Soldier Tasked with Pulling Mangled Bodies Out of Truck in Afghanistan

In this week’s episode of Urban Valor, we sit down with U.S. Army veteran Denny Giamazzo, who was raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, Denny faced unspeakable abuse—abandoned by his drug-addicted mother, burned with cigarettes, and left alone for days as a young child. After entering foster care, he found brief moments of hope, but the scars of his past never left him. Denny opens up about nearly dying during Army basic training after a routine wisdom tooth extraction went horribly wrong, landing him in the ICU. He later deployed to Afghanistan, where he was forced to pull mangled bodies from trucks and survive gunfire in exposed overwatch positions. Now a mental health advocate, Denny speaks candidly about his struggle with PTSD, self harm thoughts, and how he's working to rebuild his life through veteran brotherhood and mentorship. 👍 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. Video Chapters: 00:00 – Haunting memories from Afghanistan 00:40 – Early life: Abuse, neglect, and abandonment 01:45 – Placed in foster care and finding hope 03:30 – Adopted by aunt, strong sibling bond 06:00 – Struggles with masculinity, fatherlessness 13:00 – Joining the Army after college dropout 19:00 – Nearly dies from wisdom tooth extraction 24:30 – Deployed to Afghanistan: Real combat begins 28:45 – Ambushed in overwatch position 36:00 – Sniper takes out enemy after close call 44:00 – PTSD, trauma from seeing mangled bodies 48:30 – Suicidal thoughts, VA crisis call 52:00 – Struggles in marriage and emotional volatility 55:00 – Healing through therapy and The Forge 1:03:00 – Veteran support and personal growth 1:05:30 – Helping other veterans #military #warstories #urbanvalor #usarmy #veteranmentalhealth #army