In this episode of the Built to Serve Podcast, we sit down with Derrick Eddie, better known as “Gunny”, a Marine Corps veteran whose decision to enlist changed the entire trajectory of his life. Coming from a troubled past, Gunny found discipline, purpose, and opportunity in the Marines, including six years competing on the All-Marine Basketball Team and traveling the world through the sport. He brings plenty of humor along the way, joking about life as a “diet recruit” in boot camp and insisting the best part of Okinawa was the food. Gunny also opens up about the harder chapters of his transition, sharing how he struggled with drinking after leaving the military and how his daughter helped him quit, refocus, and rediscover his identity beyond the uniform. Today, Gunny works in the EHS department at Performance Contractors, where he’s found fulfillment mentoring younger craft professionals and continuing his mission of service—just in a different way.