What happens after the uniform comes off?

In this episode of Combat Story, AJ Pasciuti sits down with Army combat veteran, firefighter, MMA fighter, and author James McDevitt for one of the most honest conversations we've had about service, trauma, purpose, and the lifelong search for meaning after war.

James shares his journey from growing up in a military family to deploying to Iraq as an 18-year-old convoy gunner during some of the deadliest years of the war. He talks about football, failure, identity, and the difficult transition from combat deployments back into civilian life.

The conversation also dives deeply into the emotional realities of firefighting — including the lasting impact of trying to save a young child trapped in a house fire — and the psychological burden first responders and veterans often carry long after the moment ends.

AJ and James discuss:

• What it feels like to make life-or-death decisions at 18 years old
• The addiction many veterans feel toward combat and high-stakes environments
• Why being "left out of the fight" can deeply affect soldiers psychologically
• Brotherhood, love, sacrifice, and why war creates bonds unlike anything else
• Football, MMA, firefighting, and finding identity after losing purpose
• PTSD, suicide, vulnerability, masculinity, and the importance of mentorship
• Why failure often teaches more than success ever can

James also discusses his debut novel, A Walk Among Heroes, a story inspired by true events that explores war, love, loss, and what it means to come home after conflict.

This episode is raw, reflective, and deeply human.

If you're interested in military service, combat psychology, firefighting, leadership, masculinity, veteran transition, or the emotional realities behind war stories, this conversation will stay with you long after it ends.

🎙️ Guest — James McDevitt Army combat veteran, firefighter, MMA fighter, and author of A Walk Among Heroes. James writes and speaks about war, brotherhood, trauma, resilience, and the lifelong search for purpose after service.

📸 Instagram: @JamesMcDevittAuthor

🎵 TikTok: @JamesMcDevittAuthor

▶️ YouTube: @JamesMcDevittAuthor

📘 Facebook: @JamesMcDevittAuthor

🔗 Website: JamesMcDevittAuthor.com

🎙️ Host — AJ Pasciuti Retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Marine Gunner, author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of Combat Story.

📕 Darkhorse: https://ajpasciuti.com/Darkhors

📸 AJ Pasciuti Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/

🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com/

CHAPTERS

00:00 – The House Fire That Changed Everything 01:06 – Introduction | James McDevitt 03:20 – Why James Wrote "A Walk Among Heroes" 07:40 – Growing Up in a Military Family 13:10 – Football, Identity, and Young Masculinity 18:45 – Joining the Army After 9/11 25:00 – Iraq at 18 Years Old 31:20 – Convoy Combat and Daily Violence 39:50 – Brotherhood in War 47:10 – The Addiction to High-Stakes Environments 54:20 – Coming Home from Combat 1:01:40 – Firefighting and Exposure to Death 1:09:15 – Trying to Save a Child in a House Fire 1:18:20 – PTSD, Suppression, and Emotional Numbness 1:26:30 – MMA Fighting and Finding Purpose 1:34:10 – Veterans, Suicide, and Isolation 1:42:00 – Why Failure Shapes Us 1:49:15 – Writing Fiction Inspired by Real Experience 1:56:30 – Advice for Young Men Considering Service 2:02:10 – Final Thoughts on Brotherhood and Purpose

Today on Combat Story, we hear the story of Joshua "Josh" Shores — Marine infantry combat veteran, Purple Heart recipient, former Marine Raider, retired firefighter, entrepreneur, and author of Counting on Death: A Marine Infantryman's Journey from the Front Lines of Combat to the Fight for Peace.

Josh served with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines during some of the hardest fighting in Ramadi before later deploying to Afghanistan with Marine Special Operations. In this conversation, he takes us through the reality of combat as a 19-year-old Marine, the burden of surviving when others did not, and the long fight to make peace with the memories that followed him home.

Although AJ and Josh never served together, this episode becomes a deeply relatable conversation between two Marines who carried similar experiences through different units, deployments, and years of war. There are moments where the interview gives way to recognition, where both men are able to sit inside the same memories, ask harder questions, and give language to parts of combat that are rarely spoken about clearly.

