Vegas Veteran Voices

Vegas Veteran Voices

Vegas Veteran Voices is a raw, unscripted podcast that puts real veterans in the spotlight, not as headlines or hashtags, but as people. Hosted in Las Vegas, the show sits down with veterans from every branch to talk about life after the uniform, identity, purpose, mental health, and the unexpected paths that help them heal. Each episode goes beyond service stories. You will hear honest conversations about transition, dark humor, loss, rebuilding, and the moments that brought meaning back. Guests include combat veterans, creatives, athletes, business owners, and advocates who found their way forward through action, community, and connection. This is not a highlight reel or a motivational poster. Vegas Veteran Voices is real talk 501c3 nonprofit, told without filters, designed to remind veterans they are not alone and to help civilians better understand the cost of service and the strength it takes to keep going. Stories over stigma. Connection saves lives.

  1. May 15

    Behind the Beat - 2K Kenny Made Love Songs Underway

    2K Kenny didn't go viral in a studio. He's Petty and Second Class. He went viral on a Navy ship, after writing a love song during sweepers, recording the melody on Snapchat before he forgot it, and sneaking into the barbershop to lay it down because it was the only quiet room on the boat. The next day his LPO walked in singing it. That's when he knew. In this episode, Kenny breaks down what it actually looks like to build a music career while active duty, hiding it from his command, performing at a ship talent show in Rota Spain, getting a show booked in Bahrain in 10 minutes flat through Navy networking, and why being a Retail Specialist (the most hated rate in the fleet) gave him more time to grind than any other sailor on the ship. He's still in. Just made E5. Headed to Hawaii. And he's not stopping. If you're in the military and think you have to choose between service and your dream, this one's for you. Find 2K Kenny: @2kkenny on Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music ️ Real Conversations drops every week. Vegas Veteran Voices | Veteran-Led. Veteran-Built. #VegasVeteranVoices #NavyVeteran #MilitaryMusic #ActiveDuty #VeteranPodcast #2KKenny #NavyLife #MilitaryArtist #RealConversations #FloatingWithEmotions

    57 min

  2. May 1

    Two Brothers, One Came Home. Now He Fights For Others Still In The Dark.

    Two brothers. Same darkness. Only one walked away. Iraq combat veteran Raivadus Gill came home from war running at 110mph while the world had slowed to 15. He thought he was good. Then one afternoon, alone in a house, a heaviness hit him that he still can't fully explain, and he walked to his brother's room and picked up a gun. A flyer on a table is the only reason he's sitting in this chair. A year later, that same weapon took his brothers life. Raivadus has carried that question ever since, what made him pull it when I didn't? That question became two organizations. Operation Battle Cry, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit connecting veterans to the benefits, housing, and mental health resources they've earned. And Trigger Happiness, a movement redefining mental health as mental medicine. Something you practice daily. Something you keep close so when the tunnel comes, the lights are already flickering. STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW? Veterans Crisis Line: Dial 988, Press 1 Text: 838255 Chat: veteranscrisisline.net This episode is for anyone who's felt that heaviness and couldn't name it. Anyone who's lost someone and is still asking why. And anyone watching at 2am who needs to hear that the flicker in the dark is enough. CONNECT WITH RAIVADUS GILL Operation Battle Cry: https://obattlecry.org Trigger Happiness: @gotriggerhappiness OBC: @operationbattlecry

    1 hr

  3. Apr 24

    Addiction and Rebuilding From Rock Bottom

    Army veteran Steve Ulman shares one of the most raw and powerful veteran interviews we have filmed on Vegas Veteran Voices. In this episode, Steve opens up about his suicide attempt, addiction, recovery, ayahuasca, acting, trauma, off grid living, entrepreneurship, and how he rebuilt his life from rock bottom. He talks about putting a gun to his head, moving the pistol at the last second, and realizing he had to stop living halfway. From there, this conversation goes deep into meth addiction, getting clean, finding joy for the first time, healing through acting, and building an off grid solar business in the Arizona desert. Steve also breaks down self sustainability, freedom, off grid solar, veteran transition, mental health, and why addicts can become unstoppable when that same drive gets redirected toward purpose. If you are interested in veteran mental health, addiction recovery, Army veteran stories, off grid living, off grid solar, entrepreneurship, acting, trauma recovery, or powerful long form podcast conversations, this episode hits all of it. Steve is an Army veteran, actor, entrepreneur, founder of Arizona Off Grid Solutions, and creator connected to The Off Grid Veteran, The Wolves Den Ranch, Mission Entrepreneurship, and The Gray Area. Subscribe, comment, and help us keep telling real veteran stories with honesty, depth, and integrity.

