Every Marine defends their boot camp. Randall Parkes is one of the few alive who saw both sides of it, San Diego recruit, three years as a Parris Island drill instructor, then back to MCRD San Diego as a First Sergeant. Ronnie asks the question every Marine argues about, and for once the answer comes with full context.

And that’s just the warm-up. Twenty years from a founding MARSOC Raider: walking into the monitor’s office to dodge Albuquerque and walking out with orders to a unit he’d never heard of, boot camp on the morning of September 11th, a drill instructor story he’s never told on any show, and the phone call from his old interpreter as Kabul fell, eight months of paperwork going nowhere, and the Bro-Call that finished the job in days. Plus turning down Sergeant Major, EMDR at the VA, and the benefits playbook he wants every Marine to run before they get out.

This episode is sponsored by Bulkhead Energy — www.bulkheadenergy.com

CHAPTERS

0:00 — Cold Open

2:46 — Welcome to Vegas Veteran Voices

6:50 — A Funeral, Dress Blues, and a Navy Dad

8:38 — The $10,000 Offer vs. the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor

10:16 — Security Forces, Bangor, and Coming Home Pale

12:03 — Accidental Orders to MARSOC

15:56 — Boot Camp on September 11th

19:47 — Four Combat Deployments

22:25 — Kandahar and the Gunny

27:11 — Becoming a Drill Instructor

31:23 — The World’s Smallest Drill Instructor

35:37 — San Diego vs. Parris Island: The Verdict

37:44 — Turning Down Sergeant Major

42:09 — The Kabul Rescue

50:21 — Using Your Benefits: GI Bill, USC, and the VA Loan

59:45 — EMDR and Mental Health at the VA

1:05:04 — Wrap-Up

1:05:38 — Outtake: Full Send

If you’re a veteran in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, call 988 and press 1, or text 838255. The Veterans Crisis Line is free and confidential, 24/7.

Vegas Veteran Voices is a Las Vegas–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit media organization telling veteran stories with the production they deserve. New episodes every Friday.

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