This episode goes far beyond firefights and deployments.

Josh speaks candidly about the culture inside the infantry during the height of the Iraq War, the emotional toll of losing friends to IEDs, the confusion of counterinsurgency warfare, survivor's guilt, shame, identity, suicide, and the struggle many veterans face trying to reconnect with life after combat.

This is a conversation about consequence. About brotherhood. About grief. And about trying to find peace after war.

🎙️ Guest — Joshua "Josh" Shores Marine infantry combat veteran, Purple Heart recipient, former Marine Raider, retired firefighter, entrepreneur, and author of Counting on Death. He served with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines in Ramadi before later deploying to Afghanistan with Marine Special Operations.

🔗 Find Joshua Online:

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CountingOnDeath/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuashoresofficial/ 🔗 Website: https://www.countingondeath.com 📕 Book (Counting on Death): https://www.amazon.com/Counting-Death-Marine-Infantrymans-Journey/dp/1636245706/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1#detailBullets_feature_div 🎧 Audiobook: https://www.audible.com/pd/Counting-on-Death-Audiobook/B0F1Z1HJSG?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp

🎙️ Host AJ Pasciuti

AJ Pasciuti is a retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Infantry Weapons Officer (Marine Gunner), author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of the Combat Story Podcast, where veterans share honest, unfiltered stories of service, leadership, and life after combat.

🔗 Find AJ Online:

📕 Book (Darkhorse): https://www.ajpasciuti.com/book

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/

📘 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-pasciuti/

🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com/

🎧 Featured Combat Story Episodes with AJ

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 1 (USMC Sniper & Force Recon) - Battle of Fallujah | Shooting w/ Chris Kyle | American Sniper | AJ Pasciuti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4QI-5sNeCs

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 2 (Sniper vs Sniper Battle) - Killing the Enemy's Most Lethal Sniper | Force Recon | AJ Pasciuti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Ggly1TGAU

Before Vietnam became the war America remembers, James Lyle Steele was already in it. In Episode 1 of Reconnaissance Man, "Good Morning, Vietnam," Steele takes us into the earliest days of America's involvement in the war, when the mission was still forming, the battlefield was still being understood, and the cost was already very real.

A retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel and one of the original generation of Marine reconnaissance men, Steele describes a brutal and fast-changing fight shaped by booby traps, poisoned bamboo, hidden tunnels, ambushes, helicopter assaults, and constant adaptation. This is not a distant retelling. It is a firsthand account from a man who was there before most Americans even understood the war had begun.

Created by investigative journalist Ashly McGlone in collaboration with the Marine Reconnaissance Foundation, and brought to life by Combat Story, Reconnaissance Man is a nine-part limited series following Steele's extraordinary 30-year military career through Vietnam, the Cold War, and beyond.

🎙️ Guest — James Lyle Steele James Lyle Steele is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel whose 30-year career carried him through Vietnam, the Cold War, and beyond. A member of the original generation of Marine reconnaissance men, Steele's story offers a rare firsthand look at war, survival, and service across decades of American military history.

Ashly McGlone is an investigative journalist and the creator of Reconnaissance Man. As Steele's granddaughter, she pairs reporting, narration, and historical context with family connection to bring his extraordinary story to life with depth and care.

🔗 Find Reconnaissance Man and Ashly McGlone Online: 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reconnaissanceman/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashlyreports/ 🔗 X: https://x.com/ReconManPod 🔗 X: https://x.com/AshlyReports

🎙️ Host — AJ Pasciuti AJ Pasciuti is a retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Infantry Weapons Officer (Marine Gunner), author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of the Combat Story Podcast, where veterans share honest, unfiltered stories of service, leadership, and life after combat.

