Combat Story

Before the Iraq War officially began, a different fight was already underway.
U.S. Army Special Forces teams were operating in Northern Iraq, linking up with Kurdish fighters and preparing to open a second front against Saddam Hussein. What they built in those early months would shape the opening phase of the war.
In this episode, AJ Pasciuti sits down with retired Lieutenant Colonel Mark Grdovic, a Green Beret who led missions alongside Kurdish Peshmerga forces against Al-Qaeda affiliates in the mountains.
This conversation follows the full path, from early training and deployments, to the moment everything changed after 9/11, to the long preparation for a mission that had no clear timeline and no guaranteed support.
Mark shares what it looked like to plan in uncertainty, build trust with partner forces, and lead small teams in high-risk environments where decisions carried immediate consequences.
You'll hear how Special Forces teams executed a 570-mile infiltration into Iraq, fought in complex terrain, and helped create the conditions for the northern front to succeed. He also reflects on leadership, responsibility, and the realities of unconventional warfare that rarely make it into the broader narrative.
This is a story about more than combat.
It's about trust, preparation, and what it takes to operate in the space between intent and execution.
If you're interested in Special Forces, the Iraq War, unconventional warfare, or leadership under pressure, this episode gives you a grounded, firsthand perspective.
 
🎙️ Guest - Mark Grdovic 
Mark Grdovic is a former U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret who worked alongside Kurdish fighters in the early days leading into the Iraq War. His story offers a rare look at unconventional warfare, partnership on the ground, and the human side of conflict before the world was watching.
🔗 Find Mark Online:
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-grdovic-pmp-5668b357
📕 Book (Those Who Faced Death): https://thosewhofacedeath.com
 
🎙️ Host  AJ Pasciuti
AJ Pasciuti is a retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Infantry Weapons Officer (Marine Gunner), author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of the Combat Story Podcast, where veterans share honest, unfiltered stories of service, leadership, and life after combat.
 
🔗 Find AJ Online:
📕 Book (Darkhorse): https://www.amazon.com/Darkhorse-Harnessing-Hidden-Potential-Life/dp/1400254973
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/
📘 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-pasciuti/
🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com/

What does it feel like to make a decision that saves your teammates… but stays with you forever?
In this episode of Combat Story, AJ sits down with Jeremy Rebmann, former FBI Special Agent, SWAT sniper, and author of Send Me, for a raw conversation about what really happens inside high-risk operations.
Jeremy spent over two decades in the FBI, including 21 years on SWAT, operating in some of the most dangerous environments in domestic law enforcement. From hostage rescues to manhunts to split-second lethal force decisions, he lived the responsibility of being the one others rely on when things go wrong.
This conversation goes beyond the action. It gets into the moments behind it.
From tracking a suspect through rugged terrain… to the instant a rifle comes up and there's no time left to think… to the weight that follows after the mission is over.
This is an honest look at the reality of the job.
We cover:
What FBI SWAT operations actually look like
The mindset of a sniper making life-or-death decisions
How training takes over when there's no time to think
The emotional and psychological impact after a shooting
Brotherhood, identity, and what happens when the job ends
Jeremy also shares insights into the investigative side of the FBI, where the mission is not just to win the fight, but to find the truth and bring justice the right way.
This is a conversation about responsibility, restraint, and the cost of doing the job well.
If you've ever wondered what it's really like behind the scenes of elite law enforcement, this episode gives you a perspective few ever hear.
🎙️ Guest Information — Jeremy Rebmann
Jeremy Rebmann is a former FBI Special Agent and SWAT sniper with over 20 years of experience, including 21 years on an FBI SWAT team. He served as an operator, sniper, team leader, and instructor, working high-risk missions across the United States.
He is the author of Send Me: Chronicles of an FBI Sniper, where he shares an unfiltered look at the realities of the job, team culture, and life after service.
🔗 Find Jeremy Online:
📕 Send Me (Book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D38DNXRN 🎧 Audiobook: https://www.audible.com/pd/Send-Me-Audiobook/B0D4WSM4V1
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fbi_sniper/  📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556807893533 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-rebmann-aa9191203 🔗 Website: https://www.fbisniper.com
 
🎙️ Host Information — AJ Pasciuti
AJ Pasciuti is a retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Infantry Weapons Officer (Marine Gunner), author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of the Combat Story Podcast, where veterans share honest, unfiltered stories of service, leadership, and life after combat.
🔗 Find AJ Online:
📕 Book (Darkhorse): https://www.amazon.com/Darkhorse-Harnessing-Hidden-Potential-Life/dp/1400254973 
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/ 
📘 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-pasciuti/ 
🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com/ 

