Urban Valor: the podcast

In this episode of the Urban Valor Podcast, we sit down with a World War II Army veteran who survived one of the deadliest moments of the European campaign...the Rhine River crossing! And later walked through a liberated Nazi death camp! 

At just 19 years old, Paul A. Groves was drafted into the U.S. Army and assigned as an infantry messenger with E Company, 89th Infantry Division under General Patton. In January 1945, he landed in France before pushing toward the Rhine River — one of the final and most dangerous barriers into Nazi Germany.

At 2:00 AM, his unit loaded into boats under darkness.

Halfway across, German machine guns opened fire.

His company commander was killed.
His first sergeant was killed.
Then the boat exploded.

Thrown into the freezing river under direct fire, Paul became the only Soldier from his boat to survive.

As American forces advanced into Germany, he helped liberate a Nazi concentration camp — describing the smell of death before they ever saw it.

After surviving the Rhine and witnessing the camps, Paul was told he would likely be sent to invade Japan. Then the atomic bomb was dropped.

Now over 100 years old, he reflects on combat, fear, survival, and what General Patton meant when he said a Soldier must learn to hate the enemy.

This is a firsthand WWII testimony from one of the last living soldiers of that generation.

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🗣️ 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.

Chapters: 
00:00 – Landing in France at 10 Below Zero
02:00 – Drafted Into the Army in 1943
05:15 – Military Police Training & Infantry Assignment
15:20 – Shipping Out to Europe
17:49 – Frozen Boots at Camp Lucky Strike
21:50 – Preparing to Cross the Rhine River
23:12 – Boat Explosion & Becoming the Only Survivor
25:25 – Drifting Alone Under German Fire
31:03 – Liberating Ordorf Concentration Camp
33:37 – Facing the Russians in Vienna
46:54 – Coming Home After the War
50:31 – Nightmares & Life After Combat
53:24 – Politics, War & Truth
59:05 – Advice for Young Soldiers
1:00:59 – “You Have to Hate the Enemy” – Patton’s Words
1:01:29 – Secret to Living to 100

#military #warstories #urbanvalor #usarmy  #warstories

55 months in combat. Three Iraq deployments. Countless missions in Mosul. And when it was over… he didn’t want to come home.

In this Urban Valor Podcast interview, JayR McIntyre opens up about surviving 55 months in combat, losing over 20 soldiers, being issued a body bag, and battling severe PTSD after returning home. This is a powerful United States Army combat story about survival, mental health, and the reality of war.

JayR grew up in gang culture in Long Beach before joining the U.S. Army after time in jail. He deployed to Iraq three times, served during some of the deadliest years in Mosul, and ran hundreds of combat missions. But what nearly killed him wasn’t the enemy...it was survivor’s guilt and the mental weight of coming home.

In this episode, he discusses:
• 55 months in combat
• Iraq War missions in Mosul
• Losing brothers in battle
• Being issued a body bag before deployment
• Contemplating suicide four times
• PTSD in the military
• Survivor’s guilt
• Life after deployment
• Becoming “The Hood Motivator”

This is the truth about combat trauma, military mental health, and rebuilding your life after the battlefield.

If you’re a veteran struggling with PTSD, you are not alone.

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🗣️ 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.

Chapters: 
00:00 – “I Wanted a Warrior’s Death”
00:50 – Growing Up in Gang Culture (Long Beach)
03:12 – Losing His Mother & Early Trauma
08:53 – Jail Before the Army
10:08 – Joining the U.S. Army
13:47 – 9/11 & The Turning Point
18:33 – First Deployment to Iraq
24:27 – Losing Brothers in Combat
27:15 – Coming Home Changed
33:06 – 15 Months in Mosul (Second Deployment)
37:53 – Issued a Body Bag With His Name On It
41:27 – Denied Leave for His Son’s Birth
44:24 – Article 15 & Betrayal
47:47 – Mental Health Breakdown
48:23 – Inpatient Treatment & Healing
52:17 – Contemplated Suicide Four Times
53:18 – Becoming The Hood Motivator
54:30 – Message to Veterans Struggling

#military #warstories #urbanvalor #usarmy  #warstories

Cynthia Garcia’s story is one of the most powerful Marine Corps stories you’ll ever hear. As a single mom, she ran into a Marine recruiting office seeking protection — and that moment changed her life forever. Today, she’s an active-duty United States Marine Staff Sergeant, but her journey through Marine boot camp, recruiting duty, deployment, and motherhood was anything but easy.

