Urban Valor: the podcast

Joshua Shores served in the United States Marine Corps from 2004 to 2008 and deployed to Ramadi during some of the deadliest fighting of the Iraq War. In this interview, Joshua shares what it was like going from a small-town upbringing in Wisconsin to becoming an infantry Marine, attending recon training, joining 1st Battalion 5th Marines, deploying to Iraq, combat in Ramadi, serving with the first MARSOC Bravo Comiany, and fighting in Afghanistan.  

He talks about Marine boot camp, School of Infantry, the culture shock of joining the military, combat patrols, intense firefights, clearing mosques, capturing insurgents, and surviving devastating IED explosions. Joshua also reflects on the realities of war, the chaos of urban combat, losing friends, and the lasting memories that come with serving in Iraq during the height of the insurgency.

Joshua discusses:
- Growing up in Wisconsin in a military family
- Joining the Marines at 17
- Marine Corps boot camp and SOI
- Recon training and dropping to 1/5 Marines
- Deploying to Ramadi in 2005
- The reality of combat in Iraq
- Firefights, raids, and insurgent tactics
- Capturing enemy fighters
- Surviving an IED blast
- Losing friends and dealing with trauma after war

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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.

Chapters: 

#military #warstories #urbanvalor #navyseals  #warstories

Most people think they understand Navy SEAL combat, BUD/S training, and Hell Week… but the real moment that changes everything isn’t during training — it’s before your first mission.

In this weeks Urban Valor Podcast, Alex Rogers shares the exact moment he realized he was about to take a life for the first time. While preparing for a deployment, loading magazines like he had done countless times before… something felt different.

“This is for human flesh.”

That realization hit hard — and nothing after that was the same.

If you’re searching for Navy SEAL stories, real combat experiences, BUD/S training insights, or military mindset, this is one of the most raw and honest perspectives you’ll hear.

From growing up in a small town to surviving BUD/S and earning his Trident, Alex walks through the mental shift from training… to reality.

This isn’t about action.
This is about awareness.
Responsibility.
And the moment everything becomes real.

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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.

Chapters: 

#military #warstories #urbanvalor #navyseals  #warstories

He joined the Army to escape his past…
But it followed him anyway.

This is this episode of Urban Valor, we talk about childhood trauma, abuse, anger, and transformation through the military. 

Ernie Mariscal shares what happened to him at just 5 years old… and how that moment shaped everything... from becoming a violent kid, to running the streets, to eventually joining the United States Army in 1991 searching for a way out.

For a while, the military gave him exactly that:
structure, discipline, purpose.

But the truth is…
you don’t escape trauma — you carry it with you.

Into basic training.
Into deployments.
Into war.

We talk about:
- Growing up with childhood abuse and unresolved trauma
- How anger turned into violence, drugs, and survival mode
- The reality of joining the Army to change your life
- Experiences during deployment and Iraq war stories
- What it feels like coming home with a completely different mindset

This is about what happens before the uniform… and after it comes off.

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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.

Chapters: 
0:00 Gun to His Face
0:47 Hitting Rock Bottom
1:13 Meet Ernie (Army Veteran)
2:00 Childhood Trauma
7:49 Kicked Out at 16
9:56 Gunpoint Incident
11:44 Decision to Join the Army
16:49 Chaos of Basic Training
23:31 Becoming a Soldier
34:25 First Deployment (Iraq)
36:37 War Reality Hits
38:42 Coming Home Changed
39:27 Drinking & Numbness
45:22 Soldier Goes Missing
52:24 Leadership & Loyalty
57:25 Preparing to Retire
59:50 Life After the Army

#military #warstories #urbanvalor #army  #warstories

Juan Perez’s story doesn’t start in the military… it starts in the streets.

Before the Marine Corps, he was involved with gangs, running with the wrong crowd, and heading down a path that only ends one way. Then he made a decision that changed everything...he joined the U.S. Marines and became an infantryman deployed to Afghanistan.

During one mission, an IED detonated just feet from his team.

One of his closest friends was hit... losing both legs in the blast.

Juan shares what that moment was really like… the chaos, the adrenaline, carrying his friend out, and the reality of war that most people will never understand.

But this story isn’t just about the explosion.

It’s about what comes after.

The brotherhood. The guilt. The memories that don’t go away when you come home. And the reality that a lot of veterans don’t know how to ask for help.

If you take anything from this...check on your people!

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

Chapters:

This one’s heavy.

We’ve heard a lot of military stories over the years… but this one stuck with us.

Rick served in the U.S. Navy during the late 80s, and during a deployment in the South China Sea, they got a call about a stranded refugee boat.

What they found when they got there… was nothing like they expected.

There were bodies everywhere. Survivors that couldn’t even stand. People so far gone they had to be carried onto the ship.

And the part that really messes with you… what those people had to do to stay alive.

It’s the kind of story you don’t forget.

But what hit us just as hard wasn’t just what happened out there. It’s what came after.

We talk about the transition out of the military, losing that sense of purpose, and how moments like this don’t just disappear when you come home.

A lot of guys carry this stuff for years… and never say a word.

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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.

Chapters: 
00:00 – Brutal Navy Shellback Initiation
00:40 – “They Beat the Hell Out of You”
01:16 – Who Is Rick Estrada? (Navy Background)
03:26 – Why He Joined the Navy
04:15 – Boot Camp Reality vs Expectations
06:39 – Cold War Deployment & Russian Encounters
10:26 – Crossing the Equator Ceremony (Full Story)
14:18 – Mission Redirected: Refugee Distress Call
14:54 – Finding the Boat… Something Was Wrong
15:43 – Bodies Everywhere (First Discovery)
16:09 – 107 People… Only 57 Survived
16:41 – Signs of Cannibalism
17:20 – Carrying Survivors Onto the Ship
18:01 – The Most Disturbing Moment
18:50 – Burning the Boat
19:15 – Searching for More Survivors
20:12 – Dropping Them Off & Moving On
20:23 – Port Calls & Wild Deployment Stories
22:07 – “Peso Show” Culture Shock
27:40 – Wanting to Go to War (Desert Storm)
28:44 – Life After the Navy
29:28 – Losing Purpose After Service
30:40 – Reuniting With Shipmates
31:48 – Trauma From the Rescue Mission
32:34 – Getting Help & VA Struggles
33:31 – Advice to Veterans