For Stann, it’s about the journey
Brian Stann takes on Mike Massenzio at UFC on Versus 2 next Sunday. We sat down for a brief chat…
Brian Stann takes on Mike Massenzio at UFC on Versus 2 next Sunday. We sat down for a brief chat with the former Marine about his time in Iraq, his work with Hire Heroes USA, the Phil Davis fight and more.
Jeremy Botter: You grew up around the military. Was there ever a chance that you would be anything but a professional soldier?
BS: I don’t think so. I think it was just meant to be, and I really started realizing it early on in high school.
JB: You were part of the one of the most famous military operations of the war front in Iraq. What memories from those six days will endure with you for the rest of your life?
BS: You know, by far it was the individual actions of my Marines. The junior enlisted Marine is truly my hero. When people ask me who my heroes are, that’s who it is. My guys came from such a diverse background and overcame so much adversity. They just showed honor and commitment and courage under some of the most adverse conditions. And we’re talking about nineteen and twenty year old men. It was something that will inspire me until the day I die.
JB: You were awarded the Silver Star for that operation. Does that moment stand as one of the proudest moments of your life?
BS: Being honest — and this is really something that I reveal in my book — I don’t want to say this in a way that discredits the award. I had several Marines during that operation who were permanently injured. A young man by the name of Jonathan Lowell will never walk again. Another young man had multiple brain surgeries that will affect him for the rest of his life. It’s awkward for me to be awarded for something like that, because in all honesty, I think about those days often and wonder what I could have done differently to avoid some of those situations, to not have some of those men hurt. Luckily they weren’t killed, but there are still some very, very serious injuries that guys who were under my leadership are going to have to live with the rest of their lives.
JB: Your story is used as a recruiting tool by Marine recruiters around the country. Do you feel like your part in that operation is your finished military legacy, or do you have more military experience to add once you are finished with mixed martial arts?
BS: I don’t know if I see myself going back in just because of my commitment to my family. But I don’t feel like I’m ever done. I’m currently the executive director of an organization called Hire Heroes USA. We work with veterans every single day trying to help them transition and to find the right kind of employment once they are out of the military. I think I feel myself — when mixed martial arts is over — being pulled in some kind of leadership, whether it’s a public office or the community or a charity. I think that’s where my life is taking me. I don’t think I’ll ever be truly done with the military, but I’ll just take some kind of leadership position that has an influence over how the men and women that serve our country are treated or used.
JB: Would you be a civilian contractor for the military?
BS: No. Maybe more along the lines of Congress or as a Representative. Or maybe something along the lines of what I’m in now in the non-profit sector.
When I got out of the military, it was pretty tough to find a job. There were transition programs, but it seemed like it was easy to get lost in the shuffle and forgotten about. Many of my fellow soldiers had enough trouble finding good jobs that they simply re-enlisted. Your organization, Hire Heroes USA, looks to do something about that. Where did the idea for Hire Heroes come from?
I met a man by the name of John Barnes who is still very close to me today. He’s actually the CEO of a company that I work for and the Chairman of the Board for Hire Heroes USA. He started the organization. He’s been extraordinarily successful in life, and he feels that because of his success, he’s obligated to those who wear the uniform, because those are his heroes. He sought my out and asked me to take over this organization and lead it. It was something I jumped on, that I was very excited to be a part of. And I was actually part of the organization before I ever got out of the Marine Corps, when I was first fighting in the WEC. I was the spokesperson for them. So I’ve been with them for some time, and it’s just been an amazing opportunity.
That transition is very difficult. It takes a very personal approach and a lot of detail to help our veterans transition correctly.
