Marine’s Negligent Trigger Pull Took His Best Friend Right in Front of Him

They said he’d fail. His best friend was shot and killed. Now he’s a White House officer. Lieutenant Commander Alvaro Ramos didn’t take the easy path. He grew up with a tin roof over his head, sleeping on floors in Guam. He joined the Navy to escape poverty — and then watched his best friend, a fellow corpsman, get killed by a negligent Marine on deployment. That moment could have broken him. Instead, it built him. Alvaro went on to serve 23 years in the United States Navy, earned his commission, became a Physician Assistant, and rose to serve inside the White House Medical Unit under Presidents Trump and Biden. In this episode of Urban Valor, Alvaro opens up about: - The fatal moment that changed his life forever - Getting told “I hope you fail” by a senior chief - Why he almost quit the Navy - The identity crisis of becoming an officer - And how Special Boat Team 22 finally made him feel like he mattered If you’ve ever been underestimated, doubted, or knocked down — this is your reminder to get back up. 👉 Watch the full story of Alvaro Ramos now. 👍 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 – “I Hope You Fail” — The Moment That Changed Everything 1:10 – From the Philippines to Guam: Childhood in Poverty 3:50 – Why He Joined the Navy Instead of College 6:10 – Boot Camp Culture Shock 9:00 – 9/11: The Day Everything Changed 11:45 – Deployment Confusion and a Heartbreaking Mistake 15:00 – The Day Moreno Died 17:30 – The Words That Haunted Him in College 20:00 – From Corpsman to Officer: Fighting Imposter Syndrome 24:00 – Special Boat Team 22: Finally Feeling Valued 27:00 – The Jeep. The Seal. The CEO. 30:00 – That Random Course at Walter Reed 31:30 – The Call From the White House 33:00 – What It Really Means to Lead #military #warstories #urbanvalor #usnavy #warstories