From the Streets, to Service, to Stand-Up: Michael D'Angelo's Military Comedy Mission

Combat Story

Ryan Fugit

History

4.8 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 3 January 2026

⏱️ 106 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode of Combat Story, we sit down with Michael D'Angelo — a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who turned a turbulent childhood, military service, and hard-earned life lessons into a career built on laughter and connection. Raised in a rough environment where stability was never guaranteed, Michael found in the Marine Corps something he didn't have growing up: structure, purpose, and a way out. Serving as a Marine machine gunner, the Corps gave him direction — and later, perspective — on both pain and resilience. After leaving the military, Michael found a new mission through comedy, using humor as a tool for healing, truth-telling, and connection. He went on to found the Rapid Fire Comedy Tour, bringing stand-up comedy directly to troops, veterans, and first responders across the country — meeting people where they are and reminding them they're not alone. On this episode, we explore how the Marine Corps reshaped a young man searching for escape, how comedy became a second form of service, and why laughter might be one of the most underrated survival skills in the veteran community. While this episode doesn't focus on combat experiences, it stays true to our core mission of uplifting veteran voices and exploring the many paths of service after the uniform comes off. And fair warning — this one is absolutely hilarious. You won't want to miss it. 🎙️

Guest Information — Michael D'Angelo | Rapid Fire Comedy Tour Michael D'Angelo is a veteran comedian and creator behind the Rapid Fire Comedy Tour, a mission-driven comedy experience supporting military morale, connection, and veteran communities through humor.

🔗 Find Michael D'Angelo Online:

🎤 Rapid Fire Comedy Tour: https://www.rapidfirecomedytour.org

📸 Instagram (Tour): @rapidfirecomedytour

🎭 Character Monologues / Skits: @skitmos

👤 Personal Instagram: @michaeltheangelo

🎙️ Host Information — AJ Pasciuti | Combat Story AJ Pasciuti is a retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Infantry Weapons Officer (Marine Gunner), author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of the Combat Story Podcast, where veterans share honest, unfiltered stories of service, leadership, and life after combat.

🔗 Find AJ Online:

📕 Book (Darkhorse): https://www.amazon.com/Darkhorse-Harnessing-Hidden-Potential-Life/dp/1400254973

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/

📘 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelo-pasciuti/

🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com/

🎧 Featured Combat Story Episodes with AJ 👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 1 (USMC Sniper & Force Recon) - Battle of Fallujah | Shooting w/ Chris Kyle | American Sniper | AJ Pasciuti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4QI-5sNeCs

👉 Combat Story Podcast – Part 2 (Sniper vs Sniper Battle) - Killing the Enemy's Most Lethal Sniper | Force Recon | AJ Pasciuti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Ggly1TGAU

📺 Additional Features & Media 👉 Urban Valor Podcast Feature: https://urbanvalor.com/episode/marine-snipers-eliminate-enemy-sniper-reclaim-stolen-us-sniper-rifle/

👉 DVIDS – Infantry Marine Course Feature: https://www.nationalguard.mil/Leadership/Joint-Staff/Comptroller/Innovation/?dvpTag=imc&videoid=790758

Transcript

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0:00.0	As my friends started getting caught up and going to prison as like young kids, I was having these moments where I was terrified that it would happen to me.
0:09.0	And then, you know, fast forward, we're getting older, things are getting crazier, and then, um, hanging out with my buddy just like any other, you know, night.
0:16.0	And my buddy starts fighting with this dude. It's like a grown man. My buddy, we're like 16.
0:20.0	And I end up in this group of these fucking dudes beating on my buddy. And I remember like getting hit in the chest and just like getting, you know, ragged all the round. And that's when I see his hand go up like this and he's got this cowboy shave razor. He's like, look at your face, and my face was hanging open.
0:39.1	Welcome to Combat Story.
0:49.5	I'm A.J. Peschutie, a retired Marine, force recon, scout sniper, and Marine gunner with 21 years of service, multiple combat tours, and a lifetime of lessons learned in the arena itself.
0:54.7	On this show, I sit down with warriors from every front line to uncover what combat truly feels like and how it shapes the way we see life, each other, and ourselves.
0:59.9	This is combat story.
1:02.8	In this episode of Combat Story, we sit down with Michael DiAngelo, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran
1:07.4	who turned a turbulent childhood, military service, and hard-earned life lessons
1:11.5	into a career built on laughter and connection. Raised in a rough environment where stability was
1:16.8	never guaranteed, Michael found in the Marine Corps something he didn't have growing up, structure,
1:22.0	purpose, and a way out. Serving as a Marine machine gunner, the Corps gave him direction,
1:26.8	and later perspective on both pain and resilience.
1:30.3	After leaving the military, Michael found a new mission through comedy, using humor as a tool for healing, truth-telling, and connection.
1:37.3	He went on to found the Rapid Fire Comedy Tour, bringing stand-up comedy directly to troops, veterans, and first responders across the
1:44.8	country, meeting people where they are and reminding them that they're not alone. On this episode,
1:49.9	we explore how the Marine Corps reshaped a young man searching for escape, how comedy became a second
1:54.7	form of service, and why laughter might be one of the most underrated survival skills in the veteran
1:59.2	community. While this episode doesn't focus on combat experiences, it stays true to our core mission
2:04.5	of uplifting veteran voices and exploring the many paths of service after the uniform comes off.
2:09.9	And fair warning, this one is absolutely hilarious. You don't want to miss it.
	...

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