Shows
Echo Valor PodcastKin, Land, and Steel: Power, War, and the Scottish Clans (Audiobook)The Scottish clans were not symbols.They were systems.Long before modern states imposed centralized law and authority, the clans of Scotland governed land, loyalty, and violence through kinship and obligation. In an environment where geography defeated bureaucracy and law arrived too late to matter, clans provided order, protection, and survival. They endured not because they were ancient, but because they worked.Kin, Land, and Steel strips away romantic myth to examine the Scottish clan system as it truly functioned. This is not a celebration of tartans or folklore, but a practical history of power—ho...
2026-02-091h 25
Echo Valor PodcastDEFENSIVE HANDGUN: Safe Carry, Clear Judgment, Effective Hits (Audiobook)A Practical Guide to Responsibility, Safety, and Effective Defensive Shootingby David BurnellOwning a defensive handgun carries responsibility long before it ever needs to be used. Defensive Handgun is not about bravado, speed, or tactics borrowed from movies or social media. It is about judgment, discipline, and skill built the right way—for civilians who carry legally and want to do so safely, ethically, and competently.Written by David Burnell, a professional with decades of real-world experience in training, protection, and firearms instruction, this book walks readers through the modern fundamentals of de...
2026-02-011h 35
Echo Valor PodcastQuick Defense: Practical Self-Defense for Real-World Threats m(Audiobook)Practical Self-Defense for Real-World ThreatsMost violence does not begin with punches.It begins with pressure, positioning, and hesitation.Quick Defense is a reality-based guide to personal safety built on awareness, restraint, and decisive action—designed for real people facing real-world threats. This is not a sports manual or a collection of flashy techniques. It is a practical system focused on avoiding danger, recognizing threats early, and responding effectively when escape is still possible.Written by David Burnell, a veteran instructor with decades of experience in operational training, rescue environments, and high-stress decision-making, Qu...
2026-01-291h 17
Echo Valor PodcastIN THE BLACK: Leadership Under Pressure (Audiobook)Leadership is easy when conditions are perfect.This book is not written for those moments.In the Black is about leadership when visibility is limited, information is incomplete, pressure is unavoidable, and responsibility does not disappear. It is about what holds when plans break, certainty evaporates, and people look to you anyway.Drawing from real-world experience in disaster zones, high-risk security operations, combat training environments, and decades of building and leading companies, David Burnell examines leadership as it actually exists—not as theory, trend, or performance.These are not tactics.They are not mo...
2026-01-2554 min
Echo Valor PodcastEpisode Description – Leadership Is Transmitted, Not PossessedLeadership is not something leaders keep—it’s something they pass on.In the final episode of IN THE BLACK, David Burnell explores how leadership functions under pressure not as authority, but as transmission. Drawing from high-stress operational environments, this episode examines how calm, clarity, and intent move through teams—and how leaders shape outcomes by regulating the environment rather than controlling it.Leadership Is Transmitted, Not Possessed closes the series by reinforcing a central truth: under pressure, teams synchronize with their leaders. What is passed forward—calm or chaos, clarity or confusion—determines performance.This...
2026-01-2503 min
Echo Valor PodcastIN THE BLACK – Comfort Zones Are Ceiling TilesComfort feels safe—until pressure arrives.In this episode of IN THE BLACK, David Burnell explores why comfort zones quietly limit growth and why preparation—not confidence—determines performance under stress. Drawing on stress inoculation training models, this episode explains how deeply ingrained fundamentals enable individuals and teams to adapt when conditions change.Comfort Zones Are Ceiling Tiles challenges the belief that stability comes from staying comfortable and reframes deliberate challenge as a leadership responsibility. This episode is especially relevant for business leaders seeking resilience, adaptability, and sustained performance in uncertain environments.Find this a...
2026-01-2503 min
Echo Valor PodcastIN THE BLACK – Movement With PurposeAction matters—but only when it’s anchored to intent.In this episode of IN THE BLACK, David Burnell breaks down why movement without direction creates noise rather than progress. Drawing from operational training environments, this episode introduces a simple but powerful framework—concept, objective, support, movement—and shows how it scales directly to business leadership.Movement With Purpose explores why leaders don’t need perfect information to act, but they do need aligned intent. It challenges the tendency to confuse activity with effectiveness and reframes clarity as shared understanding rather than control.This episo...
2026-01-2503 min
Echo Valor PodcastIN THE BLACK – When You Don’t Know What to Do—Do NothingWhen uncertainty rises, instinct pushes leaders to act. Often, that instinct creates more damage than delay.In this episode of IN THE BLACK, David Burnell examines the principle of deliberate stillness—why doing nothing, when done intentionally, can be a disciplined leadership choice rather than a failure. Drawing on high-stress training environments and operational leadership, this episode explores how panic-driven action can create momentum toward the wrong outcomes.When You Don’t Know What to Do—Do Nothing challenges the belief that movement equals leadership and reframes restraint as a tool for clarity, alignment, and better...
2026-01-2403 min
Echo Valor PodcastIN THE BLACK – Affirmation Under FireAffirmation isn’t praise—it’s orientation.In this episode of IN THE BLACK, David Burnell explores why affirmation is one of the most misunderstood and most critical leadership tools under pressure. Drawing from high-stress training environments and rescue operations, this episode explains how people fail under stress, not from lack of courage, but from cognitive overload.Affirmation Under Fire examines how clarity and presence stabilize teams, why leaders must regulate stress rather than transmit it, and how small acts of orientation can restore movement when performance begins to degrade.This episode builds on the...
2026-01-2403 min
Echo Valor PodcastIN THE BLACK - Pressure RevealsPressure doesn’t create leadership—it exposes it.In this first episode of IN THE BLACK, David Burnell examines what happens when stress rises, performance degrades, and leaders are forced to operate without certainty. Drawing from firsthand experience in post-tsunami Japan and other high-stress operational environments, this episode explores how real leadership stabilizes teams rather than reacting to chaos.Pressure Reveals breaks down why panic-driven action often causes more damage than deliberate restraint, why fundamentals matter more than tactics under stress, and how clarity can exist even when visibility does not. This episode challenges the inst...
2026-01-2405 min
Echo Valor PodcastIN THE BLACK – Series IntroductionMost leadership advice is written for perfect conditions.This series is not.IN THE BLACK explores leadership when visibility is limited, information is incomplete, and pressure is unavoidable. Hosted by David Burnell—U.S. Air Force veteran, rescue professional, and leadership instructor—this series draws from real-world experience in disaster zones, high-risk operational environments, and business leadership under stress.The phrase In the Black carries two meanings. In business, it represents profitability and sustainability. In rescue and operational work, it means operating with zero visibility—moving forward when the future cannot be seen, and certainty does n...
2026-01-2401 min
Echo Valor PodcastDragged to the DeepDragged to the Deep is a raw, first-person chapter from Built by Fire: Hearing God in the Middle of the Flames by David Burnell.In the frozen depths of Fremont Lake in Wyoming, David Burnell took part in a recovery operation that would test the outer limits of human endurance and spiritual obedience. High in the mountains and fed by glacial runoff, the lake was deep, black, and unforgiving. An aircraft attempting a touch-and-go maneuver had slammed into the water, disintegrating on impact and scattering wreckage near a steep underwater drop-off that plunged into depths far beyond...