🔗 Find AJ Online: 📕 Book (Darkhorse): https://www.amazon.com/Darkhorse-Harnessing-Hidden-Potential-Life/dp/1400254973 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/ 📘 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-pasciuti/ 🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com/

🎧 Featured Combat Story Episodes with AJ 👉 Combat Story Podcast — Part 1 (USMC Sniper & Force Recon) Battle of Fallujah | Shooting w/ Chris Kyle | American Sniper | AJ Pasciuti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4QI-5sNeCs

👉 Combat Story Podcast — Part 2 (Sniper vs. Sniper Battle) Killing the Enemy's Most Lethal Sniper | Force Recon | AJ Pasciuti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Ggly1TGAU

Chapters:

00:00 Reconnaissance Man Intro 01:42 The Cost of Fighting in Vietnam 02:46 Before Vietnam Became America's War 04:47 Meet James Lyle Steele 06:27 Good Morning, Vietnam 07:37 Learning How the War Was Really Fought 10:56 Tigers, Vipers, and the Terrain 14:41 Poisoned Bamboo and Booby Traps 16:27 The Ho Chi Minh Trail and Tunnel Warfare 21:16 Why the Enemy Was So Hard to Fight 22:03 Hidden Weapons, Firefights, and Guides 23:58 The South Vietnamese Forces He Respected 26:06 Why He Wanted to Stay 26:32 The Train Ambush That Should Have Killed Him 28:26 The First Helicopter Assault of the War 30:21 "General Taylor, Go Home" 31:43 The Helicopter Crash 34:00 What Americans Weren't Being Told 34:40 Next Episode: Cuba 35:37 Credits

Before the Iraq War officially began, a different fight was already underway.

U.S. Army Special Forces teams were operating in Northern Iraq, linking up with Kurdish fighters and preparing to open a second front against Saddam Hussein. What they built in those early months would shape the opening phase of the war.

In this episode, AJ Pasciuti sits down with retired Lieutenant Colonel Mark Grdovic, a Green Beret who led missions alongside Kurdish Peshmerga forces against Al-Qaeda affiliates in the mountains.

This conversation follows the full path, from early training and deployments, to the moment everything changed after 9/11, to the long preparation for a mission that had no clear timeline and no guaranteed support.

Mark shares what it looked like to plan in uncertainty, build trust with partner forces, and lead small teams in high-risk environments where decisions carried immediate consequences.

You'll hear how Special Forces teams executed a 570-mile infiltration into Iraq, fought in complex terrain, and helped create the conditions for the northern front to succeed. He also reflects on leadership, responsibility, and the realities of unconventional warfare that rarely make it into the broader narrative.

This is a story about more than combat.

It's about trust, preparation, and what it takes to operate in the space between intent and execution.

If you're interested in Special Forces, the Iraq War, unconventional warfare, or leadership under pressure, this episode gives you a grounded, firsthand perspective.

🎙️ Guest - Mark Grdovic Mark Grdovic is a former U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret who worked alongside Kurdish fighters in the early days leading into the Iraq War. His story offers a rare look at unconventional warfare, partnership on the ground, and the human side of conflict before the world was watching. 🔗 Find Mark Online: 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-grdovic-pmp-5668b357 📕 Book (Those Who Faced Death): https://thosewhofacedeath.com

🎙️ Host AJ Pasciuti

AJ Pasciuti is a retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Infantry Weapons Officer (Marine Gunner), author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of the Combat Story Podcast, where veterans share honest, unfiltered stories of service, leadership, and life after combat.

🔗 Find AJ Online:

📕 Book (Darkhorse): https://www.amazon.com/Darkhorse-Harnessing-Hidden-Potential-Life/dp/1400254973

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/

📘 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-pasciuti/

🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com/

What does it feel like to make a decision that saves your teammates… but stays with you forever?

In this episode of Combat Story, AJ sits down with Jeremy Rebmann, former FBI Special Agent, SWAT sniper, and author of Send Me, for a raw conversation about what really happens inside high-risk operations.

Jeremy spent over two decades in the FBI, including 21 years on SWAT, operating in some of the most dangerous environments in domestic law enforcement. From hostage rescues to manhunts to split-second lethal force decisions, he lived the responsibility of being the one others rely on when things go wrong.

This conversation goes beyond the action. It gets into the moments behind it.

From tracking a suspect through rugged terrain… to the instant a rifle comes up and there's no time left to think… to the weight that follows after the mission is over.