🎧 Featured Combat Story Episodes with AJ
👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 1 (USMC Sniper & Force Recon)- Battle of Fallujah | Shooting w/ Chris Kyle | American Sniper | AJ Pasciuti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4QI-5sNeCs
👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 2 (Sniper vs Sniper Battle) - Killing the Enemy's Most Lethal Sniper | Force Recon | AJ Pasciuti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Ggly1TGAU 

📺 Additional Features & Media
👉 Urban Valor Podcast Feature: https://urbanvalor.com/episode/marine-snipers-eliminate-enemy-sniper-reclaim-stolen-us-sniper-rifle/
👉 DVIDS – Infantry Marine Course Feature: https://www.nationalguard.mil/Leadership/Joint-Staff/Comptroller/Innovation/?dvpTag=imc&videoid=790758

Former U.S. Marine Scout Sniper Alexander Lemons joins AJ to talk about Iraq, the confusion and chaos of the initial invasion, and the hidden damage war leaves behind.
A Bronze Star recipient and co-author of War Body: A Marine Sniper and the Hidden Violence of Modern Warfare, Alex brings a raw, thoughtful perspective to combat, leadership, toxic exposure, and life after service.
In this episode of Combat Story, AJ and Alex unpack Alex's path into the Marines, what it felt like to enter war as a young infantryman, and how those early experiences shaped the questions that would later become War Body. This is Part 1 of a 2-part conversation, focused on his early life, Iraq, and the foundation of his story. Part 2 goes deeper into his path as a sniper, the long-tail health fight, and what veterans, leaders, and civilians should understand about the unseen costs of modern war.
A note for listeners: this episode was filmed in December 2025 and has a slightly different feel than the usual Combat Story format. It plays more like a true conversation between AJ and Alex than a traditional interview, which gives it a more personal and reflective tone.
 
🎙️ Guest Information — Alexander Lemons
Alexander Lemons is a former U.S. Marine Scout Sniper and Bronze Star recipient who served multiple combat deployments during the Iraq War, including Nasiriyah and Fallujah. He is the co-author of War Body: A Marine Sniper and the Hidden Violence of Modern Warfare, a powerful look at the hidden physical and psychological costs of combat and what war leaves behind long after the shooting stops.
📖 War Body:
https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324066330
📰 Featured Article:
https://www.hcn.org/issues/57-2/a-veteran-transforms-a-legacy-of-violence-into-a-campaign-for-restoration/

🎙️ Host Information — AJ Pasciuti
AJ Pasciuti is a retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Infantry Weapons Officer (Marine Gunner), author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of the Combat Story Podcast, where veterans share honest, unfiltered stories of service, leadership, and life after combat.
🔗 Find AJ Online:
📕 Book (Darkhorse): https://www.amazon.com/Darkhorse-Harnessing-Hidden-Potential-Life/dp/1400254973
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/
📘 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-pasciuti/
🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com/

🎧 Featured Combat Story Episodes with AJ

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 1 (USMC Sniper & Force Recon)
- Battle of Fallujah | Shooting w/ Chris Kyle | American Sniper | AJ Pasciuti 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4QI-5sNeCs

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 2 (Sniper vs Sniper Battle)
- Killing the Enemy's Most Lethal Sniper | Force Recon | AJ Pasciuti 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Ggly1TGAU

📺 Additional Features & Media

👉 Urban Valor Podcast Feature:
 https://urbanvalor.com/episode/marine-snipers-eliminate-enemy-sniper-reclaim-stolen-us-sniper-rifle/

👉 DVIDS – Infantry Marine Course Feature:

https://www.nationalguard.mil/Leadership/Joint-Staff/Comptroller/Innovation/?dvpTag=imc&videoid=790758
 

Chapters
00:00 Incoming artillery in Iraq
02:40 Introducing Marine Sniper Alexander Lemons
07:15 Joining the Marines after 9/11
18:30 Iraq invasion and early combat experiences
32:40 Lessons from combat leadership
51:00 The hidden physical cost of war
1:20:00 The chaos of modern warfare
2:09:00 War Body and life after the Marine Corps

A downed U.S. helicopter in Afghanistan. Forty-five knot crosswinds. No power margin.
In this episode of Combat Story, AJ Pasciuti sits down with Isaac G. Lee, a retired U.S. Marine Corps CH-53 heavy lift pilot with seven deployments and multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Isaac flew more than 140 named combat missions, became a Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI), commanded a Marine helicopter squadron, and led one of the most dangerous recovery missions of the war — lifting a downed Night Stalker aircraft near the Pakistani border with almost no margin for error.
We talk about:
Flying CH-53s during the Iraq invasion

Losing an engine in a hot landing zone

Brownout landings with zero visibility

Working alongside Army Apaches and special operations units

The surge years and nonstop named operations

The mental shift required to survive repeated combat deployments

The cost of leadership on families at home

This conversation goes beyond tactics.
It explores responsibility, identity, the "robot mode" many combat leaders adopt, and what happens when you finally step away from the machine.
Isaac shares the deeper story behind his memoir Hangar 4, a candid look at Marine Corps aviation, brotherhood inside Hangar 4, and the transition from warfighter to civilian leader.
If you care about Marine Corps aviation, CH-53 helicopters, Iraq and Afghanistan combat stories, or leadership under pressure, this episode delivers.
 