2026-01-1615 min
Echo Valor PodcastGravity and Grace: Hearing God in Uncertain Times (Audiobook)Gravity and Grace is a faith-centered exploration of how to hear God clearly and make wise decisions when life feels heavy and the way forward is uncertain. Written from lived experience rather than theory, this book reflects on the tension between pressure and peace, strength and surrender, and the quiet moments where revelation changes everything.Listen to the theme songDrawing on decades of experience in military service, emergency rescue operations, humanitarian missions, and leadership under stress, David Burnell shares deeply personal stories in which decisions carried real consequences. These experiences are not offered as...
2026-01-081h 29
Echo Valor PodcastGravity and Grace — Under the IceThis episode introduces Gravity and Grace, a book by David Burnell, and opens with the pivotal experience that inspired the book.In Under the Ice, Burnell recounts a real rescue operation that became a defining moment in his life. With visibility gone and pressure mounting beneath the ice, training, experience, and determination were no longer enough. What mattered most in that moment was not how hard he could push forward—but whether he would listen.The quiet warning he received during that dive changed how Burnell understood obedience, decision-making, and personal revelation. That moment became the...
2026-01-0714 min
Echo Valor PodcastThe Burma Mission: Faith, Fire, and the Boy Who Followed Me (Audiobook)New release, rewritten entirely, 27 December 2025In the hidden war of Burma, where the jungle swallows armies and landmines outnumber crops, one humanitarian mission became a journey of faith, danger, and unexpected brotherhood.When former Air Force veteran David Burnell answered a call to enter the denied territories of Burma (Myanmar), he expected heat, hardship, and risk. What he did not expect was how deeply the people would carve themselves into his heart—the Karen tribe, fighting for survival against a half-million-man regime; warriors missing limbs who still stood watch on one leg; a British scout no...
2025-12-281h 16
Echo Valor PodcastBuilt by Fire - Hearing God in the Middle of the Flames (Audiobook)A life forged in war, rescue, and silence—Built by Fire is a true story of hearing God’s voice in the moments when everything else falls away.Built by Fire is a valid, first-person account of a life shaped by service, sacrifice, and spiritual revelation—told from the places where chaos and compassion collide.Across military operations, classified intelligence work, search-and-rescue missions, dive recovery, counter-terrorism protection, humanitarian deployments, and missionary service, David Burnell shares the moments when failure was not an option—and when the voice of God became unmistakably clear.This audioboo...
2025-12-145h 16
Echo Valor PodcastThe Ones Who Still Stand Spoken Ballad“The Ones Who Still Stand” is a solemn ballad by David Burnell, created for Veterans Day as a tribute to all who have served in war, in peace, and in the quiet battles that follow. It honors not just the heroes of the battlefield but those who came home carrying invisible scars. This piece speaks to the courage, sacrifice, and enduring strength of the men and women who still stand watch over freedom long after the world has moved on.There’s a sound you can only hearIn the quiet after a war.It’s not the roar of the guns...
2025-11-1102 min
Echo Valor PodcastA Children’s Guide to Gun Safety (Audiobook)A Children’s Guide to Gun Safety — Be Brave. Be Smart. Be Safe. is a comforting, story-driven audio experience that shows kids exactly what to do if they ever see a gun—without fear or glamorization. Narrated by David Burnell, a real-life rescuer and humanitarian, this uplifting production blends friendly storytelling, simple repetition, and a memorable safety song so children remember the four essential steps:Stop. Don’t touch. Walk away. Tell a grown-up.In short scenes—playground, sleepover, classroom—young listeners learn to make smart, calm choices, ask trusted adults for help, and practice everyday hab...
2025-11-0604 min
Echo Valor PodcastThe Quiet War: Ten Years Inside the Shadows of the Cold War (Audiobook)For ten years, David Burnell lived in the invisible war—serving as a U.S. Air Force Communications Operations Specialist during the most volatile decade of the late Cold War.His battlefield wasn’t marked by trenches or gunfire, but by encrypted transmissions, coded messages, and the heavy silence of classified operations.From the blackout classrooms of Sheppard Air Force Base to the fog-covered runways of RAF Sculthorpe, and from the jungles of Central America to the frozen plains of South Dakota, Burnell’s decade in uniform unfolded behind security fences, within cleared rooms, and beneath the consta...
2025-10-212h 18
Echo Valor PodcastCombat Ready: Mastering Force-on-Force Training (Audiobook)Combat Ready: Mastering Force-on-Force Training is a powerful, experience-driven guide to the most realistic and practical methods for preparing for combat, crisis, and confrontation. Written by David Burnell—a veteran, tactical instructor, rescue diver, and founder of the Urban Warfare Center—this book takes you deep inside the philosophy, psychology, and technology of modern force-on-force training, where warriors, law enforcement officers, and protectors of all kinds learn to think clearly and act decisively under extreme pressure.Burnell shares the evolution of stress-based tactical realism and the principles that make it life-changing, from the establishment of the Urban Warf...
2025-10-091h 46
Echo Valor PodcastBad Gods: A Bodyguard in Medieval Haiti (Audiobook)Bad Gods: Haiti is a ground-level memoir of duty under pressure. In January 2010, David Burnell landed in Port-au-Prince as Chief of Security for the Utah Hospital Task Force—120 doctors, nurses, and volunteers dropped into a chaotic situation. With a five-man security element and the help of the 82nd Airborne, he built perimeters out of trucks, moved clinics through hostile streets, and called hard exits when daylight died.This is the work as it really happens: food drops that tilt toward riot, a bus “explosion” that became a drill, camp sickness that knocked healers off their feet, and the qu...
2025-10-062h 12
Echo Valor PodcastEveryday Essentials: What to Carry—On You, In Your Car, and For 72 HoursDavid Burnell and Jeffrey Denning team up for a practical, no-fluff guide to everyday preparedness. Starting with true-to-life scenarios—urban errands, highway shutdowns, earthquakes, and mass-casualty responses—they break down exactly what to keep on your person, in your vehicle, and in a grab-and-go 72-hour kit.Topics include: picking footwear that won’t fail when you have to run, water storage and purification, calorie-smart foods, EDC blades and flashlights (and why “one is none”), tourniquets, gauze packing, chest seals, reflective vests, backup power/solar, analog radios, maps and alternate routes, meds/insulin contingencies, and simple annual kit refresh ro...
2025-10-0338 min
Echo Valor PodcastCortisol, Courage, and the Hunter’s CalmFormer operators David Burnell and Jeffrey Denning dive into what happens to your mind and body when chaos erupts—physiologically (cortisol, adrenaline, dopamine) and practically (fight/flight/freeze, tonic immobility, decision-making under fire). Sparked by a recent attack at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints meetinghouse and Jeffrey’s conversation with 22 SAS CQB instructor Christian Craighead (the Nairobi hotel rescue), they unpack how elite training translates to civilian readiness: stress inoculation, when to hold vs push, accuracy on demand, and building a lifestyle of preparation—not paranoia.Along the way: Nairobi lessons on small-team initia...