This is an honest look at the reality of the job.

We cover:

• What FBI SWAT operations actually look like
• The mindset of a sniper making life-or-death decisions
• How training takes over when there's no time to think
• The emotional and psychological impact after a shooting
• Brotherhood, identity, and what happens when the job ends

Jeremy also shares insights into the investigative side of the FBI, where the mission is not just to win the fight, but to find the truth and bring justice the right way.

This is a conversation about responsibility, restraint, and the cost of doing the job well.

If you've ever wondered what it's really like behind the scenes of elite law enforcement, this episode gives you a perspective few ever hear.

🎙️ Guest Information — Jeremy Rebmann

Jeremy Rebmann is a former FBI Special Agent and SWAT sniper with over 20 years of experience, including 21 years on an FBI SWAT team. He served as an operator, sniper, team leader, and instructor, working high-risk missions across the United States.

He is the author of Send Me: Chronicles of an FBI Sniper, where he shares an unfiltered look at the realities of the job, team culture, and life after service.

🔗 Find Jeremy Online:

📕 Send Me (Book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D38DNXRN 🎧 Audiobook: https://www.audible.com/pd/Send-Me-Audiobook/B0D4WSM4V1

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fbi_sniper/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556807893533 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-rebmann-aa9191203 🔗 Website: https://www.fbisniper.com

🎙️ Host Information — AJ Pasciuti

AJ Pasciuti is a retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Infantry Weapons Officer (Marine Gunner), author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of the Combat Story Podcast, where veterans share honest, unfiltered stories of service, leadership, and life after combat.

🔗 Find AJ Online:

📕 Book (Darkhorse): https://www.amazon.com/Darkhorse-Harnessing-Hidden-Potential-Life/dp/1400254973

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/ 📘 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-pasciuti/ 🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com/

🎧 Featured Combat Story Episodes with AJ

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 1 (USMC Sniper & Force Recon)- Battle of Fallujah | Shooting w/ Chris Kyle | American Sniper | AJ Pasciuti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4QI-5sNeCs

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 2 (Sniper vs Sniper Battle) - Killing the Enemy's Most Lethal Sniper | Force Recon | AJ Pasciuti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Ggly1TGAU

📺 Additional Features & Media

👉 Urban Valor Podcast Feature: https://urbanvalor.com/episode/marine-snipers-eliminate-enemy-sniper-reclaim-stolen-us-sniper-rifle/

👉 DVIDS – Infantry Marine Course Feature: https://www.nationalguard.mil/Leadership/Joint-Staff/Comptroller/Innovation/?dvpTag=imc&videoid=790758

Former U.S. Marine Scout Sniper Alexander Lemons joins AJ to talk about Iraq, the confusion and chaos of the initial invasion, and the hidden damage war leaves behind.

A Bronze Star recipient and co-author of War Body: A Marine Sniper and the Hidden Violence of Modern Warfare, Alex brings a raw, thoughtful perspective to combat, leadership, toxic exposure, and life after service.

In this episode of Combat Story, AJ and Alex unpack Alex's path into the Marines, what it felt like to enter war as a young infantryman, and how those early experiences shaped the questions that would later become War Body. This is Part 1 of a 2-part conversation, focused on his early life, Iraq, and the foundation of his story. Part 2 goes deeper into his path as a sniper, the long-tail health fight, and what veterans, leaders, and civilians should understand about the unseen costs of modern war.

A note for listeners: this episode was filmed in December 2025 and has a slightly different feel than the usual Combat Story format. It plays more like a true conversation between AJ and Alex than a traditional interview, which gives it a more personal and reflective tone.

🎙️ Guest Information — Alexander Lemons Alexander Lemons is a former U.S. Marine Scout Sniper and Bronze Star recipient who served multiple combat deployments during the Iraq War, including Nasiriyah and Fallujah. He is the co-author of War Body: A Marine Sniper and the Hidden Violence of Modern Warfare, a powerful look at the hidden physical and psychological costs of combat and what war leaves behind long after the shooting stops.

