This episode is brought to you by RocketMoney. Go to www.RocketMoney.com/combatstory and get help finding and canceling your unwanted subscriptions, monitor your spending, and help lower your bills—all in one place. This episode is brought to you by DeleteMe. Go to www.joindeleteme.com/combat and use the code COMBAT to get 20% off your plan and keep your personal information online secure. ======= Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more! 🎙️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 life-altering 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 how we treatment of veterans when they return 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/michael-bloch-marine-raider/ Donate to UAP to support Mike's case: https://www.uap.org/donate/ Mike's Non-Profit 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/michael-bloch-case-district-attorney-ernie-lee/bloch-letter-to-governor-cooper/ 📲 Connect with Ryan Ryan's Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory Merch Store https://www.bonfire.com/store/combatstory Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/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 non-profit to help other veterans. On February 15, 2022, Mike was on his way to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, for a business meeting when he suffered a mental breakdown brought on by a combination of high-stress, lack of sleep, and a drug called 'Nuvigil' prescribed by the VA to Mike for over four years (when it should not be taken for more than 12 weeks). 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. Part of the reason we created Combat Story was for politicians to understand what really happens to veterans when they're sent down range, from the trauma and loss during combat to the experience when they return home and try to reintegrate. This interview does exactly that. Try to imagine where you were on Christmas day in 2004 and compare it to Mike's experience. Listen to the number of brothers he lost along the way. Then try to understand what it's like to lead a normal life afterwards. 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. ======= Show Notes: 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - Guest Introduction (Mike Bolch) 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