Running away from home
31:07 Getting in trouble before joining the Marines
31:27 How 9/11 pushed him toward service
34:52 Arriving at Marine Corps boot camp
36:19 Chaos inside boot camp
38:42 Getting targeted by drill instructors
43:16 The brass casing incident
45:11 Fights and hazing in boot camp
49:08 The drill instructor who crossed the line
50:21 Joining Third ANGLICO
51:22 What ANGLICO Marines actually do
52:43 Getting NJP’d before his combat unit
59:02 Arriving at a combat unit
1:00:26 How ANGLICO deployments worked
1:09:35 Deploying to Iraq
1:10:22 First moments at Camp Ramadi
1:11:19 Working with Iraqi forces
1:15:10 The mission that turned deadly
1:15:58 “Sniper fire”
1:16:20 Jackson goes down
1:16:40 Dragging his best friend to cover
1:17:16 Checking the helmet and head wound
1:18:09 How the helmet saved Jackson
1:18:53 Trying to locate the sniper
1:20:21 Running in the sniper’s line of fire
1:23:27 Why Alex wanted Jackson medevaced
1:23:58 The zigzag that may have saved his life
1:24:57 Nearly falling while crossing open ground
1:26:10 What war does to brotherhood
1:27:24 Almost fighting an Army leader over a helmet strap
1:30:00 Reflections on deployment and Marine Corps culture

#military #warstories #urbanvalor #marines

Former Marine Force Recon veteran Kirk Spradely, call sign “Tadpole,” shares his powerful life story...from surviving a brutal childhood and orphanage violence, to becoming a Marine Force Recon operator, working for Blackwater in Iraq, serving in OGA special programs, flying Blackhawk and Apache helicopters, and later supporting the Kurdish military.

In this episode of Urban Valor, Kirk opens up about the day his teammate Tommy Jenner was killed by an enemy sniper in Ramadi. Kirk says the sniper was likely Juba, one of the most feared enemy snipers in Iraq. He describes watching Tommy fall beside him, hearing his teammate yell “sniper, get down,” and realizing a follow-up round had just cracked over his head.

Kirk also talks about Marine Force Recon training, combat diving, counter-narcotics operations, Blackwater convoy work, OGA special programs, the moment he met a Taliban-contracted assassin, flying medevac missions for wounded troops, and attempting to help build a Kurdish Air Force before the referendum fallout. 

👍 Like this video to support and show appreciation.

🗣️ Comment your support or ask any questions. Sometimes, our interviewees respond, and we at Urban Valor will do our best to respond as well!

✅ SUBSCRIBE to support Urban Valor and the courageous Veterans who tell their stories AND so you NEVER miss a weekly episode of our veteran stories. New stories every Sunday!

Your engagement greatly supports our mission to share authentic and impactful veteran stories.

Chapters: 


#military #warstories #urbanvalor #marines