Recruit Moya was two days shy of graduating Marine Corps Recruit Training when the unthinkable happened. The United States suffered an attack of proportions that shadowed tragedies of the past and thrusted her people into a conflict that would prove to be Bruno's ultimate test. Bruno realized in those moments that he wasn't just about to serve his country, he was about to serve FOR his country .

This #YearOfTheVet conversation introduces Bruno Moya. A Student Veterans of America hype-man, but more importantly a Marine Corps Veteran who now serves as Regional Representative for U.S. Senator Dean Heller.

Named after Giordano Bruno, Moya was challenged by his father at an early age to fuel his curiosity and to challenge the norm. Destined to become a philosopher by fate, Bruno found himself revisiting these values as he served in the Middle East, ultimately leading him down a path towards Capitol Hill.

This path was no Yellow Brick Road.

Coming from a family that were no strangers to putting on a uniform , Bruno’s Marine Corps career started at the school of infantry days after 9/11, fought with 1st MARDIV Fox 223 Marines, and then that life came full circle as he was asked to be a platoon Sgt. at MCT teaching new Marines the skills that they would need to know to survive in the sandbox. And literally from one week to the next, Bruno found himself educating Marines on modern warfare, to valeting cars at Treasure Island in Las Vegas.

Have you ever heard the phrase, life changes in one single moment?

Bruno had that moment.

Bruno is such a stand up guy, that even talking about a man he loathes, he shows respect by calling him a gentleman. In the toughest moment in his life as a veteran, he found wisdom… and that wisdom led to a road of changing policy on Capital Hill.

There’s SO many gems in this conversation between Bruno and I, and I often let him know it as I was editing this episode and scrubbing it for the show notes. Wisdom from both he AND his father such as, “Quien se Enoja Pierde - Whoever gets mad loses,” which is a saying that drives his daily interactions with difficult people... and “Once you learn how to fail, you learn how to live,” which is a saying that drives his daily curiosity.

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Show Notes

 (6:45) A man only has his name…

 (8:00) Shout out to the parents who enforce knowledge as “punishment”…

 (10:39) Bruno shares why he’s exceptional in a group setting…

 (11:19) Fighting the Dragon!

 (15:31) Experiencing 9/11 in bootcamp

 (19:02) Know when to walk away…

 (21:14) Experiencing life without the Corps.

 (23:19) “The turning point” aka 1 minute and 24 seconds before my jaw literally drops…

 (30:22) “Quien se Enoja Pierde”

 (32:35) How disappointment continues to set Bruno on track to change the world!

 (35:56) VA counselors are like donuts…

 (39:02) Taking it back to JJDIDTIEBUCKLE

 (41:20) Gathering the proverbial wood for the FIYA!!!!

 (45:29) The Game Changer.

 (50:43) Breaking the mold…

 (56:48) Figuring out how to create legacy

 (1:00:22) I failed a lot before I got there…

 (1:04:12) All that hard work… paid off…

 (1:08:50) Bruno’s connections with our beloved MVP

 (1:14:14) The Legacy

 (1:20:22) Bruno’s Words of Wisdom…. well… more of them….

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Shout Outs:

PAVE -Peer Advising for Veteran Education

University of Michigan

VFW

SVA VFW Legislative Fellowship

Jared Lyon

Luis Valera

Randy Dexter - K9s for warriors

Merging Vets and Players - MVP

Steven Padilla

Gerome Sapp

Randy Couture

Noel Huerta

Issac Saldivar

Nate Boyer

UNLV

Rebel Vets (Running Rebels)

Jeff Detrick

Ross Bryant

Leatherneck Club

Congresswoman Dina Titus

United States Senator Dean Heller

Senator Harry Reid

Congressman Cresent Hardy

Student Veterans of America - SVA

Michael Dakduk

Tony Montenegro

Xtreme Couture

Donald Stockton

Denver Morris