In today's Urban Valor Episode, we look into what it really takes to become a female Marine, the mental battles of Marine Corps boot camp, the pressure of being a mother in uniform, and how the Marines gave her something she never had before — belonging.

Cynthia enlisted in 2014 after struggling with identity, self-doubt, and adversity. She almost quit during the final hike at boot camp. She faced harsh leadership in the fleet. She served on deployment in Africa and the Middle East. She became a Marine recruiter and helped change the lives of dozens of young men and women — some of whom credit her for saving their lives.

But this story goes deeper.

From nearly stepping out of formation at the Crucible…
To becoming the very leader others depend on…
To raising a daughter diagnosed with a rare genetic condition while serving on active duty…

Cynthia didn’t join for glory.
She joined because she needed protection.
And she never left!

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🗣️ 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.

Chapters: 
00:00 – Running Into the Recruiting Office for Protection
01:20 – Growing Up Feeling Like an Outsider
09:30 – Failing the ASVAB & Nearly Giving Up
16:40 – Why She Chose the Marine Corps Over the Navy
23:10 – Leaving for Boot Camp as a Mother
32:00 – Almost Quitting During the Final Hike
35:00 – Graduation & Earning the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor
39:20 – Fleet Life & Being Told She Didn’t Belong
52:30 – Becoming a Marine Recruiter
1:03:45 – The Recruit She Couldn’t Save
1:10:00 – Pregnancy on Recruiting Duty
1:12:30 – Her Daughter’s Rare Diagnosis
1:15:00 – Making Staff Sergeant
1:18:00 – Why She Reenlisted
1:19:30 – Final Advice for Anyone Considering the Military

#military #warstories #urbanvalor #marines  #warstories

Before he ever wore the uniform, Rolan Smith lived a life of chaos, brotherhood, and near-death experiences that most people wouldn't survive. In this Urban Valor episode, Rolan shares what really led him to enlist in the United States Marine Corps — and how an 85 MPH crash in the middle of the desert nearly ended that path before it began.

Raised in Amarillo, Texas, Rolan was the definition of a wild kid. Sports, trouble, loyalty — and a brotherhood with his best friend Price that would take them from Friday night lights to fire teams. This is the story of what happens before the war… when life itself is already throwing punches.

🚨 The crash.
🏈 The brotherhood.
🎖️ The decision to enlist.
This is how Marines are forged before they ever hit the fleet.

If you're looking for a perfectly polished military story — this ain't it. But if you want something real, raw, and relatable, you're in the right place.

👍 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.

#military #warstories #urbanvalor #marines  #warstories

Pryce Seymour opens up about growing up in chaos, being conceived in jail, surviving a violent and unstable childhood, and finding purpose in the United States Marine Corps. From prison visits as a kid… to boot camp prank wars… to brutal infantry training… to nearly dying in a high‑speed rollover accident… this story doesn’t let up.

Pryce was later selected to be followed by Netflix for a Marine Corps documentary — but what you didn’t see on screen is even crazier. The drinking, the injuries, the culture shock, the fights, the deployments, and the mental toll of living life at full throttle.

This Urban Valor episode goes deep into Marine infantry life, the reality of training and deployment, the brotherhood, and the mindset that forms when you’re pushed past what most people ever experience.

👍 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.

Chapters: 
00:00 – “The Marines Were Easier Than My Childhood”
01:27 – Conceived in Jail: Pryce’s Birth Story
03:53 – Violence, Addiction, and Abandonment at Home
07:20 – Learning Life Lessons Inside Prison Walls
10:57 – Being a Kid While Raising Kids
14:37 – Kicked Out and Finding Real Brotherhood
16:50 – Why He Chose the Marines
19:26 – Boot Camp Prank Wars and Brutality
28:07 – Infantry Life and SOI Targeting
32:56 – Breaking Points on 20K Hikes
37:07 – “Fight Night” in the Barracks
41:14 – Fleet Life, Baseball Bats, and Brotherhood
46:01 – The Worst Field Ops and ITX Training
55:52 – Netflix Starts Filming
58:07 – High-Speed Crash & Being Ejected
01:04:33 – Filming While Injured
01:09:15 – Deployment & What Netflix Didn’t Show
01:14:28 – What’s Next After the Marines
01:18:22 – Killing, Accountability, and Owning the Mission

#military #warstories #urbanvalor #usarmy  #warstories