🎙 Guest: Isaac G. Lee
Isaac Lee is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. CH-53 pilot, Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI), and former squadron commander with seven deployments and multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He is the author of Hangar 4 and founder of Ready Room Consulting, where he teaches leadership drawn from two decades of Marine Corps aviation.
🔗 Connect with Isaac:
🌐 Websites https://isaacglee.com https://readyroomconsulting.com
📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/isaacgleewriter
📘 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IsaacGLee
🐦 X (Twitter) https://x.com/isaacglee
🎵 Book Soundtrack Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4x13aD07eDCCwF5TaSNyfT?si=mKzXXaHZTNCtyHss-MPTvA
 
🎙️ Host Information — AJ Pasciuti | Combat Story AJ Pasciuti is a retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Infantry Weapons Officer (Marine Gunner), author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of the Combat Story Podcast, where veterans share honest, unfiltered stories of service, leadership, and life after combat.
🔗 Find AJ Online:
📕 Book (Darkhorse): https://www.amazon.com/Darkhorse-Harnessing-Hidden-Potential-Life/dp/1400254973
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/
📘 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-pasciuti/
🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com/
 
🎧 Featured Combat Story Episodes with AJ:
👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 1 (USMC Sniper & Force Recon) - Battle of Fallujah | Shooting w/ Chris Kyle | American Sniper | AJ Pasciuti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4QI-5sNeCs
👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 2 (Sniper vs Sniper Battle) - Killing the Enemy's Most Lethal Sniper | Force Recon | AJ Pasciuti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Ggly1TGAU
📺 Additional Features & Media 
👉 Urban Valor Podcast Feature: https://urbanvalor.com/episode/marine-snipers-eliminate-enemy-sniper-reclaim-stolen-us-sniper-rifle/
👉 DVIDS – Infantry Marine Course Feature: https://www.nationalguard.mil/Leadership/Joint-Staff/Comptroller/Innovation/?dvpTag=imc&videoid=790758

0321 Day is more than a date. It's a gut-check, a brotherhood check-in, and a reminder that no Recon Marine (and no Recon family) is ever alone.
In this Combat Story Special Edition, AJ Pasciuti sits down for a two-way conversation with Randall Parks (USMC, Ret.) the West Coast organizer of 0321 Day—to break down what the day means, why it's grown into a tradition, and how the Marine Reconnaissance Foundation (MRF) directly supports Recon Marines, enablers, SARCs, and, most importantly, Gold Star families.
You'll hear the story behind the event's partnership with Ballast Point Brewing, why the Recon community shows up so hard for each other, and how this annual fundraising push funds the Gold Star Family Retreat connected to the Recon Challenge at Camp Pendleton and a week-long retreat afterward.
And yes… Randall also ropes AJ (and Sarah) into the most Recon fundraiser ever: The "Recondo Hundo": 100 miles in 30 days (Feb 20 → Mar 21) to raise money for the MRF. Run it, walk it, bike it, swim it; get involved and bring someone with you.
Support the Marine Reconnaissance Foundation: MRF website: reconfoundation.org
Donate to the Recondo Hundo: support.reconfoundation.org/ajpasciuti
Signup to participate in the Recondo Hundo: support.reconfoundation.org/https-support-reconfoundation-org-2026-recondo-hundo
 
In this episode:
- What "03" and "0321" mean in the Marine Corps
- What the MRF (Marine Reconnaissance Foundation) does and why it matters
- Gold Star vs Blue Star families and why Recon keeps them close
- How 0321 Day grew from texts to a major event
- The Recon Challenge and carrying a fallen brother's name
- The "Recondo Hundo" fundraiser and how to participate
 
If you're a Recon Marine (or served with Recon): On March 21, reach out to somebody and say: "Hey brother, I'm thinking about you."
That simple message can land heavier than you realize.
 
West Coast Event details:
📍 Ballast Point – Little Italy (San Diego)
🕕 March 21 | 6:00 PM
A night of camaraderie, community, and fundraising for the MRF mission.
To attend you must RSVP: support.reconfoundation.org/https-support-reconfoundation-org-0321day-Ballast-Point
 
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