2025-09-2946 min
Echo Valor PodcastCrisis Response & Resilience: A Conversation with Jeffrey DenningIn this powerful episode of Echo Valor, David Burnell sits down with longtime friend and seasoned law enforcement officer, federal agent, military veteran, and mental health professional Jeffrey Denning. Together, they unpack the realities of crisis response, the cumulative toll of trauma, and the tools needed to stay grounded amidv overwhelming events.From frontline experiences in Iraq to critical incident stress debriefings after officer-involved shootings, Jeffrey shares practical strategies for pre-incident preparation, managing acute stress, and long-term self-care. The discussion covers primary, secondary, and tertiary trauma, how first responders and families are impacted by tragedy...
2025-09-1937 min
Echo Valor PodcastAfter the Wave: Japan Tsunami Recovery Mission (Audiobook)I’m David Burnell. In March 2011, while most were flying out of Japan, I flew in—alone, with two hundred pounds of gear and a quiet prayer: Use me how You need me. This audiobook is my field journal read aloud—plain talk from the mud and the cold—about rescue and recovery after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.You’ll hear what it felt like to embed with the Mexico City team, Los Topos, crawl under broken homes in Onagawa and Ishinomaki, and stand at the tape with families waiting for names, not headlines. You’ll mee...
2025-08-211h 47
Echo Valor Podcast🎙️ Beyond the Border: A Mission of Mercy in Burma (Audiobook)When war whispers through the jungle, some answer with fire. Others, with healing hands.David Burnell didn’t go to Burma to wage war. He went unarmed, on a promise—to protect a friend and help train twelve medics deep within territory controlled by the Karen resistance, amid a brutal conflict few in the world even knew was still raging.Beyond the Border is a gripping true story of jungle survival, spiritual conviction, and the unseen cost of service. Through sweltering heat, silent threats, and the constant presence of death, David’s journey became far more t...
2025-08-171h 24
Echo Valor PodcastInto the Quake Zone: Haiti 2010 – A Mission of Security, Survival, and ServiceIn January 2010, a catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti, killing over 300,000 people and displacing millions. What awaited those who entered in the days after was chaos, danger, and the desperate struggle of a nation already on its knees.In this gripping episode, David Burnell takes you inside his role as Chief of Security for the Utah Hospital Task Force — a humanitarian mission of doctors, nurses, and translators thrust into the deadliest natural disaster in modern history. With former operators among the early team and only a handful of security personnel, David ensured 120 lives made it home safely.Fr...
2025-08-1331 min
Echo Valor PodcastMy Brothers the Walking WoundedIn this deeply personal episode, David Burnell reflects on friends, comrades, and family members who carry the visible and invisible scars of service. From Green Berets and rescue officers to law enforcement and search-and-rescue volunteers, these are the walking wounded — men and women forever changed by the battlefield, disaster zones, and the unthinkable moments they’ve faced.David shares vivid, first-hand accounts of friends like Jeff, a Bronze Star recipient wounded in Afghanistan; John, a comrade blown up by terrorists in Tunisia; his Uncle Bill, a Chosin Reservoir Marine haunted by decisions no one should have...
2025-08-1320 min
Echo Valor PodcastCircles of Trust: Protecting Healers in Haiti SubtitleIn the shattered streets and remote villages of post-earthquake Haiti, a unique task force set out to save lives. As Chief of Security for the Utah Hospital Task Force, David Burnell’s mission wasn’t medicine but survival.In this gripping, behind-the-scenes account, David shares the untold stories of missions deep into dangerous territory, safeguarding doctors and nurses as they delivered aid amid machete-wielding locals, potential abductions, and moments where seconds meant the difference between safety and catastrophe.From tense standoffs in remote villages to unexpected collisions—both literal and cultural—this episode reveals the complex...
2025-08-1318 min
Echo Valor PodcastThrough the Kaleidoscope: Living With and Beyond PTSDPTSD. Four letters that carry a weight far heavier than most can imagine.For those who live with it, there’s no badge of honor — only the challenge of navigating a world that looks fractured, distorted, and untrustworthy. In this deeply personal episode, David Burnell shares his own path through decades of trauma from military service, rescue missions, and humanitarian operations — from the streets of gang-ridden Los Angeles to the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.Through vivid storytelling, David reveals what it’s like to view life through a “kaleidoscope” of memories, why certain triggers can take your breath...
2025-08-1318 min
Echo Valor PodcastSink or Succeed: How Failure Forges True StrengthIn this powerful episode, David Burnell shares a grueling personal story from his time at Dive Rescue International Instructor School in Fort Collins, Colorado—a seven-day crucible designed to create elite instructors for 9-1-1 rescue diving in the most hazardous environments on earth: swift water, under ice, and deep open water.Through punishing physical demands, complex problem-solving under pressure, and team evolutions where failure carried real consequences, David witnessed firsthand how the mind often gives up before the body—and how those moments reveal who has the will to persevere.This is a raw, insi...
2025-08-1315 min
Echo Valor PodcastShots Fired: Preparing for the UnthinkableActive shooter incidents aren’t just headlines—they’re here, in our schools, malls, libraries, and places of worship. The unthinkable has happened before, and it will happen again.David Burnell—featured on CNN and MSNBC after one of the largest school active shooter incidents—has trained over 1,000 teachers in unconventional defense options. This episode is part of his ongoing mission to prepare people for the unthinkable.You’ll step inside real-life responses to active shooters, from the Trolley Square shooting to the North Hollywood shootout, and hear firsthand how split-second decisions save lives. We break down t...
2025-08-1303 min
Echo Valor Podcast▶️ Glacier Lake Recovery: A Dive into Life and DeathOn October 31st, high in the Wyoming mountains, a routine training flight ended in tragedy when an aircraft exploded on impact with a glacier-fed lake over 600 feet deep. The call went out to Dive Rescue International for an elite recovery team—and among those answering was David Burnell, Air Force veteran and member of the Rapid City Dive Rescue and Search & Rescue teams.The mission was as unforgiving as the environment:* Bring all divers home alive.* Recover the victims.* Remove the wreckage to protect the pristine lake.The cold, hi...
2025-08-1306 min
Echo Valor Podcast▶️ Into the Abyss: The Sheridan Lake Ice Dive RescueThis is a true story told by David Burnell, who lived it.“Sheridan Lake, South Dakota. A spring thaw. Two teenage brothers were trapped beneath two feet of ice in a blackwater lake. The call came while I was on the Centennial Trail, miles away, but minutes later, I was on the ice, making one of the most complex decisions of my life.As vice president of the dive team and a Dive Rescue International instructor, I had trained for high-risk recoveries in extreme conditions—but nothing could prepare me for what happened that day. The...
2025-08-1323 min
Echo Valor PodcastDan Laguna: Special Operations Legend – “You Have to Live Hard to Be Hard”In this gripping episode of Echo Valor, David Burnell sits down with longtime friend Dan Laguna — Green Beret, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers) pilot, and former head of Blackwater Aviation.Dan’s journey spans decades of elite military service, from training and advising in Central and South America to flying Little Birds in Mogadishu during Black Hawk Down and leading high-risk missions in Iraq. He shares the formative influence of his Korean War veteran father, the creation of his life motto “You have to live hard to be hard”, and the fateful day in 2007 when his brot...
2025-08-1356 min
Echo Valor PodcastClarity in the Chaos: NecessityIn this episode, David Burnell reflects on two of the most powerful words we can live by: remember and necessity. Drawing from years of operational experience in military service, rescue missions, and running the Urban Warfare Center, David shares how the principle of necessity—identifying and acting on the single most important next step—can cut through chaos and bring clarity.From high-pressure tactical training to navigating today’s noisy, overstimulated world, necessity becomes the compass that points us toward what truly matters—whether it’s political action, personal restoration, or simply drinking a glass of water. Through vi...