📖 War Body: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324066330

📰 Featured Article: https://www.hcn.org/issues/57-2/a-veteran-transforms-a-legacy-of-violence-into-a-campaign-for-restoration/

🎙️ Host Information — AJ Pasciuti

AJ Pasciuti is a retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Infantry Weapons Officer (Marine Gunner), author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of the Combat Story Podcast, where veterans share honest, unfiltered stories of service, leadership, and life after combat.

🔗 Find AJ Online:

📕 Book (Darkhorse): https://www.amazon.com/Darkhorse-Harnessing-Hidden-Potential-Life/dp/1400254973

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/ 📘 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-pasciuti/ 🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com/

🎧 Featured Combat Story Episodes with AJ

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 1 (USMC Sniper & Force Recon) - Battle of Fallujah | Shooting w/ Chris Kyle | American Sniper | AJ Pasciuti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4QI-5sNeCs

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 2 (Sniper vs Sniper Battle) - Killing the Enemy's Most Lethal Sniper | Force Recon | AJ Pasciuti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Ggly1TGAU

📺 Additional Features & Media

👉 Urban Valor Podcast Feature: https://urbanvalor.com/episode/marine-snipers-eliminate-enemy-sniper-reclaim-stolen-us-sniper-rifle/

👉 DVIDS – Infantry Marine Course Feature:

https://www.nationalguard.mil/Leadership/Joint-Staff/Comptroller/Innovation/?dvpTag=imc&videoid=790758

Chapters

00:00 Incoming artillery in Iraq 02:40 Introducing Marine Sniper Alexander Lemons 07:15 Joining the Marines after 9/11 18:30 Iraq invasion and early combat experiences 32:40 Lessons from combat leadership 51:00 The hidden physical cost of war 1:20:00 The chaos of modern warfare 2:09:00 War Body and life after the Marine Corps

A downed U.S. helicopter in Afghanistan. Forty-five knot crosswinds. No power margin.

In this episode of Combat Story, AJ Pasciuti sits down with Isaac G. Lee, a retired U.S. Marine Corps CH-53 heavy lift pilot with seven deployments and multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Isaac flew more than 140 named combat missions, became a Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI), commanded a Marine helicopter squadron, and led one of the most dangerous recovery missions of the war — lifting a downed Night Stalker aircraft near the Pakistani border with almost no margin for error.

We talk about:

• Flying CH-53s during the Iraq invasion

• Losing an engine in a hot landing zone

• Brownout landings with zero visibility

• Working alongside Army Apaches and special operations units

• The surge years and nonstop named operations

• The mental shift required to survive repeated combat deployments

• The cost of leadership on families at home

This conversation goes beyond tactics.

It explores responsibility, identity, the "robot mode" many combat leaders adopt, and what happens when you finally step away from the machine.

Isaac shares the deeper story behind his memoir Hangar 4, a candid look at Marine Corps aviation, brotherhood inside Hangar 4, and the transition from warfighter to civilian leader.

If you care about Marine Corps aviation, CH-53 helicopters, Iraq and Afghanistan combat stories, or leadership under pressure, this episode delivers.

🎙 Guest: Isaac G. Lee

Isaac Lee is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. CH-53 pilot, Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI), and former squadron commander with seven deployments and multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He is the author of Hangar 4 and founder of Ready Room Consulting, where he teaches leadership drawn from two decades of Marine Corps aviation.

🔗 Connect with Isaac:

🌐 Websites https://isaacglee.com https://readyroomconsulting.com

📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/isaacgleewriter

📘 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IsaacGLee

🐦 X (Twitter) https://x.com/isaacglee

🎵 Book Soundtrack Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4x13aD07eDCCwF5TaSNyfT?si=mKzXXaHZTNCtyHss-MPTvA

🎙️ Host Information — AJ Pasciuti | Combat Story AJ Pasciuti is a retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Infantry Weapons Officer (Marine Gunner), author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of the Combat Story Podcast, where veterans share honest, unfiltered stories of service, leadership, and life after combat.