    33 min

  4. Apr 17

    Most Military Couples Fall Apart. Here's Why They Didn't.

    If you've ever come home from a deployment and felt like a stranger in your own house — this episode is for you. Jamie and Cole Waterberry are an Air Force couple with 16 years of marriage, 9 moves, and 6 deployments between them. Stories they're only now comfortable telling out loud — like the time Cole casually drove through IED Alley and described it as "nothing to worry about." Or the rocket that landed two trailers down while Jamie had no idea where the bunkers were. But beyond the war stories, this conversation gets into what actually makes or breaks a military marriage. What it means when you come home and the furniture moved. Why their first five years of marriage were really years five through ten. What happens when one person gets out while the other stays in. Jamie also opens up about her work in corporate philanthropy — why AI is quietly killing nonprofit grant applications, why Las Vegas runs on relationships before résumés, and how she talked her way into an internship that didn't exist. No fluff. Just two veterans being honest about what that life actually looks like. ️ Vegas Veteran Voices | Filmed at Outbox Studio, Las Vegas Subscribe to keep these stories coming — and drop a comment. We read them all. Military marriage · Deployment · Veteran transition · Mill-to-mill relationships · GI Bill · Corporate philanthropy · Nonprofit grant writing · Las Vegas veterans

    1h 18m

  5. Apr 10

    Aboard a Submarine: What No One Tells You About Life After Service

    On this episode of Vegas Veteran Voices, we step aboard the historic USS Pampanito in San Francisco for a powerful conversation inside the submarine's mission control room about something a lot of veterans know too well but do not always talk about enough: life after service. LT. Emilio Mackie opens up about his time in the U.S. Navy, serving as a surface warfare officer, being stationed in Japan, and ultimately making the decision to leave military service. But this episode goes far beyond Navy stories. This is an honest conversation about military transition, veteran identity, therapy, PTSD, decompression after service, finding purpose after the military, and the mental shift that happens when the structure of military life suddenly disappears. We talk about what it really feels like to get out of the military, the loss of identity many veterans face, why so many service members jump straight into stress instead of slowing down, and how therapy, reflection, travel, and community can help rebuild a life outside the uniform. LT. Mackie shares why he intentionally took a break after separating from the Navy, how Military OneSource helped connect him with a therapist trained in transitioning service members, and why he believes veterans need to train their minds for civilian life just like they trained their bodies for service. This episode also dives into veteran mental health, isolation after service, work ethic after the military, burnout, anger, healing, and the pressure veterans put on themselves when they no longer have a chain of command telling them what to do next. We also get into Navy culture, dark humor, life aboard ship, type two fun, sea stories, transition advice for veterans, and why community matters so much when you are trying to move forward after military service. Being able to have this conversation aboard USS Pampanito made it hit even harder. USS Pampanito is a World War II Balao class fleet submarine built in 1943. She completed six war patrols in the Pacific during World War II and is especially remembered for helping rescue 73 British and Australian prisoners of war after the sinking of a Japanese prison ship in September 1944. Today, she is preserved as a museum submarine and memorial at Pier 45 in San Francisco. Special thank you to Dwight Naset, Emilio Mackie, and the rest of the team at USS Pampanito for making this happen and for helping preserve a piece of history that still has the power to teach, connect, and inspire. If this conversation hits home, share it with a veteran who might need it. Sometimes the hardest part is not the service itself. It is what comes after. Vegas Veteran Voices is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit using honest veteran storytelling to fight isolation, restore identity, and build community through real conversations that matter. USS Pampanito official site: https://maritime.org/uss-pampanito/ Tickets and visitor info: https://maritime.org/uss-pampanito/pampanito-tickets/ San Francisco Maritime National Park Association: https://maritime.org/ Volunteer info: https://maritime.org/pampvol.php Donate / support preservation: https://maritime.org/support-us/donate/ National Park Service overview: https://www.nps.gov/places/uss-pampanito.htm

    43 min

  6. Apr 6

    Terminal Lance Creator Maximilian Uriarte on Iraq, Infantry, Dark Humor, and Life After Service

