Most people deciding whether to enlist are not weighing risk, they are weighing headlines. A headline tells you something happened. It almost never tells you how likely it is to happen to you. In this episode, I break down the actual numbers behind the fears people bring to me, from sexual assault and harassment rates, to domestic violence, to what really kills service members. I also tell you about the kid who turned down boot camp because he was afraid of dying.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:31) - The Fears People Name

(01:49) - Sexual Assault Numbers

(03:06) - Sexual Harassment Numbers

(03:37) - Domestic Violence Surprise

(04:24) - Are Service Members Dying More

(04:40) - The Mortality Study

(06:14) - What Actually Kills Service Members

(07:16) - Combat Risk Varies

(07:55) - Training Deaths and Accidents

(08:35) - Vehicles and Homicide

(09:37) - Suicide Is the Outlier

(11:19) - The Recruit Who Said No

(14:01) - My Own 15 Years

On the Military Millionaire Podcast, I share real conversations with service members, veterans, and their families. Each week, we explore how to build wealth through personal finance, entrepreneurship, and real estate investing.

• Download a free copy of my book: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/free-book
• Sign up for free webinar trainings: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/register
• Get an intro to recommended VA agents/lenders: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/va-realtor
• Apply for The War Room Mastermind: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/mastermind-application
• Join our investor list: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/investors
• Guide to raising capital: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/capital-raising-guide

• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/militarymillionaire
• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Frommilitarytomillionaire?sub_confirmation=1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frommilitarytomillionaire/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-pere/
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/militaryrei
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@militarymillionaire

Produced by ⁠UNFLTR

Most veterans can run a car wreck like a checklist and then lose their mind over a set of missing keys. I did both in the same month, and for years I filed it under having a short temper. In this episode, I break down what is actually going on: the military hands you an on and off switch, never a volume knob, so you get very good at 100 and never learn 2 out of 10. I walk through what I do when I catch myself at a 9 in a situation that is a 2, where I still get it wrong, and what actually helps if you love somebody who does this.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:40) - Calm at a Car Wreck

(01:31) - Losing It Over Car Keys

(02:53) - A Switch, Not a Knob

(03:31) - Real Reaction, Wrong Situation

(04:10) - What I Do About It

(05:22) - Where I Still Fail

(06:02) - For the Families

(07:09) - For the Veteran Listening

On the Military Millionaire Podcast, I share real conversations with service members, veterans, and their families. Each week, we explore how to build wealth through personal finance, entrepreneurship, and real estate investing.

• Download a free copy of my book: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/free-book
• Sign up for free webinar trainings: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/register
• Get an intro to recommended VA agents/lenders: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/va-realtor
• Apply for The War Room Mastermind: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/mastermind-application
• Join our investor list: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/investors
• Guide to raising capital: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/capital-raising-guide

• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/militarymillionaire
• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Frommilitarytomillionaire?sub_confirmation=1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frommilitarytomillionaire/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-pere/
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/militaryrei
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@militarymillionaire

Produced by ⁠UNFLTR

There are Marine Corps stories that would get laughed out of a movie theater for being unrealistic, and most Americans have never heard any of them. In this episode, I tell you about three of them: a Croatian immigrant who attacked a German machine gun position alone and came home with two Medals of Honor for one afternoon, a 21-year-old PFC who held a gap in the line at 30 below zero in his socks while batting live grenades away with a shovel, and a captain who spent three hours hanging under a bridge in Vietnam with 500 pounds of explosives.

Three different men, three completely different versions of courage, and none of them thought they were heroes.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:41) - Louis Cukela, France 1918

(03:56) - Two Medals for One Afternoon

(04:37) - Retired, Then Back for WWII

(05:32) - Hector Cafferata, Chosin 1950

(08:51) - The Grenade He Could Not Swat

(10:30) - John Ripley at Dong Ha

(14:16) - Upgraded 54 Years Later

(14:43) - Three Versions of Courage

On the Military Millionaire Podcast, I share real conversations with service members, veterans, and their families. Each week, we explore how to build wealth through personal finance, entrepreneurship, and real estate investing.

