I Became a Marine After My Marine Father Killed a Gangster to Save His Kids

Marine Corps veteran Alex D’Hue served from 2002 to 2008 and was assigned to Third ANGLICO, where he worked in small fire control teams providing air support while attached to other units. In this episode of Urban Valor, Alex shares the story of his difficult childhood, growing up between America and Belgium, surviving an abusive household, and eventually joining the Marine Corps after 9/11.Alex opens up to Urban Valor about the chaos of Marine Corps boot camp, the moments that nearly broke him, and how getting assigned to Third ANGLICO changed the direction of his military career. He later deployed to Iraq, where his team supported missions outside the wire, worked alongside Iraqi forces and U.S. units, and experienced the reality of combat in a way he never forgot.One of the most intense moments of Alex’s deployment happened during a mission when his best friend Jackson took a sniper round to the helmet. Alex describes hearing “sniper fire,” seeing Jackson on the ground, dragging him back under cover, checking for blood, and realizing the helmet had stopped the round from going through. He also reflects on how the team’s movement afterward may have saved his own life.👍 Like this video to support and show appreciation.🗣️ Comment your support or ask any questions. Sometimes, our interviewees respond, and we at Urban Valor will do our best to respond as well!✅ SUBSCRIBE to support Urban Valor and the courageous Veterans who tell their stories AND so you NEVER miss a weekly episode of our veteran stories. New stories every Sunday!Your engagement greatly supports our mission to share authentic and impactful veteran stories.Chapters: 00:00 Marine sees his best friend hit by sniper fire01:13 Alex D’Hue’s Marine Corps background01:32 Growing up in a broken home04:58 Being sent to Belgium as a child06:09 His grandfather’s World War II legacy08:42 Child services visits the home11:18 Growing up American in Belgium13:37 Losing his grandmother to cancer17:17 Returning to America at 1319:41 His father’s murder trial25:38 Reuniting with family in California27:29 Abuse inside the household30:16 Running away from home31:07 Getting in trouble before joining the Marines31:27 How 9/11 pushed him toward service34:52 Arriving at Marine Corps boot camp36:19 Chaos inside boot camp38:42 Getting targeted by drill instructors43:16 The brass casing incident45:11 Fights and hazing in boot camp49:08 The drill instructor who crossed the line50:21 Joining Third ANGLICO51:22 What ANGLICO Marines actually do52:43 Getting NJP’d before his combat unit59:02 Arriving at a combat unit1:00:26 How ANGLICO deployments worked1:09:35 Deploying to Iraq1:10:22 First moments at Camp Ramadi1:11:19 Working with Iraqi forces1:15:10 The mission that turned deadly1:15:58 “Sniper fire”1:16:20 Jackson goes down1:16:40 Dragging his best friend to cover1:17:16 Checking the helmet and head wound1:18:09 How the helmet saved Jackson1:18:53 Trying to locate the sniper1:20:21 Running in the sniper’s line of fire1:23:27 Why Alex wanted Jackson medevaced1:23:58 The zigzag that may have saved his life1:24:57 Nearly falling while crossing open ground1:26:10 What war does to brotherhood1:27:24 Almost fighting an Army leader over a helmet strap1:30:00 Reflections on deployment and Marine Corps culture#military #warstories #urbanvalor #marines