About Combat Story
The Story Behind
the Stories
Combat Story was built to preserve real experiences from those who served. From its founding to today, that purpose hasn't changed; only the conversations have grown.
2020: The Beginning
A Question Worth Asking
Combat Story began the way most important things do: quietly, without fanfare, driven by the sense that something was missing.
Ryan Fugit had spent seven years as an AH-64 Apache pilot and eight more in the CIA's Directorate of Operations. He had been in rooms where the stakes were real and the stories stayed classified. What stood out to him was not the secrecy; it was the silence.
Veterans were carrying extraordinary experiences: moments of courage, loss, and decisions made in seconds that would stay with them for a lifetime. Most of those stories were never told, not because they did not matter, but because there was not a place for them.
So Ryan hit record. No production budget, no media strategy. Just one veteran sitting across from another, asking:
“What happened out there?”
That question turned out to be enough.
2025: The Evolution
Carrying the Conversation Forward
AJ Pasciuti first appeared on Combat Story as a guest. A 21-year Marine, Force Recon Scout Sniper, and Infantry Weapons Officer, he had spent a career in the places most people only read about. But it was not his resume that changed the show; it was his approach.
Where most people prepare questions, AJ prepares for a conversation. He does not chase headlines or manufacture moments. He sits across from another human being who has lived through something most people will never understand, and he gives them something rare: the space to speak, without expectation.
“I'm not here to produce content. I'm here to provide context. And that distinction makes all the difference.”
The mission never changed, and the stories still come first. Ryan built the foundation; AJ carries it forward.
Behind the Logo
The Bison
Why the Bison
The American bison exists nowhere else on earth. It is the national mammal of the United States, one of the few symbols that stands alongside the bald eagle. For a platform built on American service, it fits.
A bison spends most of its life grazing quietly, head down and unassuming. But it weighs over 2,000 pounds, can run up to 35 miles per hour, and moves with sudden, decisive force when it has to. It does not posture, and it does not advertise, but when pushed, it does not retreat.
That reflects the men and women who serve: quiet professionals who carry capabilities most people will never see. They do not seek attention, but when the moment comes, they act.
Faces the Storm
When a storm rolls in, cattle move away from it. Bison turn into it and push through. That is the mindset behind Combat Story: we do not avoid the hard parts of these experiences. We move toward them, because that is where the truth lives.
Nearly Lost. Not Gone.
There were once tens of millions of bison across North America. By the early 1900s, fewer than a thousand remained. They were nearly erased, but they endured.
That same pattern exists in many of the stories shared here: moments where things could have ended differently, moments that change a person, and the decision, sometimes quiet and unseen, to keep going.
The Herd Protects Its Own
When threatened, bison do not scatter. They form up, and the strong position themselves to protect the vulnerable. There is no show in it and no recognition, just responsibility. That is the kind of community Combat Story is built on.
His name is Bastion. A reminder of what endures.
The Approach
How We Listen
We Let the Conversation Lead
Every conversation unfolds in real time. There are no set directions or predetermined outcomes. The person who lived the experience sets the pace and decides where it goes.
We Stay Present
Each conversation is shaped by listening, not directing. We follow the moment, allowing people to speak in their own words, in their own way, without expectation or pressure.
We Keep It Intact
The conversation is preserved as it happened. What you hear reflects the full exchange, without reshaping or reframing.
That is how we do it.
The Community
Who Listens
Veterans
The men and women who lived these stories. They are at the center of everything we do.
Military Families
Trying to understand what their loved ones experienced and carried home.
Leaders
Looking to understand decision-making under pressure and what it means to lead.
Students
Studying conflicts they have only read about, seeking the human perspective.
First Responders
Who recognize the weight behind what is being said and share a parallel experience.
If you are here, you are part of it.
By the Numbers
Combat Story by the Numbers
Your Turn
Every Story Deserves to Be Heard
Combat Story exists because of the men and women willing to share what happened. If you served and you have a story (whether it's from Fallujah, the Korengal, a ship in the Pacific, or a base nobody's heard of), we want to hear it.
Share Your Story →Or learn more about the host: AJ Pasciuti →Join the Mission
Be Part of the Story
Every week, another veteran sits down and shares what happened. Here's where you listen.