• Download a free copy of my book: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/free-book
• Sign up for free webinar trainings: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/register
• Get an intro to recommended VA agents/lenders: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/va-realtor
• Apply for The War Room Mastermind: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/mastermind-application
• Join our investor list: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/investors
• Guide to raising capital: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/capital-raising-guide

• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/militarymillionaire
• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Frommilitarytomillionaire?sub_confirmation=1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frommilitarytomillionaire/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-pere/
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/militaryrei
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@militarymillionaire

Produced by ⁠UNFLTR

Every service member has a list. The first day in a SCIF with no windows and no phone. Getting your leave request denied two weeks out after you already booked the flights. The day you realize you're not junior enlisted anymore and you're the one making the rules. In this episode I'm counting down the 11 worst days you'll have in uniform, from the annoying (holiday duty, fire watch) to the genuinely heavy (losing a friend), and the one day that doesn't fit the list at all: the day, years later, when you realize how much you actually miss it.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:33) - First Day in a SCIF

(01:15) - Holiday Duty & Fire Watch

(02:09) - Leave Request Denied

(02:37) - Day After Leave Ends

(02:53) - Becoming Senior Enlisted

(04:06) - Last Day at a Unit

(04:24) - Yellow Footprints at Boot Camp

(05:08) - First Day Back From Boot Leave

(05:54) - NJP, Court-Martial & Discharge

(06:36) - Worst Day: Losing a Friend

(07:13) - The Day You Realize You Miss It

On the Military Millionaire Podcast, I share real conversations with service members, veterans, and their families. Each week, we explore how to build wealth through personal finance, entrepreneurship, and real estate investing.

• Download a free copy of my book: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/free-book
• Sign up for free webinar trainings: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/register
• Get an intro to recommended VA agents/lenders: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/va-realtor
• Apply for The War Room Mastermind: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/mastermind-application
• Join our investor list: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/investors
• Guide to raising capital: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/capital-raising-guide

• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/militarymillionaire
• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Frommilitarytomillionaire?sub_confirmation=1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frommilitarytomillionaire/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-pere/
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/militaryrei
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@militarymillionaire

Produced by ⁠UNFLTR

Most Americans can name every branch of the military. Not many can tell you what separates them. In this episode, I break down all seven branches of the US military in plain English: what they do, what they stand for, and where their mottos and war cries actually came from.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:45) - The Army

(01:58) - The Marine Corps

(03:28) - The Navy

(04:22) - The Air Force

(05:15) - The Space Force

(05:58) - The Coast Guard

(06:39) - The National Guard

On the Military Millionaire Podcast, I share real conversations with service members, veterans, and their families. Each week, we explore how to build wealth through personal finance, entrepreneurship, and real estate investing.

• Get help with your VA claim: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/claim
• Download a free copy of my book: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/free-book
• Sign up for free webinar trainings: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/register
• Get an intro to recommended VA agents/lenders: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/va-realtor
• Apply for The War Room Mastermind: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/mastermind-application
• Join our investor list: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/investors
• Guide to raising capital: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/capital-raising-guide

• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/militarymillionaire
• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Frommilitarytomillionaire?sub_confirmation=1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frommilitarytomillionaire/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-pere/
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/militaryrei
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@militarymillionaire

Produced by ⁠UNFLTR

Everyone online loses their mind arguing about BAH like it's the only thing that decides what house you can buy. It's not even close to the full picture. In this episode I break down what lenders actually look at (your debt, your credit score, your residual income, and the property type you're buying) and why an E-4 with clean credit and no debt can out-qualify an officer who's buried in truck payments. I also walk through how VA loan house hacking on a duplex, triplex, or fourplex lets you qualify for more house than you ever could on a single-family, using a real example of a single E-5 who bought a $1.2 million fourplex in San Diego and lived there for free.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:55) - Buying Power Isn't Just BAH

(02:38) - Credit Score and Utilization Rate

(04:47) - VA Residual Income Rule

(05:59) - E-5 Buys $1.2M Fourplex

(07:16) - Stop Obsessing Over BAH

(08:45) - Don't Overspend Your Approval

(11:00) - Free Agent and Lender Match

On the Military Millionaire Podcast, I share real conversations with service members, veterans, and their families. Each week, we explore how to build wealth through personal finance, entrepreneurship, and real estate investing.

