2nd Battalion 4th Marines in Ramadi and A Father's Journey There

06/02/2026

Gold Star dad John Wroblewski after our long flight from ATL to Schilpol to Kuwait City. Here John relaxes for a moment after we grab a quick meal at the Ali Al Salem DFACS. 28 Feb 2008

06/02/2026

Our chariot awaits! Gold Star dad John Wroblewski and I skip the Rhino and take a direct helo flight to LZW. Please excuse the poor video quality - I wasn't supposed to be filming.

05/25/2026

Heartfelt Memorial Day post about 2/4 Marines' losses in Ramadi during the 2004 deployment. Memorial Day isn't just about BBQ, folks. R.I.P. Warriors.

Memorial Day means many things to many people. For veterans, especially those who fought in war together, it carries a weight that is difficult to explain to anyone who hasn’t lived it.

These are the men we lose as a Battalion in Ramadi 2004. Nothing compares to the loss carried by families who lost sons, daughters, husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers. That loss is immeasurable, permanent, and sacred.

But there is another weight carried quietly by the brothers and sisters who fought beside them. The people who relied on them, laughed with them, suffered with them, and loved them.

We carry memories of who they were before the war. We remember the jokes, the stupidity, the exhaustion, the fear, and the moments where we were all just young and trying to survive together. And when they do not come home, part of us always wonders if we could have done more. If we had been faster, smarter, more alert, more aggressive, maybe things would have ended differently.

That burden never fully leaves.

Often Memorial Day focuses only on those who died overseas in combat, and they absolutely deserve every honor we can give them. But many of us have continued losing brothers long after the deployments ended. Some came home carrying wounds that could be seen. Others carried wounds nobody could see at all. Physical injuries, traumatic brain injuries, cancer, addiction, moral injury, depression, and the invisible weight of war have taken far too many.

There are names and stories we wish we could still share on this podcast. Marines and corpsmen we hoped to interview someday. Men whose stories deserved to be preserved in their own words. But they are gone now. Some to su***de. Some to illness. Some to the kind of recklessness and self-destruction that often follows years of carrying things nobody was meant to carry alone.

At this point, the list has honestly grown too long to name completely.

So this Memorial Day, we remember all of them. The ones who fell in combat, and the ones we lost afterward because the war never truly ended for them.

And to my fellow veterans still reading this: thank you for staying in the fight. Thank you for continuing forward even on the days it feels heavy. Thank you for carrying the memories of the people we loved and lost.

Semper Fi.

05/21/2026

3/5 Marine sniper AJ Pasciuti tells Shawn Ryan how he killed the sniper and spotter that were using 2/4 HOG Tommy Parker's rifle (actually Jonathan Wood M40A3 rifle.) Part 1. Full 8 hour interview is here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0mGm1RuoepFArBsY2VaHu2?si=t2jzF88URC2VCJ9-Bm6OPg

05/11/2026

A few more 2007 Zoller mission images before we dive into 2008: Zoller team in Germany 23 Jan 2007, on the "Rhino" armored bus on Route Irish in Iraq, and on a C-130 at BIAP. © Gregory Janney Images. All rights reserved.

05/10/2026

2008 Gold Star dad John Wrobleski memorial service mission begins in ATL 27 Feb 2008. I'll begin posting images and video in chronological order to document our mission. Don't forget - 100% of "The Magnificent Bastards in Ramadi and A Father's Journey There" book sale proceeds go to our 501c3 nonprofit "The Second To None Marine Scholarship Fund." Our mission is to provide scholarships for the 33 remaining Gold Star families of 2/4 Marines from the 2004 Ramadi, Iraq deployment. Our 1st scholarship was awarded 10 Nov 2025 to Isaac Carman, nephew of LCpl Benjamin Carman, KIA 6 Apr 2008 during the successful rescue of Headhunter II sniper team on Rt Nova. © Gregory Janney. All rights reserved.

05/08/2026

2/4 Marine David Escalante shares his 2004 Ramadi, Iraq combat experiences.

The Marine Corps chose where it needed a young 0311, and instead he ended up in a heavy mortars platoon, and in the mortar platoon, he would be a machine gunner. The highly cross trained David Escalante's story is up for the weekend!

Live Now!

Direct Link to David's Episode: https://constantcombat.buzzsprout.com/2525088/episodes/19113482-a-ground-pounder-in-the-gun-line-david-escalante

We can also be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, YouTube, and more.

04/29/2026

Sgt Curtis Neill shares his 2004 combat experiences with 2/4 Marines in Ramadi. Another great interview by Shane Nylin and Blake Musser of Constant Combat Podcast.

Have you ever seen a Lance Corporal with more ribbons and medals than almost his entire chain of command? There are many stories about Curtis Neill, it is great to hear them from the man himself.

Live Now!

Direct Links to Curt's Episodes:
#1: https://constantcombat.buzzsprout.com/2525088/episodes/19091223-never-was-a-good-knife-made-of-bad-steel-curtis-neill-part-1-of-3

#2: https://constantcombat.buzzsprout.com/2525088/episodes/19091235-never-was-a-good-knife-made-of-bad-steel-curtis-neill-part-2-of-3

#3: https://constantcombat.buzzsprout.com/2525088/episodes/19091239-never-was-a-good-knife-made-of-bad-steel-curtis-neill-part-3-of-3

We can also be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, YouTube, and more.

04/26/2026

2/4 Marine Chris Winder shares his Ramadi combat experiences. Another great interview by Shane Nylin and Blake Musser of Constant Combat Podcast.

Chris Winder 's interview gives an unfiltered reflection on the situation of Ramadi 2004 from the back of a partially armored highback humvee. Complete with mistakes, gritty details, good memories, and laughs.

Live Now!

Direct Links to Chris's Episodes:

#1: https://constantcombat.buzzsprout.com/2525088/episodes/19055967-how-much-of-survival-in-war-is-luck-chris-winder-part-1-of-2

#2: https://constantcombat.buzzsprout.com/2525088/episodes/19056912-how-much-of-survival-in-war-is-luck-chris-winder-part-2-of-2

We can also be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, YouTube, and more.

04/23/2026

Final 2007 Zoller mission photos. We linked up with journalist Michelle Malkin before we left Kuwait! Photos copyright Greg Janney Images (except Malkin group photo which was taken with LTC Quinn's camera.) All rights reserved.