Inside a Marine Tank Crew's Brutal Fight in Fallujah

Marine veteran Alex Hernandez survived an RPG blast while fighting in Fallujah, Iraq — an attack that severely wounded his tank commander and left Alex covered in shrapnel and blood.

In this episode, Alex tells the story of going from a kid in East LA with no clear direction to joining the United States Marine Corps after 9/11, becoming an M1 Abrams tank mechanic, deploying to Iraq, and finding himself in some of the most intense fighting of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Alex remembers watching the aftermath of the Blackwater contractor killings before Marines were suddenly ordered outside the wire. What followed was hours of combat in Fallujah.

Then, on April 7, everything changed.

While moving through the city in an M1 Abrams, Alex spotted armed fighters appearing with RPGs and AK-47s. Moments later, an RPG struck the tank commander’s hatch.

His tank commander lost his right eye.

Alex was hit by shrapnel and badly wounded in both hands.

But surviving the battlefield was only the beginning.

Alex also opens up about returning home, losing the career and identity he thought he would have, struggling with his mental health years after the war, seeking help, and eventually trying to rediscover a sense of purpose through service and teaching others.

This is a story about war, brotherhood, injury, identity, and what happens when the fighting stops but the battle isn’t necessarily over.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 — The RPG Attack in Fallujah
01:10 — Growing Up in East LA
06:16 — His Grandfather Inspires Him to Serve
07:33 — 9/11 Changes Everything
09:24 — Proving He Could Become a Marine
11:12 — Injured During Boot Camp
13:27 — The Marine Who Never Made It Home
16:54 — Becoming an M1 Abrams Tank Mechanic
19:07 — Arriving at 29 Palms
22:21 — Preparing for War
25:23 — Heading to Iraq
28:42 — First Incoming Fire
30:04 — Life Inside an Abrams Tank
36:45 — Blackwater Killings and Fallujah
38:09 — The Battle Begins
40:46 — 13 Hours of Combat
44:50 — April 7th
45:30 — Watching an RPG Fly Toward the Tank
47:04 — Drawing Fire Away From the Marines
48:59 — RPG Strikes the Tank
49:21 — “I’m Pissing Out Blood”
50:47 — Escaping the Burning Tank
51:31 — Surgery and Recovery
53:57 — Returning to the Fight
57:43 — His Wife Deploys to Iraq
58:30 — Coming Home
1:02:12 — Losing His Sense of Purpose
1:04:29 — Mental Health Begins to Collapse
1:06:33 — Calling the Crisis Line
1:07:58 — Finally Finding the Right Help
1:09:46 — Learning How to Move Forward
1:11:27 — Finding Purpose Again
1:12:14 — “Pick Your Head Up and Continue to March”