Welcome to Combat Story
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Dive into the riveting life journey of Mike Bloch, a valorous Marine Corps Veteran and MARSOC Special Operator. Mike's story is a tapestry of courage, resilience, and sacrifice, woven through multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

#MarineCorps #MARSOC #VeteranStories #CombatStoryPodcast

A Turning Point in Mike's Life

On February 15, 2022, Mike encountered a lifealtering mental health crisis, spotlighting the urgent need for comprehensive mental health support for our veterans. This episode is not just an interview; it's a call to action.

#MentalHealthAwareness #VeteranSupport #PTSD

Why This Episode Matters

Our mission at Combat Story is to give a voice to the voiceless and bridge the gap between policymakers and the lived experiences of veterans. Mike's ongoing legal battle serves as a case study for the treatment of our veterans when they come home from war.

#JusticeForVeterans #LegalReform #PolicyChange

Take Action

If Mike's story resonates with you, we urge you to support his case through the UAP organization and reach out to your elected officials. Your voice can make a difference.

#UAP #VeteranRights #TakeAction

Connect with Mike Bloch
Support Mike's Case via UAP https://www.uap.org/case/michaelbloc...
Donate to UAP to support Mike’s case: https://www.uap.org/donate/
Mike's NonProfit for Veterans https://www.projectvetwerx.org/
You can make an impact by contacting your state’s elected representatives, along with contacting North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, to request that they use their powers to help the transfer of Staff Sergeant Bloch’s case to the Veterans Court.
You can also read Michael Bloch’s own letter to Governor Cooper here to aid with your effort to support: https://www.uap.org/post/michaelbloc...

Connect with Ryan
Ryan’s Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory
Merch Store https://www.bonfire.com/store/combats...
Instagram @combatstory   / combatstory  
Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial
Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus
Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle
Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

This is an important Combat Story with former MARSOC Special Operator and Marine Rifleman Mike Bloch. Mike served multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with conventional and special operations forces, returned with PTSD and TBI (like so many) but preserved. He went on to serve in a contractor role with JSOC, created his own company (EBS, a Defense Contracting Company), and founded a nonprofit to help other veterans.

Mike is now being treated as a violent criminal by the North Carolina court system and a District Attorney who has decided to target an honorable veteran who spent years in combat. The DA set Mike’s trial for September 11th in case you want to understand just how out of touch this is.

Beyond an amazing set of combat stories, this is also an episode about how we treat our veterans when they come home. If Mike’s story moves you, as it did me, I’d ask you to check out the UAP site and donate what you can and write to your congressional representative and ask to move this case to a veteran court designed for such cases. You can find the necessary links in the episode description.

This is a special one and I hope you enjoy this humble combat story as much as I did.

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Show Notes:
00:00 Intro
01:00 Guest Introduction (Mike Bloch)
02:57 Interview begins
04:15 Trial backstory
06:43 Motivation to go into the Military
13:59 What life without the Military would be
14:53 Family reaction to joining the Military
16:02 Youth Ranch compared to Basic
20:25 Rocket Money Ad
21:48 Post 9/11 Deployment
27:14 Deployment in Babylon
29:48 Integrating with the Platoon
34:30 First combat experience
39:45 First deployment from Iraq
41:48 DeleteMe Ad
45:51 Subsequent Deployments
44:50 Transition back home
47:28 Close encounters
01:01:10 Traumatic events
01:07:20 Jay and MARSOC
01:11:45 Preparing mentally for Deployments
01:14:00 Arrival and preparation for MARSOC
01:18:38 Challenging Operation
01:34:38 Transition to Contracting
01:48:35 FOMO on the Job
01:51:20 PTSD, V.A and New Vigil, Trial case
02:05:32 Sentimental Items
02:06:30 Would you do it all again
02:07:19 Listener comments and shout outs