Navy Veteran Jesse Swalley shares his story of survival after a brutal knife attack left him paralyzed. Raised in the San Fernando Valley, Jesse enlisted in the U.S. Navy seeking a better life and served as an Aviation Boatswain’s Mate from 1980 to 1986.

After navigating the dangers of the flight deck and the challenges of military life, Jesse faced his greatest battle on U.S. soil—stabbed multiple times trying to break up a fight. Despite a severed spinal cord, Jesse refused to let paralysis define him. Teaching himself how to skateboard again, he proves that resilience knows no limits.

In this episode of Urban Valor, Jesse opens up about life at sea, overcoming addiction, surviving near-death, and reclaiming his spirit.

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Video Chapters:
00:00 — Jesse Swalley’s Near-Death Stabbing Incident
00:42 — Growing Up Poor in San Fernando Valley
02:16 — Choosing the Navy Over the Marines
05:18 — Life on the Flight Deck: High-Risk Navy Jobs
19:49 — Shipboard Accidents and Realities of Naval Life
22:20 — Hazing Rituals and Crossing the Equator
26:53 — Life After Service: Struggles and Addiction
38:28 — Fighting to Protect a Friend
43:27 — Stabbing Attack and Spinal Cord Injury
55:18 — Learning to Walk Again and Rediscovering Purpose
1:00:21 — Adaptive Skateboarding and Marathons
1:10:02 — Finding Community and Healing Through Sports
1:17:51 — Reflections on Resilience and Inspiration

#military #warstories #urbanvalor #usnavy #navyveteran

Marine veteran Sam Williams reveals the brutal reality of close-quarters combat during the Iraq War, including the infamous Second Battle of Fallujah. In this Urban Valor episode, Sam shares his experiences from the frontlines of Iraq, where he and his unit were forced to retreat from Mosul after engaging a hostile crowd and later thrown into the bloodiest urban battle of the war.

Born in a trailer park and raised on a Northern Michigan farm, Sam joined the Marines seeking a sense of purpose after losing his childhood home to a fire. Over 13 years of service, he faced deadly firefights, watched close friends fall, and learned what it truly means to survive war—and life after it.

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Video Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: Grenade Incident & Hearing Loss
00:38 – Childhood & Redneck Upbringing
04:12 – House Fire & Family Struggles
11:35 – Confronting Racism & Early Anger
15:38 – Joining the Marines & Choosing Infantry
27:09 – Boot Camp Shock & Drill Instructor Brutality
58:40 – Grenade Mishap in Combat
1:10:16 – Landing in Iraq Under Cover of Darkness
1:22:16 – Evacuation on Chicken Trucks Under Fire
1:26:21 – Leading the Assault on Fallujah
1:42:49 – Losing Fellow Marines in Battle
2:07:23 – Eulogy & Emotional Reckoning
2:11:45 – Post-Military Identity Crisis
2:28:48 – Radical Honesty & Rebuilding Life
2:32:46 – Helping Veterans Through Business

#military #warstories #urbanvalor #marines #veteranmentalhealth #supportveterans

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.

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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.

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