#2 Danny Velez: From Special Operations to Owner of Music City Skydiving episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 16, 2026 · 1H 11M

#2 Danny Velez: From Special Operations to Owner of Music City Skydiving

from The Hard Deck with Mark Perna · host Mark Perna

Danny Velez is a Navy veteran, former SARC (Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman), and the owner of Music City Skydiving. In this episode, Danny shares his story — growing up as an Army brat, entering the Navy at 17, and navigating an intense special operations medical pipeline that included combat dive, SERE, airborne, and military freefall.We talk about the moment 9/11 changed everything while he was training at Fort Bragg, what deployments and desert patrols in Afghanistan were really like, and how the hardest part of his journey came after he got out — losing purpose, trying to rebuild, and finding a new mission through skydiving.Danny also breaks down how he went from packing parachutes to owning a drop zone during COVID, what it takes to run a skydiving operation, and why customer experience and community are the real growth engine.

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#2 Danny Velez: From Special Operations to Owner of Music City Skydiving

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How long is this episode of The Hard Deck with Mark Perna?

This episode is 1 hour and 11 minutes long.

When was this The Hard Deck with Mark Perna episode published?

This episode was published on March 16, 2026.

What is this episode about?

Danny Velez is a Navy veteran, former SARC (Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman), and the owner of Music City Skydiving. In this episode, Danny shares his story — growing up as an Army brat, entering the Navy at 17, and navigating an intense...

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