Rudy was born in 1971 on Richard’s Gebauer Air Base in Missouri while his father, a US Marine, was fighting in Vietnam. His parents had 2 other sons, all three boys a little over a year apart. After his parents' divorce in 1975, and with his mother unable to look after the boys, Rudy and his brothers were moved around Texas staying with various relatives before eventually settling with his grandmother. Sadly, four years later both grandparents passed away within the same year, leading to Rudy (then aged 7) and his brothers drifting throughout the mid-west, to eventually (at age 11) be saved by the Omaha Home for Boys. Rudy and his brothers would remain at the boys’ home until age 17, when Rudy would then emancipate himself and take formal custody of his brothers by the age of 18.
During his younger years (age 11 throughout his youth), Rudy began competing in wrestling and football, as well as developed a deep affection for comic books and heroes. At the age of 18, he then began to study martial arts, training in Kung-Fu, eventually winning the title of International Jing Woo Martial Art College Champion, multiple times. In sum, his martial art achievements are over 20 medals, 14 of which were gold. He worked various jobs, from construction to table bussing, while simultaneously training as a kickboxer, in an effort to provide stability and discipline for himself and his brothers (who he also got into kickboxing.)
In 1998, Rudy found himself watching a film covering orphans in Kosovo who’s parents were killed by their own countries snipers. Rudy, at the age of 26, was so compelled to do something to help, decided to enlist in the United States Marine Corps (USMC).
Military Career
Rudy enlisted in the USMC as a infantryman, and graduated as the honour grad and iron man of Boot Camp and School of Infantry. Rudy, due to his merit and initiative, was granted an opportunity to try out for Recon. The Reconnaissance Marine Community is 300 strong, between 5 units, making it the most prestigious and difficult group in a Marine Corps of 300,000. A group that no man may sign up to join but must be invited and prove their worthiness to earn the title of a United States Recon Marine.
After being a special forces operator for three years, during which Rudy became a “schooled-out“ (paratrooper, combat diver, demolitions expert, scout sniper, closed quarter combatant, and SERE trained) Recon Marine, Rudy was called for his first combat reconnaissance mission in 2001 in Pakistan – a preparation mission for USA's Special Ops insertion to Afghanistan. Once the war officially started, his team ran operations that located and destroyed Al Qaeda within Afghanistan.
In 2003, Rudy’s dear friend and senior Recon mentor was killed. Later in combat, his team leader was wounded in a horrendous night-time ambush, which lead to Rudy leading his four man team after cas-evac (casualty evacuation), through Baghdad to the Syrian Border and back. These events are what the HBO series Generation Kill was based on, telling their story of the Invasion of Iraq. His last active combat was in The Battle of Fallujah and Ramadi in Iraq in 2004, where he served as Senior Team Leader of his platoon. It was a brutal fight that took the lives, and limbs, of some of his most beloved comrades.
Rudy finished his service a highly decorated Special Forces operator with experience of leading over 50 patrols behind enemy lines. He served one tour in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and two tours in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) as a Recon Marine Team Leader and Scout Sniper.
Rudy's areas of military expertise are in close quarter battle, urban warfare, amphibious raids and reconnaissance, helicopter insertions/extractions, paratrooper and combat diver missions, clandestine sniper missions as well as plain clothes/undercover operations. He’s operated in a multitude of environments, from urban, mountain, and desert.
His medals and commendations include:
2 Combat Action Ribbons
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global was on Terrorism Service Medal
Presidential Unit Citation – Navy
2 Certificates of Commendation
3 Sea Service Deployment Ribbons
National Defense Service Medal
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Valor
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Valor
Iraq Campaign Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Rudy’s most proud individual citations are for; saving a life, in which a man was having a heart attack on a civilian flight to which he performed emergency CPR and treated for shock (Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal), and killing an enemy forward observer with a 1,000 yard sniper shot in 2003 during the Invasion (Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Valor), and in Fallujah 2004 killing an RPG team close quarter (Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Valor.)
After leaving the marines, Rudy worked as a counter-terror contractor for the Department of Defense.
Life After Combat
After leaving the military, Rudy spent time in Africa where he trained wildlife preserve rangers in anti-poaching tactics and later went on to found ‘Force Blue’ a Veteran Non Profit which pairs former Special Operators with Marine Scientists to work rebuilding and restoring coral reefs, saving turtles, and working within the conservation community.
He also competes and trains people for Adventure Racing and Martial Arts.
TV/Film Career
In 2008, Rudy appeared on the HBO miniseries Generation Kill, a seven-part series based on Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright’s 2004 book of the same name. Rudy plays himself, depicting his time as a member of the lead combat force that entered both Afghanistan and Iraq.
He also has worked on many survival shows, Apocalypse Man and Ultimate Survivor Alaska.
He was also one of the main contributors for multiple BAFTA nominated documentary series Once Upon a Time in Iraq which was also nominated for an Emmy.
Rudy’s Website: Click Here
Transcend Wesite: Click Here
Interview Transcript: Click Here