This Marine Sold Drugs to Save His Family Before Going to War

Ronald Long is a United States Marine Corps veteran who served from 2009–2013, leaving the Marines as an E-4 Corporal. In this episode of Urban Valor, Ronald shares his incredible story of joining the U.S. Marines, experiencing combat, surviving an IED explosion, losing a fellow service member beside him, and confronting experiences that would follow him long after the battlefield.But Ronald’s story started LONG before the Marine Corps...He grew up in Northern California in a Puerto Rican family that endured financial hardship, his sister’s battle with cancer, his mother’s addiction, abuse inside the home, and eventually the breakup of his family.As a kid, Ronald learned pretty damn quickly how to survive.By his teenage years, that meant helping raise his sisters, trying to help keep his family financially afloat, getting involved in selling marijuana, witnessing violence around his friends, and reaching adulthood without much of a plan for what came next.Then life changed FAST.Ronald began a relationship, discovered he was about to become a father, and suddenly needed a way to provide for a family.Then, seemingly out of nowhere...A Marine Corps recruiter called.Ronald signed the paperwork, went to boot camp, and began a path that would eventually put him into situations very few people can truly understand.And somehow, even surrounded by some incredibly dark moments, Ronald’s Marine Corps stories can also be absolutely hilarious.From doing boot camp practically BLIND because nobody gave him his glasses......to Marines breaking into the WRONG barracks......to a drill instructor apparently studying World of Warcraft just so he could figure out new ways to destroy the recruits playing it. But combat was different.Ronald describes transporting bodies, seeing horrific injuries become almost routine, and the moment a pressure plate detonated feet away from him.For a moment, his mind transported him somewhere completely different.Then Abdul came crashing back into his reality.And Ronald realized his friend was dead.Thank you to Ronald Long for trusting us with his story.👍 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 Preview01:04 Meet Marine Veteran Ronald Long02:17 His Sister’s Battle With Cancer04:19 Addiction and Abuse at Home10:15 His Family Nearly Loses Everything12:30 Gang Violence and Losing a Friend17:55 Life Before the Marine Corps23:16 Finding Out He Was Going to Be a Father23:55 The Marine Corps Recruiter Calls25:50 Leaving for Boot Camp26:50 Going Through Boot Camp Nearly Blind28:26 Breaking Into the Wrong Barracks32:34 World of Warcraft Meets Marine Boot Camp37:02 Becoming a Squad Leader39:18 MCT and Becoming a Radio Operator44:42 Arriving in the Fleet45:58 A Wild Night With His Corporals50:53 Becoming a Field Radio Operator52:10 Preparing for Afghanistan59:19 Taking Over Communications in Afghanistan1:00:07 Becoming Addicted to Combat Patrols1:01:42 The Push Along Route 6111:03:39 Abdul Steps on an IED1:04:29 Realizing Abdul Is Dead1:05:16 Surviving the Blast1:06:52 Faith, Anger, and Wanting to Die1:15:20 Returning to Afghanistan1:15:39 Becoming Desensitized to Death1:17:00 The True Cost of the Deployment1:26:14 Surviving Another Major Battle1:27:22 Coming Home From a Brutal Deployment1:29:43 Trying to Become a Husband and Father1:41:19 Getting Married Days After Coming Home1:42:34 Discovering His Wife Was Unfaithful1:45:24 Preparing for Another Deployment1:52:40 Waking Up Injured in Thailand1:54:19 His Unit Leaves Without Him1:56:10 Stranded and Trying to Rejoin His Unit2:00:04 Traveling Through the Middle East2:06:53 Finally Rejoining His Marines2:11:02 Deciding to Leave the Marine Corps2:12:23 Transitioning to Civilian Life2:13:53 Moving Millions on the Las Vegas Strip2:24:14 A Fight Changes His Career2:26:22 Becoming a Counterterrorism Instructor2:27:04 Finding Purpose Again2:31:06 Struggling With Suicidal Thoughts2:31:55 Losing His Purpose Again2:34:00 Sitting in a Parking Lot With a Gun2:34:19 The Phone Call That Kept Him Alive2:35:25 Losing Fellow Marines to Suicide2:37:16 Finding a New Mission After the Military2:37:56 Turning Veteran Trauma Into Comedy2:42:15 Helping Veterans Find Purpose2:43:02 Stories Over Stigma2:43:39 Ronald’s Message to Other Veterans2:44:33 Closing━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━DISCLAIMER: The views and experiences shared in this interview are those of the individual and are recounted from personal memory.#UrbanValor #usarmy #podcast