Mike Scotti

When Endurance Makes the Difference Between Life and Death - Mike Scotti Former US Marine

“There are certain folks who are just born with what I like to call a worrier DNA. That is who they are, whether they are a protector or a fighter, but it doesn’t mean that you’re bloodthirsty or that you hope for war”, says today’s guest of the Endurance Cartel.

Mike Scotti joined the United States Marine Corps Reserves while still an undergraduate at the University of Miami, Florida. After graduation, Scotti attended the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant and served four years on active duty as an artillery officer and platoon commander in the First Marine Division.

He was among the first American troops into both Pakistan and Afghanistan in the Fall of 2001 and was deployed to Iraq in early 2003. He was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal with Combat “V” for actions under fire and then was honorably discharged. But, his fighting days were not over yet, as he found himself struggling to survive his post-war darkness. He found solace in helping others get through their own traumas, and while he was attending NYU Stern, Mike founded the Military Veterans Club. Later on, he was a founding Board of Directors member for the military charity Reserve Aid, which has raised over $5 million and assisted over 4,000 veteran families in need. In hopes of letting go of the past, he decided that the best thing to do is to openly talk about his experiences.

He co-produced and starred in the award-winning documentary Severe Clear, using his personal combat footage to chronicle his time in Iraq, and wrote The Blue Cascade: A Memoir of Life after War. Join Javier Pineda on this new episode, and listen to Mike's story of surviving the real battle, the one raging inside.