🔗 Find AJ Online:

📕 Book (Darkhorse): https://www.amazon.com/Darkhorse-Harnessing-Hidden-Potential-Life/dp/1400254973

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/

📘 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-pasciuti/

🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com/

🎧 Featured Combat Story Episodes with AJ:

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 1 (USMC Sniper & Force Recon) - Battle of Fallujah | Shooting w/ Chris Kyle | American Sniper | AJ Pasciuti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4QI-5sNeCs

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 2 (Sniper vs Sniper Battle) - Killing the Enemy's Most Lethal Sniper | Force Recon | AJ Pasciuti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Ggly1TGAU

📺 Additional Features & Media

👉 Urban Valor Podcast Feature: https://urbanvalor.com/episode/marine-snipers-eliminate-enemy-sniper-reclaim-stolen-us-sniper-rifle/

👉 DVIDS – Infantry Marine Course Feature: https://www.nationalguard.mil/Leadership/Joint-Staff/Comptroller/Innovation/?dvpTag=imc&videoid=790758

0321 Day is more than a date. It's a gut-check, a brotherhood check-in, and a reminder that no Recon Marine (and no Recon family) is ever alone.

In this Combat Story Special Edition, AJ Pasciuti sits down for a two-way conversation with Randall Parks (USMC, Ret.) the West Coast organizer of 0321 Day—to break down what the day means, why it's grown into a tradition, and how the Marine Reconnaissance Foundation (MRF) directly supports Recon Marines, enablers, SARCs, and, most importantly, Gold Star families.

You'll hear the story behind the event's partnership with Ballast Point Brewing, why the Recon community shows up so hard for each other, and how this annual fundraising push funds the Gold Star Family Retreat connected to the Recon Challenge at Camp Pendleton and a week-long retreat afterward.

And yes… Randall also ropes AJ (and Sarah) into the most Recon fundraiser ever: The "Recondo Hundo": 100 miles in 30 days (Feb 20 → Mar 21) to raise money for the MRF. Run it, walk it, bike it, swim it; get involved and bring someone with you.

Support the Marine Reconnaissance Foundation: MRF website: reconfoundation.org

Donate to the Recondo Hundo: support.reconfoundation.org/ajpasciuti

Signup to participate in the Recondo Hundo: support.reconfoundation.org/https-support-reconfoundation-org-2026-recondo-hundo

In this episode:

- What "03" and "0321" mean in the Marine Corps

- What the MRF (Marine Reconnaissance Foundation) does and why it matters

- Gold Star vs Blue Star families and why Recon keeps them close

- How 0321 Day grew from texts to a major event

- The Recon Challenge and carrying a fallen brother's name

- The "Recondo Hundo" fundraiser and how to participate

If you're a Recon Marine (or served with Recon): On March 21, reach out to somebody and say: "Hey brother, I'm thinking about you."

That simple message can land heavier than you realize.

West Coast Event details:

📍 Ballast Point – Little Italy (San Diego)

🕕 March 21 | 6:00 PM

A night of camaraderie, community, and fundraising for the MRF mission.

To attend you must RSVP: support.reconfoundation.org/https-support-reconfoundation-org-0321day-Ballast-Point

Subscribe for more Combat Story: real conversations with warriors from every frontline; what combat feels like, what it takes to endure, and how it shapes life after the arena.

Before the first bombs hit Iraq in 1991, seven B-52s quietly lifted off from Louisiana on a mission so classified most of the crews hadn't known it existed months earlier.

In this episode of Combat Story, AJ Pasciuti sits down with Trey Morris, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and former B-52 Electronic Warfare Officer, to break down Operation Senior Surprise—nicknamed Secret Squirrel—the 35-hour, 14,000-mile strike that helped launch Operation Desert Storm.

This wasn't just another bombing mission. It was the first combat use of GPS-guided cruise missiles, the longest combat sortie in history at the time, and a zero-fail test of endurance and leadership.

Minutes after takeoff, Morris' aircraft lost an engine. They nearly collided during night aerial refueling. On the return leg, they ran dangerously low on fuel over the Mediterranean.

