Welcome to Combat Story. Today, I’m joined by retired Marine First Sergeant Randall Parkes—a parachute rigger in Recon, founding member of MARSOC, Drill Instructor extraordinaire, and now a leader in both real estate and defense tech—plus everyone’s favorite podcaster, the man who started it all.., Ryan Fugit.

Randall’s career spans from enlisting in July 2001 to a remarkable 20 years of service that took him to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa on four combat deployments. As a founding member of the 1st Marine Raider Battalion, he helped shape the early years of Marine Special Operations and was named MARSOC Support Marine of the Year in 2011. He later became a Parris Island Drill Instructor, shaping the next generation of Marines, and commanded 97 Marines and Sailors during a CENTCOM deployment in 2017.

In his final active-duty role, Randall returned to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, capping his service before retiring on September 30, 2021. Since then, he’s launched The Parkes Realty Group with his wife Heather—selling over $40 million in residential real estate—and now serves as Mission Operations Deployment Lead at Anduril Industries, helping drive innovation in modern defense technology. His academic credentials include a bachelor’s in Business Management (magna cum laude) and an Master of Business for Veterans, an innovative and one of its kind program from The University of Southern CA.

Randall’s combat stories are intense, unfiltered, and at times deeply personal—so much so that this is only part one of his Combat Story. We’ll be sitting down with him again in the future to share his incredible role in saving lives during the chaotic fall of Kabul, a moment that speaks volumes about his leadership, grit, and unwavering commitment to others.

Let’s dive in—here’s part one of our conversation with Randall Parkes.

 

Find Randall Parkes Online:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/randall_in_sandiego/?hl=en

 📘 Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/randall-parkes

🔗 Official website: https://theparkesteam.com/agent/randall-parkes

 

Find Ryan Online:

🔗 Ryan’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/combatstory

🛒 Merch Store: https://www.bonfire.com/store/combats

📸 Instagram: @combatstory   / combatstory

📘 Facebook: @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial

📖 Learn more about Ryan: https://www.combatstory.com/aboutus

🎵 Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

 

Find AJ Online:

🔗 Official website: ajpasciuti.com

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

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

📕Personal Website & Book Pre-Order (“Darkhorse”): https://www.ajpasciuti.com/

 

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
00:48 Introduction to Combat Story
01:12 Meet Randall Parks
02:59 Randall's Early Life and Military Beginnings
04:09 Joining the Marine Corps
13:31 Bootcamp During 9/11
33:41 First Deployment to Iraq
47:30 Loaded for Battle
47:52 A Close Call with a Civilian
48:45 Cultural Differences in Handling Disabilities
49:13 A Sergeant's Tough Love
49:37 The Reality of Deployment
50:57 IED Encounter and Aftermath
57:58 A Model Marine's Worries
59:10 The Impact of Movies on War Memories
01:00:10 Returning Home to Personal Turmoil
01:04:51 A New Assignment and a Change of Plans
01:07:21 Joining MARSOC
01:10:42 Deployment to Afghanistan
01:21:47 Facing the Taliban's Mortar Attacks
01:29:58 Spotting the Enemy
01:30:33 Engaging the Mortar Team
01:31:39 Aftermath and Reflections
01:34:32 The PX Gunny Story
01:43:58 Returning Home and Getting Married
01:44:53 Drill Instructor Duty
01:48:51 Challenges and Successes as a Drill Instructor
02:04:55 Final Thoughts and Reflections