Marine Says Force Recon in the 90s Was Absolutely Insane
5/25/20262 hr 50 min
Marine Recon veteran Rob Blanton sits down with Urban Valor to share one of the wildest, funniest, and most honest Marine Corps stories we’ve ever had on the channel. From growing up in Santa Rosa, California, to joining the United States Marine Corps almost by accident, to becoming a Force Recon Marine.
Rob served in the Marine Corps from 1993 to 2014, retiring as a Master Sergeant. In this interview, he walks us through the chaos of joining the Marines on the buddy program, getting stuck on open contract, becoming an 0311 infantryman, earning his way into Force Recon, and eventually deploying into some of the most intense moments of modern military history.
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Chapters:
00:00 - Saddam’s Palace, Tomahawks & Baghdad Chaos
01:18 - Meet Rob Blanton: Marine Recon Master Sergeant
01:35 - Growing Up Around Addiction, Loss & Family Pain
08:09 - Joining the Marine Corps by Accident
14:32 - Boot Camp, Open Contract & Becoming Infantry
22:25 - 3/1 Marines, Blood Stripes & Wanting Recon
38:30 - Failing Force Recon Selection the First Time
48:07 - Coming Back and Earning His Spot
54:25 - Basic Recon Course & Life Inside Force Recon
1:08:41 - Jump School, Dive School & 90s Recon Culture
1:28:23 - Iraq, Saffan Hill & the Start of the War
1:53:11 - Saddam’s Palace, Baghdad Ops & Aftermath
2:33:10 - PTSD, Warfighter Made & Saving Veterans
#military #warstories #urbanvalor #marines #warstories
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJosh· Host0:00
Hey everyone, this is Josh, host of the Urban Valor Podcast. This week's episode features retired Marine Master Sergeant Rob Blanton. Rob grew up in Northern California around drugs, instability, and chaos. His mother overdosed and died while his little brother was still in the house, a moment that permanently shaped how Rob viewed life. When he joined the Marine Corps in the '90s, he had no idea what Force Recon was. At one point, he thought people were saying Forest Recon. He would spend nearly a decade in First Force Recon surrounded by some of the most legendary Recon Marines of that era. In this episode, Rob talks about old school Marine Corps culture, blood stripe initiations, Somalia after Black Hawk Down, failing Recon selection, making it on the second attempt, brutal Recon indocs, what made '90s Force Recon different, and the mentality required to survive in that environment. This is a raw look at a generation of Marines that operated during a very different era of the Marine Corps. If you enjoy this episode, go give us a five star rating and leave a comment to help support our veterans. The bigger the community, the bigger the impact. If you'd like to contribute your story to Urban Valor or know anyone else who may, you can email me at josh@urbanvalor.com. Enjoy the show.
Rob Blanton· Guest1:14
Yeah, my name is Rob Blanton. Uh, I was in the United States Marine Corps. I served from 1993 to 2014, and I was a Recon Marine.
Josh· Host1:28
Awesome. What rank did you get out?
Rob Blanton· Guest1:29
I got out as