Marine Survived Desert Storm, Invaded Iraq with His Son, Then Survived Fallujah

Meet Marine Corps veteran Armando Garcia, a dual-branch warrior who served 30 years in the U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps. In this episode of Urban Valor, Garcia recounts his incredible journey from Desert Storm to Fallujah, including surviving a grenade blast, building military infrastructure, training future Marines, and even serving alongside his own son in Iraq. From enlisting to escape poverty to being handpicked by General “Mad Dog” Mattis for Ranger School, Garcia’s path includes everything from infantry combat to drill instructor duty to command-level strategy in some of the Marine Corps' most intense operations. 👍 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: 0:00 – Bomb Crater Crash & Military Beginnings 0:26 – Childhood in Del Rio, Texas 1:34 – First Enlistment in the Air Force 5:07 – Transition to Marine Corps 7:27 – Boot Camp and Early Lessons 10:10 – Infrastructure Design at Camp Pendleton 12:31 – Reenlistment & Weapons Company Role 20:30 – Desert Storm Deployment 30:21 – Life as a Drill Instructor 40:38 – Selected by General Mattis for Ranger School 50:20 – Warrant Officer Commission & Iraq Deployment 58:05 – Battle of Fallujah Prep & Firefight 1:11:00 – Memorials, Sacrifice & Coming Home 1:20:44 – Post-Service Reflections & Mental Resilience 1:26:27 – Final Words on Brotherhood & Purpose #military #warstories #urbanvalor #usmarines #warstories