2025-08-1305 min
Echo Valor PodcastNatural Rights: The Foundation of LibertyIn this episode, David Burnell explores the timeless doctrine of natural rights—the God-given, inalienable freedoms that belong to every human being. Drawing on the ideas of 17th-century thinkers like John Locke and the vision of America’s Founding Fathers, David unpacks how these principles shaped the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.Through a clear, apolitical lens, he examines the tension between individual rights and collectivism, the responsibility that comes with liberty, and why protecting these rights remains essential in a free society. With historical context and personal conviction, this discussion reminds us w...
2025-08-1305 min
Echo Valor PodcastLifting the Weary and DowncastIn this heartfelt episode, David Burnell shares a quiet yet powerful moment at his local pool—an encounter with a weary law enforcement officer whose eyes told a story of years spent carrying the invisible scars of service. Drawing from his own experiences alongside police, rescue personnel, and military veterans, David reflects on the importance of being present, listening deeply, and extending compassion to those weighed down by the fog of life’s battles.This story is a call to action—to slow down, notice those in our path, and offer the healing gift of affirmation, understanding, and ho...
2025-08-1205 min
Echo Valor PodcastBreaking Through the Barriers of ChangeChange isn’t just a decision—it’s a battle. In this deeply personal episode of Echo Valor, David Burnell shares the story of his ongoing transformation—physically, mentally, and emotionally—as he takes ownership of his health and rewires the thinking that held him back for decades. Guided by elite trainer and master nutritionist Tamara Watt, David is learning the science, behavior, and discipline behind fueling the body for real performance, not just comfort.Drawing parallels between his decade of training soldiers, airmen, federal agents, and law enforcement at the Urban Warfare Center, David reveals how the brain...
2025-08-1211 min
Echo Valor PodcastThat Others May LiveIn That Others May Live, David Burnell takes you deep into the perilous world of combat search and rescue, cave diving, and humanitarian recovery missions. From the motto of the U.S. Air Force Pararescue to the harrowing 2018 Thai cave rescue, these stories reveal the grit, sacrifice, and unwavering resolve of those who put themselves in harm’s way so that others might survive. Drawing on firsthand experience from missions across the globe—Japan, Haiti, Burma, and beyond—Burnell offers raw insight into the courage it takes to step into darkness when the stakes are life or death.Find...
2025-08-1206 min
Echo Valor PodcastFreedom is Not Just an American ThingFreedom isn’t confined to one flag or nation—it belongs to everyone everywhere. In this Velvet Hammer Podcast episode, David Burnell reflects on the universal human drive for liberty, the sacrifices to defend it, and the dangers of losing it through law, tyranny, or complacency. From Ukraine’s fight against invasion to the resilience of people in Haiti, Burma, Africa, and beyond, this is a call to honor and protect the inalienable rights granted to us by God and nature. Freedom is not just an American thing—it’s an everybody thing.Find this and other episodes f...
2025-08-1207 min
Echo Valor PodcastChild Abduction Mission: HaitiWhen disaster strikes, evil often follows—this is the untold mission to bring a boy home.In the shattered streets of post-earthquake Haiti, chaos reigned—collapsed buildings, desperate survivors, and 10,000 felons set loose into a lawless landscape. Amid this devastation, a three-year-old American boy named Gardy was abducted from a church meeting and ransomed for $20,000.In this gripping, first-hand account, David Burnell—fresh from high-threat protection training—was unexpectedly tasked with leading a covert, high-risk mission deep into the Haitian mountains to find the child. Partnered with a trusted brother-in-arms known as “Bravo,” they navigated armed gangs...
2025-08-1256 min
Echo Valor PodcastOvercoming the Abyss through the Light of LoveFrom the depths of darkness to the heights of gratitude — a journey guided by breath, faith, and love.In this deeply personal episode, David Burnell takes listeners into the abyss — that crushing, lightless place beneath the ocean and in the depths of life’s hardest seasons. Drawing from dive rescue experiences, military breathing techniques, and spiritual insights, David shares how to navigate overwhelming pressure without losing hope.He reveals how love for God and others can pierce the darkest waters through deliberate breathing, seeking light, and embracing gratitude. Overcoming the Abyss Through the Light of Love i...
2025-08-1213 min
Echo Valor PodcastBreak Glass in Time of WarEcho Valor presents “Break Glass in Time of War,” a spoken-word tribute by David Burnell that blends raw storytelling with a haunting cinematic score. This piece captures the inner weight of those who serve in silence—warriors, rescuers, and medics who carry others through chaos but often bear their burdens alone. Written from firsthand experience in combat zones and humanitarian missions, this narrative honors those who always stand up for everyone else. It’s not just a track—a moment of recognition for our unseen heroes.Find this and other episodes from the Echo Valor Podcast by searching...
2025-08-1203 min
Echo Valor PodcastWhite Crosses and Steel Rain“White Crosses and Steel Rain” is a powerful spoken-word tribute written by David Burnell, veteran, rescue operator, and founder of Echo Valor. Set against a cinematic backdrop, this ballad recounts his pilgrimages to sacred grounds of war: the fields of Flanders, the graveyards of Arnhem, and the storm-swept beaches of Normandy.From the grave of an unnamed Polish paratrooper to the endless rows of white crosses above Red Beach, David weaves memory, reverence, and raw emotion into a reflection on sacrifice few have the words—or experience—to express.Find this and other episodes from the Echo...
2025-08-1203 min
Echo Valor PodcastBeneath the Ice: Sheridan LakeIn this haunting spoken ballad, David Burnell recounts the 1996 Sheridan Lake ice rescue—one of his career’s most harrowing dive calls. Through vivid storytelling and minimal ambient music, “Beneath the Ice” draws the listener beneath the frozen surface where adrenaline, protocol, and faith collide.When a dune buggy plunges through ice with two teenage boys inside, rescue divers face a grim race against time. One boy is saved by chance. The other vanishes into the cold depths. With two divers already down—one injured, one overwhelmed—Burnell steps up for a final attempt under conditions that defy logic a...
2025-08-1203 min
Echo Valor Podcast🎙️ The Wave and the Whisper“The Wave and the Whisper” is a spoken ballad inspired by David Burnell’s firsthand experience in the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Alone and unaffiliated, David flew into Japan while others were leaving, seeking not glory but to serve. This piece walks the listener through haunting scenes of wreckage, nuclear radiation, loss, and the quiet acts of kindness that transcended language and culture. Embedded with Mexico’s famed Los Topos recovery team, David’s mission became more about the living than the dead—offering hugs, comfort, and presence where silence and grief reigned.This isn’t a...
2025-08-1204 min
Echo Valor PodcastAnd the Wall Came Tumbling Down“And the Wall Came Tumbling Down” is more than a spoken ballad—it’s a tribute to a turning point in modern history, and a true story that David Burnell witnessed firsthand while stationed in Europe. Set to cinematic rock and orchestral tones, this piece captures the emotional and political weight of the Cold War’s end, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the human stories behind it all.Through verses of division, a chorus of triumph, and a bridge of reflection, it tells the story of a world split by ideology and healed by the people’s w...
