Mortician and special makeup effects artist Anthony Saldivar shares his incredible journey from combat zones to the mortuary table. In this raw conversation, he opens up about surviving being shot twice in Afghanistan, the epiphany that led him to makeup effects, and how losing his beloved dogs changed the course of his life. ______________________________ Check out Anthony! @anthonysaldivarsfxmua https://anthonysaldivarsfxmua.com Go check out Warming Trends, the company that built the amazing fire centerpiece on our set! https://www.warming-trends.com Produced by Q6 Media https://q6.media ______________________________ This episode dives deep into the realities of death, both in war and in the funeral home. Anthony explains the embalming process in fascinating detail, shares haunting experiences from Iraq and Afghanistan, and discusses meeting President Obama after receiving a Purple Heart. He also opens up about his battle with alcoholism and how sobriety transformed his life. Beyond the mortuary science, Anthony reveals the spiritual side of working with the deceased, including unexplained phenomena he's witnessed. He also breaks down his involvement in mass casualty exercises, where his makeup skills create hyper-realistic training scenarios for first responders. Whether discussing postmortem reconstructive surgery or ranking his top 5 horror films, Anthony brings a unique perspective on life, death, and everything in between. ______________________________ 00:00 - Introducing Anthony Saldivar 01:55 - Finding a love for special effects makeup 05:16 - What it takes to be a mortician 07:31 - What embalming is 10:22 - The restorative embalming process 13:10 - Receiving a body 16:10 - How to embalm a body 18:53 - Being a shepherd for the dead 24:09 - Botched embalmings 25:49 - Spirits in the morgue 32:17 - Joining the army 35:15 - Getting bombed by mortars 40:03 - How war changes you 43:37 - IEDs 46:47 - Anthony getting shot 53:41 - Getting awarded the Purple Heart by Obama 55:58 - Using special effects to help people 59:56 - Halloween 1978 1:00:40 - The Thing 1:01:06 - The Fog 1:01:39 - Hellraiser 1:02:13 - The loss of a pet 1:10:51 - Fearing death #HORRORblePodcast #Paranormal #mortician #sfxmakeup #veteranstories #militaryveteran #coroner