This Immigrant Soldier Fought Al Qaeda in One of Iraq's Most Vicious Battles!

This Immigrant Soldier Fought Al Qaeda in One of Iraq's Most Vicious Battles!

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

I Became a Marine After My Marine Father Killed a Gangster to Save His Kids

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. 👍 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:  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

Special Operations Marine Tells Stories from Force Recon, Blackwater, and CIA!

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

This Soldier Tells the Most Insane Army Stories You’ll Ever Hear!

Army infantry veteran Tyler Hoover shares the truth about serving in the U.S. Army, going through airborne school, deploying to Iraq, surviving the constant threat of EFPs and IEDs, and trying to come home after war. Tyler opens up to Urban Valor about Army basic training, the culture shock of infantry life, Fort Bragg, the 82nd Airborne, Baghdad in 2008, convoy missions, lead truck gunner danger, post-deployment drinking, losing friends, and the reality of veteran reintegration after combat. Tyler talks about joining the Army after seeing the war on TV, signing an infantry contract, losing his Ranger contract, becoming airborne, getting sent to Iraq, and realizing that some days survival came down to nothing more than a left turn or a right turn. But the most powerful part of this story may not be Iraq itself. It’s what happened after. The alcohol. The car crashes. The murders. The friends who didn’t make it home emotionally, even when they physically made it back. Tyler’s story is a reminder that war does not always end when the deployment does. Chapters:  00:00 - Intro: Crazy Army Stories & Close Calls 01:26 - Growing Up in Pennsylvania & Virginia 02:21 - Playing in Bands & Learning Branding 02:45 - Growing Up as a Cop’s Son 05:04 - Why Tyler Decided to Join the Military 07:46 - Trying to Join the Marines 08:26 - Joining the Army Infantry 08:45 - Signing a Ranger Contract 09:47 - Arriving at Army Basic Training 10:51 - Finding Out He Was a Mortarman 12:37 - Culture Shock in the Army 17:09 - Drill Sergeants, Integrity & War Prep 21:58 - Army Airborne School 24:03 - Getting in Trouble With an Officer 25:50 - The Army Friends Who Never Made It 26:28 - Getting Sent to Fort Bragg 28:34 - Assigned to the Support Battalion 29:42 - Finally Getting Sent to the Line 30:23 - Deploying to Baghdad, Iraq 30:52 - EFPs, IEDs & Convoy Danger 31:58 - Life as the Lead Truck Gunner 34:37 - The Left Turn That Saved His Life 36:26 - Living Like Every Day Was Extra 37:19 - The Photo That Got Him in Trouble 39:58 - Coming Home From Iraq 40:42 - Losing Friends After Deployment 42:18 - Why Coming Home Is So Hard 43:35 - Drinking, DUI & Leaving the Army 51:14 - Becoming a Police Officer 51:57 - Working Night Shift in Orlando 52:27 - The Baby Not Breathing Call 57:05 - The McDonald’s SWAT Call 59:21 - The Adrenaline Crash After the Call 1:00:37 - Why Police Work Wasn’t Like the Military 1:02:06 - Getting Kicked Off SWAT 1:05:03 - The Clothing Line That Caused Problems 1:06:20 - Starting the Anti-Hero Podcast 1:08:11 - Turning the Podcast Into a Broadcast 1:09:07 - Building a Community for the 99% 1:10:23 - Why Regular Veterans Get Overlooked 1:12:01 - Smoke Pit Humor & Veteran Culture 1:18:07 - Lessons From Military & Police Work 1:19:02 - What the Anti-Hero Broadcast Is Today 1:20:25 - Final Thoughts on Regular Service Members

This Soldier Sat on an IED and Watched the Enemy Try to Detonate it

David Aceron served in the United States Army from 2003 to 2012 as a combat engineer and counter-IED specialist, conducting deadly route clearance missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. His job was simple in theory, but brutal in reality: find the bombs before they found his convoy. As a Husky operator and combat engineer, David spent years hunting hidden IEDs, landmines, command-wire explosives, and roadside bombs designed to kill American soldiers. In this episode, David Aceron shares what it was really like to serve as an Army combat engineer during the Iraq War and Afghanistan War, including the moment he sat directly over an IED while watching the enemy try to detonate it. This conversation goes far beyond war stories. David talks about growing up in Southeast San Diego, joining the Army after 9/11, becoming a 12 Bravo combat engineer, deploying with 10th Mountain, surviving route clearance missions, and the psychological toll of spending every day looking for bombs. He also opens up about the moments most people never hear about: the guilt, the anger, the moral injuries, the loss of innocence, and the terrifying point where hunting IEDs became an obsession. 👍 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 #warstories