2025-08-1202 min
Echo Valor PodcastThe Destroyer“The Destroyer” is a raw and haunting spoken ballad chronicling the life of a man forged in the fires of war, rescue, and relentless service—but broken in the quiet distance of home. Drawn from David Burnell’s personal journal and reflected in his book Built by Fire, this piece reveals the private cost of decades spent in secrecy, deployments, and sacrifice, where calling became armor and undoing.This is not just a warrior’s story—it is a confession of the silence that crept in, the marriage that quietly fractured under the weight of duty, and the unseen t...
2025-08-1203 min
Echo Valor PodcastThe Long Walk: Delta Force Selection“The Long Walk” is a powerful spoken-word ballad from David Burnell, host of the Echo Valor Podcast, blending military insight with deep spiritual reflection. Inspired by the Delta Force selection process—particularly its grueling, secretive endurance march—the piece uses the “The Long Walk” metaphor to explore life, faith, perseverance, and our divine purpose. With references to Colonel Charles Beckwith, the SAS, and real-world operator experiences, this ballad transcends its tactical roots to deliver a universal message: that we’re all on a journey with unknown distances, undefined goals, and a higher calling guiding us through.David shares that fa...
2025-08-1203 min
Echo Valor PodcastThe Bummer LambThe Bummer Lamb is more than a story—it’s a parable of our times. In this cinematic spoken ballad, David Burnell reflects on the tender truth of the lamb that is left behind by its mother, too weak to survive on its own. But when seen by the shepherd, lifted with care, and raised with love, it becomes the one who knows the Shepherd most intimately.Blending themes of brokenness, healing, spiritual rescue, and quiet acts of grace, this piece speaks to anyone who’s ever felt abandoned… or anyone who’s ever lifted another soul from the d...
2025-08-1202 min
Echo Valor PodcastYou Have to Live Hard to Be Hard“You Have to Live Hard to Be Hard” is a cinematic spoken ballad based on the life of Dan Laguna—a true warrior, Special Forces Green Beret, Night Stalker pilot, and former head of Blackwater Aviation. Dan is a close personal friend of David Burnell, and his relentless example of service has deeply inspired David throughout his life and missions. This spoken ballad was written by David for Dan, in honor of his service and his profound loss.Told with raw reverence, this composition shares Dan’s journey from humble beginnings as the son of a wounded Korean W...
2025-08-1202 min
Echo Valor Podcast🎙️ The Edge of Peace: Finding Calm in the Shadow of Conflict“The Edge of Peace” is a gripping spoken-word ballad that captures the tension, sacrifice, and silent heroism of a real-life mission into the war-torn borderlands of Burma (Myanmar). Echo Valor founder David Burnell recalls his journey to support the Karen tribe—a persecuted Christian people fighting for survival—through the lens of memory, brotherhood, faith, and purpose.The ballad spans jungle terrain, personal sacrifice, and moments of divine whispering amid danger. It honors the friendship with a Special Forces legend k“Bacsi,” the tribal medics risking everything for knowledge, and the warrior’s path shaped by necessity, remembrance, a...
2025-08-1103 min
Echo Valor PodcastThe Bodyguard’s Burden: Haiti“Missions in Haiti: The Bodyguard’s Burden” is a cinematic spoken-word ballad written and performed by David Burnell, a veteran, rescue operator, and close protection specialist. Set in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, this narrative recounts high-risk security missions alongside volunteer doctors and nurses with the Utah Hospital Task Force. Through visceral storytelling, Burnell reflects on life-or-death decisions, cultural clashes between compassion and protection, and the deep responsibility of bringing every teammate home alive.Find this and other episodes from the Echo Valor Podcast by searching “Echo Valor Podcast” on your favorite podcast platform. You can also disco...
2025-08-1103 min
Echo Valor Podcast🎙️ Across the River: A Ballad from the Jungles of BurmaAcross the River is a lyrical spoken ballad drawn from David Burnell’s firsthand experience deep in the jungles of Burma. Partnering with Special Forces veteran John Padgett, David embarked on a mission not to fight, but to lift—to protect the teacher, train indigenous medics, and serve a people caught in one of the longest civil wars in modern history.From river crossings to muddy hooches, from laughter with a jungle child named No Do Tu to solemn graduation ceremonies held under monsoon skies, this is a tale of human resilience, sacred duty, and humble impact. It i...
2025-08-1102 min
Echo Valor PodcastThe Life and Mission of David Burnell“Echoes of Valor: The Life and Mission of David Burnell” is a powerful spoken word narrative tracing the extraordinary life of a modern warrior. From elite U.S. Air Force missions and rescue dives beneath frozen lakes, to leading post-earthquake security in Haiti and guiding humanitarian operations in Burma and Japan, David Burnell has lived where most only imagine.This ballad isn’t a résumé—it’s a reckoning.It’s the story of a man who fought in darkness, brought light to crisis zones, taught daughters to fight back, and trained soldiers to stay alive. It’s about fil...
2025-08-1103 min
Echo Valor PodcastBetween the Walls: Training Warriors for the Harsh Realities of Modern Conflict“Between the Walls” is a lyrical spoken ballad capturing the true story of the Urban Warfare Center, founded and funded by David Burnell to prepare warriors for the harshest realities of modern conflict. From 2002 to 2012, the UWC provided free, realistic, stress-induced training to military units, federal agencies, and law enforcement, helping them hone their skills in close-quarters battle, hostage rescue, and tactical decision-making under pressure. This ballad honors the men and women who trained within its walls—refining courage, discipline, and readiness for the fight—ensuring they could protect others and return home safely. It is a tribute to service...
2025-08-1102 min
Echo Valor PodcastWe The People: Defending the Promise of Liberty“We The People: A Spoken Ballad for America” — written by David Burnell for Echo Valor — is a powerful, cinematic spoken word piece celebrating the spirit of unity and freedom. Drawing on the words of our Founding Fathers and the courage of everyday Americans, this ballad reminds us that we are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. It is a call to remember that unity is our strength and freedom is our promise, honoring the heroes of our past and the dreams of our future. Let freedom ring, and let us rise together as Americans.Fin...
2025-08-1102 min
Echo Valor PodcastBuilt By Fire - The Life and Legacy of David Burnell (Audiobook)Built by Fire: A True Story of Courage, Faith, and ServiceWhen others ran from the flames, David Burnell ran toward them. From frozen-lake dive recoveries to gang-torn city streets, from the rubble of Haiti and the radiation zones of Japan to the jungle conflict of Burma, Built by Fire is a first-person account of life on the edge—where duty, faith, and sacrifice collide.This isn’t a tally of medals. It’s the story of a veteran, rescuer, and humanitarian who learned that courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s obedience to a higher...
2025-08-115h 44
Echo Valor PodcastRed: The Ghost on the CornerIn this gripping episode of the Echo Valor Podcast, David Burnell shares a raw, personal chapter from his youth, featured in his book, Built by Fire. Set in Lawndale, California, “The Boy Named Red” recounts the haunting experience of growing up as the son of an LAPD officer in a neighborhood where that badge made you a target.Every morning, David walked past a house where a red-haired gang member—ironically named Red—would threaten to kill his father. Red wasn’t just a bully. He was a storm brewing. A ghost-in-the-making. Years later, that threat became real when...
