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Stories

Army Veteran stories

Interviews with soldiers and Guard members about what they carried, what they came home to, and what they built next.

19 stories, newest first. Every one is free to watch.

Stories

Oct 30, 2026

Every Veteran Is On Their Own After the Uniform. Doc and the MIC Founder Prove That's a Lie.

Navy corpsman Joe "Doc" Worley (@doc_worley) calls getting blown up the coolest blessing of his life. On September 17, 2004, he was running to a disabled vehicle on an overpass in Fallujah with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines when a second roadside bomb took his left leg. He put his own tourniquet on in about 35 seconds with a cravat he'd carried since field med school, and the pocket he pulled it from held a pin with his daughter's face on it. She'd been born while he was deployed. Bronze Star with valor, Purple Heart, 18 months at Walter Reed.

Jul 17, 2026

Mom Died of Cancer at 5. She Built I Will Survive. | Anisa Palmer

Anisa Palmer grew up on 82 square miles of ocean in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Her mom, Puerto Rican, 38 years young, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Anisa was five. Life went chaotic. Her youngest sister was one year old when mom died. Her dad raised four girls and one boy. Alone. She was the wild child. The black sheep. Did things her own way. The only one who served. At 21 she met a recruiter and shipped off. Boot camp in South Carolina in the winter, hypothermia and pneumonia at the same time. Platoon leader from a hospital bed with an IV in her arm. Seven months later she was going off to war. Two combat tours in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division. Bronze Star. Combat Action Badge. Iron Warrior Award. First mission, she got pulled off. Everyone else died. She got out. Three months in a tiny apartment. Alcohol. Insomnia. One question she couldn't stop asking herself: if I don't do this, what else am I going to do? She built I Will Survive Inc. a nonprofit that doesn't point cameras at suffering. It pays rent. It fills fridges. It walks into homes where cancer has taken everything and shows up when nobody else does. Because awareness campaigns are great for awareness. But the bills still come. In this episode Anisa talks about what it costs to be the only one in your family who goes. What it means to hold a dying patient's hand and realize it feels exactly like holding a dying soldier. Why she named her nonprofit something a survivor could say out loud and actually mean. What she told her sisters before she deployed to Iraq. Why she became Miss January for Pin-Ups for Vets. And what she's still working on because even the woman who shows up for everyone else is still learning to show up for herself. Not a single tear or scar is ever going to be wasted. It's going to be used to bless the world.

May 8, 2026

Most Veterans Don’t Know Their Education Benefits, The Man Who’s Helped 9,000 Claim Them

Ross D. Bryant spent 24 years in the U.S. Army, from tank command on the East German border to commissioning 77 Nevada officers during one of the longest military engagements in American history. Then he did something most people wouldn’t expect: he stayed. For 14 years, he’s been the man behind UNLV’s Military & Veteran Services Center, building one of the top 10 most military-friendly university programs in the country out of 1,800+ schools, three consecutive years running. In this episode, Ross sits down with Vegas Veteran Voices to talk about what it really takes to go from the battlefield to the classroom, why thousands of Veterans are leaving life-changing money on the table, and what your education benefits can actually do for you and your family. He breaks down transferred benefits, dependent stipends, in-state tuition rights, and the one thing most Veterans don’t know until it’s too late. He also tells the stories that don’t make the brochure. 5,000 graduates on the wall, 10 suicides he carries with him, a combat medic who became a traveling trauma surgeon, a Marine who survived combat and is graduating from medical school this May, and a Veteran who earned his PhD and led his chapter through a pandemic while feeding 380,000 people who lost everything overnight. If you’ve thought about going back to school and talked yourself out of it, this episode is for you. If you have a spouse, a kid, or a family member sitting on benefits they don’t know exist, this episode is for them too. The mission doesn’t end at the gate. Vegas Veteran Voices | Veteran-Led | Nonprofit Media Las Vegas, Nevada vegasveteranvoices.com

Apr 24, 2026

Addiction and Rebuilding From Rock Bottom

Army Veteran Steve Ulman shares one of the most raw and powerful Veteran interviews we have filmed on Vegas Veteran Voices. In this episode, Steve opens up about his suicide attempt, addiction, recovery, ayahuasca, acting, trauma, off grid living, entrepreneurship, and how he rebuilt his life from rock bottom. He talks about putting a gun to his head, moving the pistol at the last second, and realizing he had to stop living halfway. From there, this conversation goes deep into meth addiction, getting clean, finding joy for the first time, healing through acting, and building an off grid solar business in the Arizona desert. Steve also breaks down self sustainability, freedom, off grid solar, Veteran transition, mental health, and why addicts can become unstoppable when that same drive gets redirected toward purpose. If you are interested in Veteran mental health, addiction recovery, Army Veteran stories, off grid living, off grid solar, entrepreneurship, acting, trauma recovery, or powerful long form podcast conversations, this episode hits all of it. Steve is an Army Veteran, actor, entrepreneur, founder of Arizona Off Grid Solutions, and creator connected to The Off Grid Veteran, The Wolves Den Ranch, Mission Entrepreneurship, and The Gray Area.

Sep 26, 2025

From 50 Cal Gunner to VA Loan Nerd | Caitlin Duffy’s Veteran Story

From the turret of a Humvee in Iraq to helping Veterans navigate homeownership, Army Veteran Caitlin Duffy has lived one of the wildest transitions you’ll hear. In this episode of Vegas Veteran Voices, Caitlin shares her journey from a 50 cal gunner to becoming the “VA Loan Nerd,” breaking down military life, the struggles of civilian transition, and the truth about VA loan myths every Veteran should know.

Sep 12, 2025

Cheeks on Set: From Barracks to Behind the Camera

Cheeks went from Army chaplain’s assistant to Hollywood crew dog, trading formation runs for film sets and finding a new mission behind the camera. His first project was the Veteran-made cult film Range 15, and since then he’s stacked credits on Guy’s Grocery Games, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, national commercials, indie features, and even Post Malone’s “Circles” music video.

Aug 29, 2025

Adaptive Sports Saved My Life | Letoi Adams’ Journey

Letoi Adams’ story is one of resilience, grit, and unshakable courage. A U.S. Army Veteran, truck driver, and now Vice President of Paralyzed Veterans of America, Letoi faced stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that left her in a wheelchair. Instead of giving up, she turned her pain into power becoming a competitive adaptive athlete, motivational speaker, and community leader in Las Vegas.

Jun 13, 2025

From Iraq to Iconic: The Wild Story Behind Envision Footwear | Vegas Veteran Voices

In this episode of Vegas Veteran Voices, we sit down with Ureal Irving, Army Veteran and the visionary founder of Envision Footwear one of the most unique Veteran-owned fashion brands making waves in streetwear and custom sneakers. Ureal shares his powerful story of military transition, entrepreneurship, and using design as a way to express identity, purpose, and legacy.

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