• Download a free copy of my book: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/free-book
• Sign up for free webinar trainings: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/register
• Get an intro to recommended VA agents/lenders: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/va-realtor
• Apply for The War Room Mastermind: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/mastermind-application
• Join our investor list: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/investors
• Guide to raising capital: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/capital-raising-guide

• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/militarymillionaire
• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Frommilitarytomillionaire?sub_confirmation=1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frommilitarytomillionaire/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-pere/
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/militaryrei
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@militarymillionaire

Produced by ⁠UNFLTR

Every PCS is either a financial reset or a financial opportunity, and most service members don't realize they get to choose which one it is. In this episode, I break down the exact framework I used (and would still use if I were still in uniform) to house hack at every duty station, from running your numbers in under an hour to knowing when renting beats buying. I walk through real deals, including my own house hack in Oceanside and my buddy Rio's five-bed dream home that now pays him fifteen hundred bucks a month, so you can see exactly what this looks like in practice and stop letting every PCS reset your finances back to zero.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:30) - PCS as a Financial Reset

(01:57) - Debunking the "Buy Every PCS" Myth

(02:57) - David's Oceanside House Hack Story

(04:51) - Case Study: Rio's House Hack Deal

(05:57) - Running the Numbers in an Hour

(08:21) - Buy With an Exit Strategy in Mind

(10:39) - VA Loan Myths & Buyer Mistakes

(11:57) - The PCS Wealth-Building Formula

On the Military Millionaire Podcast, I share real conversations with service members, veterans, and their families. Each week, we explore how to build wealth through personal finance, entrepreneurship, and real estate investing.

• Get help with your VA claim: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/claim
• Download a free copy of my book: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/free-book
• Sign up for free webinar trainings: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/register
• Get an intro to recommended VA agents/lenders: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/va-realtor
• Apply for The War Room Mastermind: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/mastermind-application
• Join our investor list: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/investors
• Guide to raising capital: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/capital-raising-guide

• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/militarymillionaire
• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Frommilitarytomillionaire?sub_confirmation=1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frommilitarytomillionaire/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-pere/
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/militaryrei
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@militarymillionaire

Produced by ⁠UNFLTR

I've kept a mission log and deployment journal since Afghanistan, and this episode is me reading straight from it. This is the story of Mission 24, mid-September 2010, five months into deployment, when a "there and back" 48-hour mission to escort our battalion commander up to Sangin turned into 108 hours of broken trucks, four IEDs, and pure Murphy's Law. I don't tell war stories often, but this one is a perfect example of what execution actually looks like when everything is falling apart around you, and why that skill is exactly what gives service members an edge in business.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:29) - Mission 24 Deployment Journal

(02:06) - Convoy Departs Afghanistan

(03:03) - First IED Strike

(04:41) - Mine Roller Repairs

(08:18) - Paperwork Delay Sparks IED

(08:57) - Third IED in 50 Yards

(11:40) - Live Mortar Rounds Found

(14:00) - Letterman's Cigarette and Pizza

(17:52) - Executing Through Chaos

On the Military Millionaire Podcast, I share real conversations with service members, veterans, and their families. Each week, we explore how to build wealth through personal finance, entrepreneurship, and real estate investing.

• Download a free copy of my book: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/free-book
• Sign up for free webinar trainings: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/register
• Get an intro to recommended VA agents/lenders: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/va-realtor
• Apply for The War Room Mastermind: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/mastermind-application
• Join our investor list: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/investors
• Guide to raising capital: https://www.frommilitarytomillionaire.com/capital-raising-guide

• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/militarymillionaire
• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Frommilitarytomillionaire?sub_confirmation=1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frommilitarytomillionaire/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-pere/
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/militaryrei
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@militarymillionaire

Produced by ⁠UNFLTR