2025-08-1002 min
Echo Valor PodcastOne Punch of Courage: Breaking the Grip of Fear in a School BathroomThis gripping spoken ballad tells the true story of a defining moment in David Burnell’s childhood—a moment when fear had a face, a name, and a daily routine. As a young boy, David was relentlessly bullied, cornered, and humiliated. Day after day, he endured it… until one conversation with his father changed everything.The Bully and the Boy is more than a tale of playground justice. It’s a raw and honest reflection on what it means to confront fear—not without it but despite it. With cinematic pacing and vivid emotional detail, the ballad captures t...
2025-08-1003 min
Echo Valor PodcastJapan Tsunami Recovery Mission — Helping the Lost Living SoulsSometimes the mission isn’t why you think you’re there.In this deeply reflective episode of the Echo Valor Podcast, David Burnell recounts his solo journey to Japan following the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami. He went expecting to recover the dead—operating independently in frozen ruins, radiation zones near Fukushima, and alongside Mexico’s legendary Los Topos recovery team. The work was hard, dangerous, and unrelenting.But the mission didn’t end in the rubble.While waiting in Sendai, David encountered two young American volunteers—both far from home, both carrying unseen burdens. Wha...
2025-08-1010 min
Echo Valor PodcastDavid Fabricius former South African Special Forces: Good Wolves, The Hunters of EvilIt takes a wolf to hunt a wolf.In this powerful episode of the Echo Valor Podcast, host David Burnell sits down with David Fabricius—former South African Special Forces instructor, high-performance coach, and proud American citizen—to explore the deeper meaning behind Lt. Col. Dave Grossman’s “Sheep, Sheepdog, and Wolf” analogy. Fabricius challenges the standard narrative, introducing the idea of the benevolent wolf. This protector understands predators because he is one, yet chooses discipline, honor, and the defense of the innocent.Drawing on his upbringing in the wilds of Africa, elite military service, and a life...
2025-08-1030 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens: Recognizing Threats Before They Become Attacks (Audiobook)Most violence does not begin with an attack.It begins with a shift.A moment when something feels off.A subtle change in behavior.A quiet internal warning that’s easy to dismiss.This audiobook exists for that moment.In Before It Happens, David Burnell draws on decades of experience in high-risk environments, disaster response, and real-world protective work to teach one essential skill: how to recognize danger early—while you still have choices.This is not an audiobook about fighting.It is not about weapons, aggression, or dominance.It i...
2025-08-102h 15
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - Reading the Room & the StreetsThis episode features a standalone chapter from the book Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell.In Chapter 7 – Reading the Room & the Streets, David Burnell takes you deep into one of the most vital survival skills: understanding what your environment is trying to tell you. Whether you’re walking into a gas station, a restaurant, or across a quiet parking lot, the room—and the street—are speaking.Drawing from decades of experience in protective operations, disaster zones, and training simulations, David teaches how to identify subtle e...
2025-08-0107 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - How the Brain Reacts Under StressThis episode features Chapter 14 from the full-length audiobook Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell.What happens to your brain when fear hits? Why do people freeze, forget, or fall apart—even with training? In this powerful chapter, David Burnell breaks down the inner battle that happens the moment stress spikes—and how to win it.You’ll discover:The difference between the cognitive brain and the survival brainWhat the “amygdala hijack” is—and how to stop it from taking overWhy freezing isn’t failure, but biology—an...
2025-08-0106 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - Boundaries, Intuition & SpaceThis episode features Chapter 6 from the book Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell—a powerful, practical lesson in protecting your most sacred defensive asset: your personal space.We all have a box—an invisible perimeter built by instinct and experience. In this chapter, David Burnell shares gripping stories and hard-earned wisdom about why controlling your space, setting boundaries, and trusting your gut can be the difference between vulnerability and survival.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why your “box” is your first line of defenseHow...
2025-08-0106 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - Parallax Vision and the Predator Within UsThis episode features Chapter 5 from the book Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell—a striking exploration of the biology, psychology, and responsibility behind one of your greatest survival assets: your vision.“You were born to see danger.”With parallax vision—forward-facing eyes that grant depth perception—humans are designed to navigate and assess threats. David Burnell explains how this gift, shared by apex predators, equips you to avoid danger before it happens.In this chapter, you’ll learn:How predator vision helps...
2025-08-0107 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - The Color Code of Mental AwarenessThis episode features Chapter 3 from Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell—a critical lesson on one of the most effective mental models in personal safety: Jeff Cooper’s Color Code of Awareness.Based on decades of experience in war zones, rescue missions, anti-terror operations, and civilian protection, David explains the color-coded mindset that has kept professionals and ordinary people alive around the world.In this powerful standalone chapter, you’ll discover:Why most people live in Condition White, oblivious to the th...
2025-08-0106 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - Environmental Red FlagsThis episode features a complete standalone chapter from the book Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell.In Chapter 9 – Environmental Red Flags, David teaches one of the most overlooked yet life-saving skills in personal safety: reading your environment for silent threats—before the bad guy even shows up.From war zones to strip malls, he’s learned one truth: the environment sets the stage for danger long before it happens.In this powerful chapter, you’ll learn how to spot the subtle yet dead...
2025-08-0107 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - Secondary Locations Are Death TrapsThis episode features a critical and potentially life-saving chapter from the full-length audiobook Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell.Chapter 10 – Secondary Locations Are Death Traps delivers one uncompromising message:If someone tries to move you—resist. With everything you’ve got.Drawing from years of experience in protection, rescue, and real-world violence prevention, David explains why abductions that move to a secondary location almost always end in tragedy—and what you can do to stop it before it escalates.You...
2025-08-0107 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - Mental Models for SurvivalThis episode features Chapter 11 from the full-length audiobook Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell.Mental Models for Survival explores one of the most powerful tools in personal safety—not technique but thought structure. In moments of chaos, the mind either panics or performs. This chapter shows you how to ensure that it performs.From combat zones to crisis convoys to everyday parking lots, David has relied on a few core mental frameworks—OODA Loops, Baseline + Anomaly, Pre-Decided Lines—to stay calm under...
2025-08-0107 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - Action Beats Re-actionThis episode features Chapter 12 from the full-length audiobook Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell.When everything goes sideways, thinking faster can save your life. This chapter introduces the legendary OODA Loop—a four-step mental model used by fighter pilots, protectors, and survivors to stay ahead of violence before it erupts.Observe. Orient. Decide. Act. Mastering this simple framework turns hesitation into action and confusion into control. David explains how to apply the OODA Loop in real-world situations—from diml...
2025-08-0107 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - Surprise, Speed & Violence of ActionThis episode features Chapter 13 from the full-length audiobook Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell.Sometimes, awareness isn’t enough. Words fail. Distance collapses. And violence is forced upon you. What do you do when there’s no other way?David Burnell delivers one of the most intense and empowering chapters yet—teaching the mindset and method behind Surprise, Speed, and Violence of Action. This battle-tested triangle has saved lives in war zones, protection missions, and ordinary parking lots.You’ll learn...
2025-08-0107 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - Ethics, Empathy & EscapeThis episode features Chapter 15 from the full-length audiobook Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell.What if real strength isn’t about fighting—but about knowing when not to?In this heartfelt and eye-opening chapter, David Burnell takes you to the edge of conflict and back again, sharing moments from humanitarian missions and tense street encounters where empathy, ethics, and escape proved more powerful than aggression.You’ll learn:Why restraint can be the highest form of courageHow empathy sharpe...
