Combat Story

Why a Wounded EOD Gunnery Sergeant Refused to Leave His Team & What Happended After| Timothy Colomer

Gunnery Sergeant Timothy Colomer was a decorated EOD technician in Iraq when a daisy-chain IED detonated directly beneath his truck. The blast broke h

Sniper Alex Lemons: Friendly Fire, the Battle of An Najaf, and the War Still in Veterans' Bodies (Part 2)

Alex Lemons survived the Battle of An Najaf without a scratch from the enemy — and nearly died from friendly fire instead, when a young Marine mistook

946 Days as a Hostage in Iraq | Peter Moore's Only Full Interview

He thought he was accepting a routine IT contract. Instead, Peter Moore disappeared into captivity for 946 days . In 2007, British IT consultant Peter

Writing Darkhorse, Carrying Combat Story, and What Comes Next | AJ Pasciuti & Ryan Fugit

What happens after the writing is done and the book has to face the world? Nearly two months after the release of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, the microphone changes hands. Combat Story founder Ryan Fugit returns to interview current host AJ Pasciuti in a candid conversation recorded in New York City just days after the launch of Darkhorse. Together, they reflect on the journey from manuscript to publication, the emotional weight of sharing deeply personal stories, and

The Air Assault That Changed Modern Warfare | Frank Hancock on Desert Storm

What does it take to lead one of the largest air assault operations in military history? Retired Army Colonel Frank Hancock joins Combat Story to share a firsthand account of planning and executing the historic 101st Airborne Division air assault during Operation Desert Storm. From intelligence preparation and mission planning to leadership under fire and the evolution of Army doctrine after Vietnam, Frank provides an inside look at one of America's defining military campaigns. AJ and Frank also

Reconnaissance Man EP. 2 - Caribbean Confrontations

In Episode 2 of Reconnaissance Man, presented in partnership with Combat Story, we follow U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant James "Jim" Steele through two defining Cold War flashpoints: the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Dominican Civil War. After returning from Vietnam and serving at Parris Island, Steele finds himself watching the Cuban Missile Crisis unfold from stateside. Unsatisfied with secondhand reporting and eager to understand what American forces were actually doing at Guantanamo Bay, he car

James Stejskal: The Secret Green Berets of Cold War Berlin

*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-698f9566-3328-8323-82a5-d73f4eaafc2b-8" data-turn-id-container= "request-698f9566-3328-8323-82a5-d73f4eaafc2b-8" data-testid= "conversation-turn-72" data-turn="assistant"> Before Delta Force, before the Global War on Terror, and before the Berlin Wall fell,

From Army Ranger to The Apprentice Winner | Kelly Perdew

How does a West Point graduate and Army Ranger go from military service to winning The Apprentice and building one of the most successful veteran-focused venture capital firms in America? In this episode of Combat Story, AJ Pasciuti sits down with Kelly Perdew to discuss leadership, service, entrepreneurship, and the lessons that carried him from the U.S. Army to the national spotlight and beyond. Kelly shares his journey through West Point, Army Intelligence, and Ranger School before discussing

From Iraq to Firefighter | The Weight of Service

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,

"We Thought We Were Going to Die Every Night" | Ramadi Veteran Story With Marin Raider Joshua Shores

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 t

He Was in Vietnam Before the War Began | Reconnaissance Man Ep. 1

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

The Secret War Before Iraq | Green Berets, Kurdish Fighters, and the Northern Front

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 th

FBI SWAT Sniper: The Shot That Saved His Team | Jeremy Rebmann

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-se

Marine Scout Sniper Alexander Lemons on Iraq, Hidden Wounds, and the Real Cost of War | Combat Story

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

The CH-53 Mission to Recover a Downed Night Stalker Helicopter | Ret. Lt. Col Isaac G. Lee

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 downe