AJ Pasciuti grew up in Sunnyvale, California, the son of Italian and Argentine immigrants. After 9/11 reshaped his sense of purpose, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division — one of the most storied units in the Corps — where he served as a rifleman and team leader. Over twenty-one years of service, he deployed three times to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, including the Battle of Fallujah. He led a Scout Sniper team that tracked and killed the most lethal enemy sniper in Iraq — a figure known as "Juba" — and recovered a stolen Marine sniper rifle in what was the first mission of its kind by an American service member since Vietnam. He went on to serve with 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion and 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company, deploying to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, during Operation Enduring Freedom and later with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. As an instructor, he taught at the Scout Sniper School at Camp Pendleton, created the Recon Team Leaders Course, and helped develop the Infantry Marine Course at School of Infantry–West, modernizing foundational training for enlisted Marines. Selected for the highly competitive Marine Gunner program, he became an Infantry Weapons Officer and rose to Chief Warrant Officer 3 before retiring from the Marine Corps in 2023. He holds a Master of Business for Veterans from the University of Southern California and a Master of Public Leadership from the University of San Francisco, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies at the University of San Diego. He is the host of the Combat Story podcast and the author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, releasing May 19, 2026. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoujZQZatbqy4KGcgjpVxQ/join Shawn Ryan Show Links SUBSCRIBE: http://www.youtube.com/@ShawnRyanShow Sign up: https://shawnryanshow.com/pages/newsletter Support the Show: https://www.patreon.com/VigilanceElite Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shawn-ryan-show/id1492492083 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5eodRZd3qR9VT1ip1wI7xQ?si=59f9d106e56a4509 Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shawnryanshow Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawnryanshow/ Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shawnryanshow/ Follow on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/@shawnryanshow Follow on X: https://twitter.com/ShawnRyanShow SRS Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4pqo9Uoh0WuUKxw0BmaK1yrg9Kd7E4lk #vigilanceelite #shawnryanshow AJ Pasciuti Links: WEB - https://ajpasciuti.com/about IG - https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti/ YT - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCyApoJr-mNmdMNwdk22xEQ Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: Go to helixsleep.com/SRS for 27% Off Sitewide Find candidates who really want YOUR job on ZipRecruiter. Try it FOR FREE at ziprecruiter.com/SRS Our listeners get the Harry’s Plus Trial Set for only $10 at Harrys.com/srs #Harryspod For a limited time, our listeners get 50% off FOR LIFE, Free Shipping, AND 3 Free Gifts at Mengotomars.com New customers can save 35% on your first month of Dose for Cholesterol by going to dosedaily.co/SRS or entering SRS at checkout. Go to meetfabric.com/SHAWN and apply today, risk-free. 00:00 Meet AJ and Dark Horse 14:22 Immigrant Roots and Upbringing 34:36 Untold Sniper Story Begins 58:04 Growing Up in Northern California 01:18:47 Boot Camp and Early Challenges 01:53:17 Iraq Invasion and First Combat 02:20:50 Moral Injury and the Cost of War 02:45:55 Push to Baghdad 03:11:23 First Kills and Survival Mode 03:42:35 Scout Sniper Indoc 04:09:05 Fallujah and Chris Kyle 04:57:51 Fallujah Aftermath and Reflection 05:10:47 Hunting Juba 05:39:21 Juba Enters the Fight 06:14:23 The Bait Mission 06:47:52 Juba Revealed 07:15:19 Advanced Training and Afghanistan 07:42:43 Finding the Enemy Rear Area 08:09:11 Confirming the Fallen 08:24:15 Advice and Farewell