2025-08-0106 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - The Good Samaritan DilemmaThis episode features Chapter 16 from the full-length audiobook Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell.Helping others is noble, but good intentions alone aren't enough in a world of deception, chaos, and rapidly evolving threats. In this gripping and wise chapter, David Burnell breaks down one of the most challenging questions in modern personal safety:When should you step in? And when should you step back?Through powerful real-world examples from law enforcement, humanitarian missions, and civilian encounters, you’ll learn:Ho...
2025-08-0106 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - De-escalation: Protecting Dignity While Staying SafeThis episode features Chapter 17 from the full-length audiobook Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell.In this chapter, David Burnell teaches what might be the most powerful and underrated skill in personal defense: de-escalation.Whether it’s a gas station standoff, a heated public argument, or an unexpected confrontation, the ability to lower the emotional temperature without losing your center can mean the difference between walking away and winding up in court—or the hospital.You’ll learn:How to read t...
2025-08-0106 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - What’s the Next Right Move?This episode features Chapter 18 from the full-length audiobook Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell.In this powerful chapter, David shares the life-saving mindset of necessity—the ability to act decisively under pressure when the luxury of time, analysis, or politeness has vanished.From a tense alley in Southern California to elevator escapes and real-life decisions under stress, you’ll learn:Why perfect plans don’t work in imperfect momentsHow to identify and act on the next right move—fastWhat are the t...
2025-08-0106 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - You Were Born to SurviveThis is the final chapter of the audiobook Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell. In this powerful conclusion, David delivers a personal message of strength, clarity, and purpose for those who’ve walked through the full journey of preparation, mindset, and situational awareness.This chapter is not a recap—it’s a call to action.You’ll be reminded:That survival is already inside you—it’s in your designThat the world may present danger, but readiness sets you freeThat you can live boldly, love deeply, and still be...
2025-08-0104 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - Eyes, Hands, Direction of TravelThis episode features a standalone chapter from the book Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell.In Chapter 8 – Eyes, Hands, Direction of Travel, David reveals one of the most powerful threat-detection tools you’ll ever carry: the ability to read human behavior before violence starts.Whether you’re walking a quiet parking lot or standing in a crowded store, people don’t just “snap.” They leak intent. Through their eyes, their hands, and their direction of travel, would-be attackers se...
2025-08-0107 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts PreludeThis episode features a whole narrated chapter—The Prelude—from the book Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts by David Burnell.In this powerful opening message, David—combat veteran, rescue operator, and protector of innocents—delivers a raw, honest, and essential foundation for anyone who wants to live prepared, not paranoid.This isn’t a book about fighting. It’s about seeing danger before it turns into violence. It’s about training your mind, trusting your instincts, and choosing wisely—long before you’re forced to react.Drawing from a l...
2025-08-0103 min
Echo Valor PodcastBefore It Happens - The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts (Complete Audiobook)Welcome to a powerful feature on the Echo Valor Podcast — where real-world survival meets real-world stories. In this episode, we spotlight Before It Happens: The Art of Staying Safe Before Violence Starts, the newest life-saving guide by veteran and tactical expert David Burnell.Why This Book Matters: Violence rarely happens in a vacuum. It builds. It signals. And in most cases, it can be seen — before it happens. This isn’t just a safety book. It’s a mindset reset. Before It Happens teaches you how to recognize danger cues, assess environments, and make decisive...
2025-07-292h 10
Echo Valor PodcastA Warrior’s Legacy - Corbin Allred on David BurnellActor and emergency responder Corbin Allred shares a deeply personal and powerful testimony about his mentor, friend, and inspiration—David Burnell. From tactical training and search and rescue missions to faith, family, and personal growth, Corbin reflects on how David’s example has shaped his life across every domain. This tribute is more than praise—it's a window into the life of a man forged in fire and driven by purpose. Whether you’re a leader, a first responder, a man of faith, or someone seeking clarity in chaos, this episode will move you.Learn what it means to...
2025-07-2701 min
Echo Valor PodcastOne Punch of Courage - Breaking the Grip of Fear in a School BathroomThis gripping spoken ballad tells the true story of a defining moment from David Burnell’s childhood—a moment when fear had a face, a name, and a daily routine. As a young boy, David was relentlessly bullied, cornered, and humiliated. Day after day, he endured it… until one conversation with his father changed everything.Told in David’s own voice, The Bully and the Boy is more than a tale of playground justice. It’s a raw and honest reflection on what it means to confront fear—not with the absence of it, but in spite of it. With...
2025-07-2504 min
Echo Valor PodcastThe Boy Named Red - The Ghost on the CornerIn this gripping episode of the Echo Valor Podcast, David Burnell shares a raw and personal chapter from his youth, featured in his book Built by Fire. Set in Lawndale, California, “The Boy Named Red” recounts the haunting experience of growing up as the son of an LAPD officer in a neighborhood where that badge made you a target.Every morning, David walked past a house where a red-haired gang member—ironically named Red—would threaten to kill his father. Red wasn’t just a bully. He was a storm brewing. A ghost-in-the-making. Years later, that threat became rea...
2025-07-2402 min
Echo Valor PodcastBuilt by Fire - The Life and Legacy of David Burnell (Complete Audiobook)Built by Fire: The Life and Legacy of David Burnell is more than a book—it’s a raw, unfiltered journey through war zones, disaster sites, rescues, faith crises, and personal redemption. In this complete 5-hour, 36-minute MP3 audiobook, David Burnell shares his life of service, sacrifice, failure, and faith, taking you from battlefields and Haiti’s rubble to the quiet moments of grief and grace that shape a warrior’s soul.You will walk through high-threat missions, dive into humanitarian rescues, witness the cost of service on family, and see how faith became t...
2025-07-115h 36
Echo Valor PodcastBuilt by Fire – Chapter 6 - Formidable Experiences (Audiobook)In Chapter 6 of Built by Fire, David Burnell shares the raw, formative experiences that shaped his mindset for survival, service, and standing ready when the world turns dangerous. Growing up in the neighborhoods of Los Angeles where carrying a weapon was the norm, David learned early how to navigate fear, confront threats, and recognize the weight of violence around him.Through vivid stories—from facing off against bullies and witnessing gang violence to stepping in when others were in danger—David reflects on the moments that taught him the value of courage, restraint, and decisive action. Each expe...
2025-07-0828 min
Echo Valor PodcastBuilt by Fire – Chapter 5 - Warrior DNA (Audiobook)In Warrior DNA, David Burnell explores the deep roots of faith, grit, and courage that shaped his calling to serve. Born into a world still echoing with the footsteps of warriors and surrounded by veterans whose quiet presence made service feel natural, David shares stories from his childhood in army surplus gear, the disciplined grit of Devil Pups, and the influence of family members who served across generations.From Viking warriors and Norman knights to Highland clans and pioneers in Tombstone, these ancestors passed down more than their names—they passed down a spirit of resilience and re...