What followed was problem-solving under pressure, trust inside the cockpit, and a culture that demanded accountability when it mattered most.

Morris later captured the full story in his book Doom 34, but this conversation goes beyond aviation. It's about earning the right to come home—and honoring those who have "gone west."

If you're interested in B-52 bombers, Desert Storm history, military aviation, long-range strike, or leadership under stress, this episode is for you.

🎙️ Guest Information — Trey Morriss | DOOM 34 | Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel | Former B-52 Electronic Warfare Officer

🔗 Find Trey Online:

📕 Book: DOOM 34 (Available globally — search "DOOM 34") 🛒 Amazon:https://a.co/d/aR2IujP

📘 Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trey.morriss/

📘 DOOM 34 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581295749907

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treymorriss/?hl=en

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/treymorriss/

🎙️ Host Information — AJ Pasciuti | Combat Story AJ Pasciuti is a retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Infantry Weapons Officer (Marine Gunner), author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of the Combat Story Podcast, where veterans share honest, unfiltered stories of service, leadership, and life after combat.

🔗 Find AJ Online:

📕 Book (Darkhorse): https://www.amazon.com/Darkhorse-Harnessing-Hidden-Potential-Life/dp/1400254973 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/

📘 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-pasciuti/

🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com/

🎧 Featured Combat Story Episodes with AJ

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 1 (USMC Sniper & Force Recon) - Battle of Fallujah | Shooting w/ Chris Kyle | American Sniper | AJ Pasciuti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4QI-5sNeCs

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 2 (Sniper vs Sniper Battle) - Killing the Enemy's Most Lethal Sniper | Force Recon | AJ Pasciuti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Ggly1TGAU

📺 Additional Features & Media

👉 Urban Valor Podcast Feature: https://urbanvalor.com/episode/marine-snipers-eliminate-enemy-sniper-reclaim-stolen-us-sniper-rifle/

👉 DVIDS – Infantry Marine Course Feature: https://www.nationalguard.mil/Leadership/Joint-Staff/Comptroller/Innovation/?dvpTag=imc&videoid=790758

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In this episode of Combat Story, AJ Pasciuti sits down with Matt Cavanaugh, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, combat veteran, strategist, endurance athlete, and living kidney donor, for a conversation about what service really looks like when nobody's watching.

Matt is the author of Best Scar Wins: How You Can Be More Than You Were Before, and his story goes far beyond combat. We start with his experiences in Iraq and the weight of leadership under pressure, then move into the harder-to-talk-about parts of life after war: grief, identity, responsibility, and the quiet choices that shape who we become.

Matt shares why he decided to become a non-directed living kidney donor, donating to a stranger and helping spark a chain that saved eight lives, including a fellow service member. Not long after surgery, he took on an endurance challenge called 1K4D (One Kidney, Four Deserts) — nearly 1,000 kilometers of self-supported racing across Namibia, Georgia, Chile, and Antarctica, including moments where the heat hit 131°F and the margin for error disappeared.

This episode isn't about highlight reels. It's about follow-through. It's about choosing discomfort for the sake of others, and what it takes to keep going when the "why" has to be bigger than you.

If you're interested in combat leadership, post-traumatic growth, endurance mindset, or service beyond the battlefield, this conversation will stick with you.

🎙️ Guest Information — Matt Cavanaugh | Best Scar Wins

Matt Cavanaugh, PhD, is a West Point graduate and retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel/Strategist who deployed to Iraq with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, earning two Bronze Stars and the Combat Action Badge. After the military, he became a living kidney donor who sparked an eight-life donor chain and has gone on to test his limits as an elite endurance athlete, including winning an ultramarathon across Antarctica.

🔗 Find Matt Online:

🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/mlcavanaugh

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mlcavanaugh1

📖 Book — Best Scar Wins: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Best-Scar-Wins/ML-Cavanaugh/9781637747742

🌐 Book Website: https://bestscarwins.com

🔗 Personal Website: https://mlcavanaugh.com

🎙️ Host Information — AJ Pasciuti | Combat Story | Darkhorse

AJ Pasciuti is a retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Infantry Weapons Officer (Marine Gunner), author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of the Combat Story Podcast, where veterans share honest, unfiltered stories of service, leadership, and life after combat.