    Maximilian Uriarte, creator of Terminal Lance, joins Vegas Veteran Voices for a powerful conversation about the Marine Corps, infantry life, war, veteran identity, dark humor, storytelling, and life after service. In this episode, Max opens up about why he chose the infantry even though he had the scores to do almost anything else, how Iraq shaped him, and how humor became a way to process anger, absurdity, and the emotional weight that followed him home. We talk about the deeper meaning behind Terminal Lance, why so many Marines and veterans connected to it, and how comedy can become a form of decompression when the people around you do not fully understand what you carried back with you. Max also gets into the emotional truth behind The White Donkey and Battle Born, including how both books pulled from real experience, reflection, discomfort, and craft. He breaks down writing, visual storytelling, character building, and the role art plays in turning pain into something honest and lasting. This episode covers Marine Corps culture, deployment, Iraq, transition out of the military, the GI Bill, creativity after service, loneliness, anger, identity loss, veteran mental health, and finding purpose as a civilian. What starts with the chaos and humor you would expect from a veteran podcast turns into a deeper conversation about truth, healing, storytelling, and what it means to rebuild yourself after war.

    1h 27m

  7. Mar 28

    Green Beret Racing. Community. Camaraderie. Competition.

    This shouldn't have worked… but it did. At the Mint 400, one of the largest off-road races in North America, a veteran-led team from Green Beret Racing built their cars in just three weeks… then watched everything start to break in the middle of the desert. A steering failure mid-race should have ended it. Instead, they improvised. Using nothing but a cut-up energy drink can, duct tape, and pure problem-solving under pressure, they got the car moving again… and somehow finished in 2nd place. This is what happens when military improvisation meets racing. But this isn't just about cars. Nick Merrick, a former U.S. Army Green Beret, didn't build Green Beret Racing just to race. He built it to solve a problem: After leaving the military, many veterans lose their sense of purpose, identity, and team. Instead of focusing on awareness, Nick built a system using competition, shared struggle, and community to give veterans something real to show up for again. Green Beret Racing is that system in action. You hear it all the time: “We don't need suicide awareness… we need a plan.” This is that plan. Community. Camaraderie. Competition. Something to wake up for. Because at the end of the day: Waking up for something is better than going to bed for nothing. Learn more or get involved: https://www.greenberetracing.org/ If you want to support what we're doing with Vegas Veteran Voices, subscribe and drop a comment. It helps us keep telling these stories the right way and means the world to us. Thank you.

    28 min

  8. Mar 20

    Lucky Lopez: From Army Mechanic to Car Industry Insider

    Most people know Lucky Lopez as the car guy on YouTube. Breaking down the used car market, auto loans, dealerships, Turo, and how money really moves in the car business. What they don't know is… before all of that… he was a 63B mechanic in the Army National Guard. And the story is not what you think. In this episode of Vegas Veteran Voices, Lucky Lopez sits down with Ronnie Long and gets real about what military life actually looked like, the boredom, the chaos, the motor pool stories no one talks about, and how that experience shaped everything he does today. From fixing cars in Las Vegas to building dealerships next to the strip… to flipping cars, running rental businesses, and calling out the auto industry online… this is the side of Lucky Lopez most people have never seen. This is not a “car interview.” This is about what happens after the uniform comes off. We get into: • The truth about being a mechanic in the military (not what you think) • How the car business really works behind the scenes • Dealerships, auto loans, and how banks actually make money • Turo, car flipping, and why most people fail trying to do it • How veterans can use their skills to build real businesses • The mindset shift from military structure to entrepreneurship If you are a veteran trying to figure out your next move… or someone interested in cars, business, and how the system actually works… this one hits. Vegas Veteran Voices exists for one reason: to break isolation and show veterans they are not alone. If this episode resonates, send it to someone who needs it.

    1h 2m
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About

Vegas Veteran Voices is a raw, unscripted podcast that puts real veterans in the spotlight, not as headlines or hashtags, but as people. Hosted in Las Vegas, the show sits down with veterans from every branch to talk about life after the uniform, identity, purpose, mental health, and the unexpected paths that help them heal. Each episode goes beyond service stories. You will hear honest conversations about transition, dark humor, loss, rebuilding, and the moments that brought meaning back. Guests include combat veterans, creatives, athletes, business owners, and advocates who found their way forward through action, community, and connection. This is not a highlight reel or a motivational poster. Vegas Veteran Voices is real talk 501c3 nonprofit, told without filters, designed to remind veterans they are not alone and to help civilians better understand the cost of service and the strength it takes to keep going. Stories over stigma. Connection saves lives.

Information

  • Creator
    Vegas Veteran Voices
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    49
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 by Vegas Veteran Voices
  • Show Website
    Vegas Veteran Voices