2025-07-0713 min
Echo Valor PodcastThe Echo - The Life and Mission of David Burnell“The Echo - The Life and Mission of David Burnell” is a powerful spoken word narrative tracing the extraordinary life of a modern warrior. From elite U.S. Air Force missions and rescue dives beneath frozen lakes, to leading post-earthquake security in Haiti and guiding humanitarian operations in Burma and Japan, David Burnell has lived where most only imagine.This ballad isn’t a résumé—it’s a reckoning. It’s the story of a man who fought in darkness, brought light to crisis zones, taught daughters to fight back, and trained soldiers to stay alive. It’s about fil...
2025-06-2204 min
Echo Valor PodcastGhosts, Grace, and Grit The Ballad of David Burnell“Ghosts, Grace, and Grit” is a lyrical spoken-word journey through the real-life missions of David Burnell—a veteran, rescue diver, humanitarian, trainer, and storyteller. From Sheridan Lake’s icy depths to Haiti and Japan’s shattered ruins, from building warrior resilience post-9/11 to teaching women how to fight back, each verse is soaked in lived truth. These are not performances—they are memories put to music.Set to a haunting backdrop of ambient score and cinematic textures, this piece honors the silent service of warriors and healers alike. It invites the listener to feel the cold, fear, burden, and...
2025-06-2205 min
Echo Valor PodcastAcross the River - A Ballad from the Jungles of BurmaAcross the River is a lyrical spoken ballad drawn from David Burnell’s firsthand experience deep in the jungles of Burma. Partnering with Special Forces veteran John Padgett, David embarked on a mission not to fight, but to lift—to protect the teacher, train indigenous medics, and serve a people caught in one of the longest civil wars in modern history.From river crossings to muddy hooches, from laughter with a jungle child named No Do Tu to solemn graduation ceremonies held under monsoon skies, this is a tale of human resilience, sacred duty, and humble impact. It i...
2025-06-2202 min
Echo Valor PodcastThy Will Be Done - Finding Peace in the Fire"Thy Will Be Done" is a reverent and vulnerable spoken ballad by veteran, rescuer, and storyteller David Burnell. Inspired by a recent cancer screening and a lifetime of missions where life itself hung in the balance, this performance is a testament to faith under fire. Blending personal reflection, military and rescue experience, and spiritual testimony, David speaks directly to those who suffer and seek peace.With humility and gratitude, he shares how moments of fear and fragility can reveal deeper truths—that there is a Father in Heaven who offers peace not in the absence of trial bu...
2025-06-1502 min
Echo Valor PodcastThe Long Walk - Delta Force Selection, Life, Faith, and Perseverance“The Long Walk” is a powerful spoken-word ballad from David Burnell, host of the Echo Valor Podcast, blending military insight with deep spiritual reflection. Inspired by the Delta Force selection process—particularly its grueling, secretive endurance march—the piece uses the “The Long Walk” metaphor to explore life, faith, perseverance, and our divine purpose. With references to Colonel Charles Beckwith, the SAS, and real-world operator experiences, this ballad transcends its tactical roots to deliver a universal message: that we’re all on a journey with unknown distances, undefined goals, and a higher calling guiding us through.As David shares...
2025-06-1403 min
Echo Valor PodcastA Father's Reach - Hug the Children for Me"A Father’s Reach (Hug the Children for Me)" is a solemn spoken ballad drawn from the life and poetry of David Burnell—humanitarian, rescuer, and father. Based on his original poem and the stories chronicled on burnell.me, this piece captures the haunting beauty of sacrifice, duty, and fatherhood from afar.Whether in disaster zones, war-torn lands, or places forgotten by the world, Burnell’s missions brought aid and hope—but at the cost of absence from those he loved most. This ballad is a message sent through time: a whispered reminder to his children...
2025-06-1303 min
Echo Valor PodcastThe Day I Got Shot - A Ballad of Brotherhood, Pain, and PurposeOn April 5, 2007, during a SWAT training event in Utah, David Burnell was accidentally shot through the ankle during a live fire drill. “The Day I Got Shot” recounts the visceral moment of impact, the shock and the shame, and the profound love shown by fellow operators in the aftermath. With no medication available and his weapon still across his chest, David endured 30 minutes on the ground, gripped by pain, remorse, and reflection. But what followed was more than recovery. It was a soul-deep lesson in vulnerability, humility, and compassion.This spoken ballad is not about heroism. It’s abou...
2025-06-1303 min
Echo Valor PodcastThe Wave and the Whisper - Heart of Japan’s Tsunami Zone“The Wave and the Whisper” is a spoken ballad inspired by David Burnell’s firsthand experience in the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Alone and unaffiliated, David flew into Japan while others were leaving, seeking not glory but to serve. This piece walks the listener through haunting scenes of wreckage, nuclear radiation, loss, and the quiet acts of kindness that transcended language and culture. Embedded with Mexico’s famed Los Topos recovery team, David’s mission became more about the living than the dead, offering hugs, comfort, and presence where silence and grief reigned.This isn’t...
2025-06-1304 min
Echo Valor PodcastBeneath the Ice - Sheridan Lake, 1996In this haunting spoken ballad, David Burnell recounts the 1996 Sheridan Lake ice rescue—one of the most harrowing dive calls of his career. Through vivid storytelling and minimal ambient music, “Beneath the Ice” draws the listener beneath the frozen surface where adrenaline, protocol, and faith collide.When a dune buggy plunges through ice with two teenage boys inside, rescue divers face a grim race against time. One boy is saved by chance. The other vanishes into the cold depths. With two divers already down—one injured, one overwhelmed—Burnell steps up for a final attempt under conditions that defy...
2025-06-1203 min
Echo Valor PodcastThrough the Kaleidoscope - A Journey of Healing“Through the Kaleidoscope” is a deeply personal spoken-word journey from David Burnell, drawn directly from his own experience with PTSD and the long road to healing. Through raw imagery and grounded emotion, David takes listeners inside the fractured lens of trauma—shaped by military service, rescue missions, violence, and profound loss. It captures the spinning thoughts, the hypervigilance, the quiet moments when breathing feels impossible. But more than a reflection of pain, this piece is a testament to hope. Rooted in real therapy, breakthrough moments, and a desire to heal, it’s a voice for those who have walked through...
2025-06-0801 min
Echo Valor PodcastMissions in Haiti - The Bodyguard’s Burden“Missions in Haiti: The Bodyguard’s Burden” is a cinematic spoken-word ballad written and performed by David Burnell, a veteran, rescue operator, and close protection specialist. Set in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, this narrative recounts high-risk security missions alongside volunteer doctors and nurses with the Utah Hospital Task Force. Through visceral storytelling, Burnell reflects on life-or-death decisions, cultural clashes between compassion and protection, and the deep responsibility of bringing every teammate home alive.This ballad captures the tension, humanity, and complexity of blending combat security with humanitarian work in unstable environments. Backed by ambient orchestral music...
2025-06-0703 min
Echo Valor PodcastWhite Crosses and Steel Rain“White Crosses and Steel Rain” is a powerful spoken-word tribute written and performed by David Burnell, veteran, rescue operator, and founder of Echo Valor. Set against a cinematic backdrop, this ballad recounts his pilgrimages to sacred grounds of war: the fields of Flanders, the graveyards of Arnhem, and the storm-swept beaches of Normandy.From the grave of an unnamed Polish paratrooper to the endless rows of white crosses above Red Beach, David weaves memory, reverence, and raw emotion into a reflection on sacrifice few have the words—or experience—to express.Support the showFor mo...
2025-06-0703 min