🔗 Find AJ Online:

📕 Book (Darkhorse): https://www.amazon.com/Darkhorse-Harnessing-Hidden-Potential-Life/dp/1400254973

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/

📘 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-pasciuti/

🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com/

🎧 Featured Combat Story Episodes with AJ

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 1 (USMC Sniper & Force Recon)

- Battle of Fallujah | Shooting w/ Chris Kyle | American Sniper | AJ Pasciuti

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4QI-5sNeCs

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 2 (Sniper vs Sniper Battle)

- Killing the Enemy's Most Lethal Sniper | Force Recon | AJ Pasciuti

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Ggly1TGAU

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In this episode of Combat Story, Joe Troutman takes us inside one of the most intense and least-documented firefights of the Iraq War — a 10-hour urban fight in Mosul where Blackhawk Company, 1-23 Infantry, held ground without air support, under sustained RPG, machine-gun, and IED attacks.

Joe served 18 years on active duty in the U.S. Army as a 13F Fire Support Specialist and Forward Observer, deploying multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan. From the early days after 9/11, through the birth of the Stryker Brigade, to the brutal street fighting that followed, Joe's story captures what combat actually looks like at ground level — confusion, exhaustion, courage, and decisions made under fire.

Much of this conversation centers on the events chronicled in Joe's book, Gods of War: The Legend of Blackhawk Company 1-23 Infantry, including:

- The first combat casualties in Stryker Brigade history

- A catastrophic vehicle rollover on Blackhawk Company's first patrol

- The August 4, 2004 Battle of Mosul, where insurgents launched a coordinated, city-wide ambush designed specifically to destroy Stryker forces

- Holding key terrain "at all costs" while outnumbered, undersupplied, and cut off

- Leadership, brotherhood, and survival when everything goes sideways

This episode isn't about politics or strategy on paper — it's about what it feels like to fight in an urban environment, to lose teammates before your first firefight, and to keep moving when fear, chaos, and responsibility collide. If you're interested in modern warfare, infantry leadership, combat decision-making, or true war stories told by the people who lived them, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

🎙️ Guest Information — Joe Troutman | Gods of War: The Legend of Blackhawk Company 1-23 Infantry Joe Troutman, a U.S. Army combat veteran with 18 years of service and multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He's the author of Gods of War: The Legend of Blackhawk Company 1-23 Infantry, a firsthand account of combat and brotherhood from the streets of Mosul.

📘 Facebook (Personal): @joetroutmanauthor

📖 Facebook (Book): @Godsofwarbco123

📸 Instagram: @joetroutman_author

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joetroutmanauthor

🐦 X (Twitter): @JoeTroutman2

🎙️ Host Information — AJ Pasciuti | Combat Story AJ Pasciuti is a retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Infantry Weapons Officer (Marine Gunner), author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of the Combat Story Podcast, where veterans share honest, unfiltered stories of service, leadership, and life after combat.

🔗 Find AJ Online:

📕 Book (Darkhorse): https://www.amazon.com/Darkhorse-Harnessing-Hidden-Potential-Life/dp/1400254973

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/

📘 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-pasciuti/

🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com/

🎧 Featured Combat Story Episodes with AJ

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 1 (USMC Sniper & Force Recon) - Battle of Fallujah | Shooting w/ Chris Kyle | American Sniper | AJ Pasciuti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4QI-5sNeCs

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 2 (Sniper vs Sniper Battle) - Killing the Enemy's Most Lethal Sniper | Force Recon | AJ Pasciuti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Ggly1TGAU

📺 Additional Features & Media 👉 Urban Valor Podcast Feature: https://urbanvalor.com/episode/marine-snipers-eliminate-enemy-sniper-reclaim-stolen-us-sniper-rifle/

👉 DVIDS – Infantry Marine Course Feature: https://www.nationalguard.mil/Leadership/Joint-Staff/Comptroller/Innovation/?dvpTag=imc&videoid=790758