Marine Turns Childhood Trauma To Thriving Military Skateboard Community ????

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5,487 views Apr 18, 2023 U.S. Marines

This week’s Urban Valor episode features Marine veteran Zach Sales. Zach was born in Nebraska and endured a very traumatic upbringing. Zachary Sales, a US Marine Corps veteran, shares his story of turning his traumatic childhood experiences into a thriving military skateboard community in this inspiring video. Growing up, Sales frequently moved, living with his abusive mother and enduring physical abuse from his mother's boyfriends. His stepfather was involved in drugs and physically abusive to Sales and his family, including hitting his sister to deflect damage from him and his brother. The family was extremely poor, sometimes living in a van and rummaging through Pizza Hut dumpsters for food. Despite these hardships, Sales went on to join the US Marine Corps and served from 2009 to 2017. Today, he runs a thriving military skateboard community that helps other veterans cope with their own trauma through the healing power of skateboarding. This video is a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of community. Sales' story will inspire and uplift anyone who has experienced adversity and found a way to overcome it. Watch now to learn more about his incredible journey. He attended approximately 15 different schools moving from place to place because they constantly got evicted from their homes. He and his siblings spent time in foster care and had numerous run-ins with child protective services. His father, a Marine infantry veteran, inspired Zach to enlist in the military and pick a job he could utilize upon transitioning out. Zach is the founder of Official Military Skate. A community that brings together active duty and veterans to share their passion for skating and overcome challenges. Please support and thank Marine Veteran Zach Sales for coming on Urban Valor and having a discussion with Co-founder Josh Gutierrez! ✅ Have questions? Comment below! We'll answer as soon as possible. ✅ Please LIKE the video if you found it informative, valuable, or just want to show support! ✅ Please "SUBSCRIBE" and click "All Notifications" so you NEVER miss a weekly episode of Urban Valor! #veteran #military #urbanvalor #marines #marine #marineveteran #foxnews #cnn

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38 Comments

Artin Yousef Zadeh

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@lilcurious1511

11 months ago

How much more serious can a childhood get omfg

@officialmilitaryskate

2 years ago

Thanks for having me on brother

Urban Valor

5 replies

@SkateboardSoldier

1 year ago

I'm a Disabled Army Ranger but I've been skateboarding for 57+, that has kept me alive. My brother, my dad shot me in the head when I was 4 and my mom beat me on a daily. The military and skateboarding has kept me alive, but not sane.

@torisefaamaligi3315

1 year ago

Zach... I'm proud of you Brother... I was raised in a similar background... Your story literally hit home for me and just greatful we were able to make it out... I'm so glad you are here today and doing well... I wish you great success in all your future endeavors. Semper Fi USMC Retired OIF/OEF Veteran

@StephaniePeck-tv3fm

2 years ago

I love you little brother. I suppressed so much of this. I definitely started crying. I am so proud of you and how far you have come!!!

1 reply

@itsamilitarylife936

2 years ago

thanks for sharing Zach's story with us, what amazing human who has used the obstacles from his upbringing combined with his military background to create this incredible skate community and a positive place for vets.

1 reply

@chrisr326

2 years ago

I wonder how many Ivy League kids have this background. All the sh*t he's been through, and he still has upbeat, optimistic attitude. Total respect for this man

1 reply

@Dragging79

1 year ago (edited)

It's funny, my father is a retired Marine. When I was looking to join , my dad said to join the Navy or Air Force. That way I'd have a trade to fall back on once I got out. So once he said what his dad told him it gave me a flashback. Keep in mind, I grew up in Jacksonville, NC and wasn't much of a futu