From combat zones to conservation work, Rudy Reyes has lived a life most people can’t imagine, and wouldn’t survive. In this episode of The Kids Table, the former Recon Marine, Special Forces operator, actor, and host and Chief Instructor of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test joins Gunnar Peterson, Luke Milton, and Jen Widerstrom for a conversation that blends fitness, resilience, and the art of showing up at 100%, no matter the mission. From surviving brutal military training to leading conservation projects and building community, Rudy brings grit, discipline, and a surprising dose of humor to the table.

They dig into the mindset that comes from years in special operations, the power of preparation, and the lessons that translate from the battlefield to everyday life. The conversation also explores the role of physical culture in mental health, the balance between pushing limits and knowing when to pull back, and the human connection that fuels true leadership. Expect stories that will make you think, moments that will make you laugh, and insights you’ll want to carry long after the episode ends.

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About Rudy Reyes:

Rudy enlisted in the USMC as an 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 as 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.

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.

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.

Edited by: The Cast Collective (Nashville, TN)

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