About Me

johniraq

What’s up, everyone!

I’m John, and I am the lead scout of this mission.

At least, I was until I figured out how to make sense of all this so-called “making money online” and eventually found something that actually worked.

More on that later, though.

Before I get into the good stuff, let me give you a little sneak peek into my crazy, roller-coaster life.

Everyone has their story, and this is mine.

I started my young, 18-year-old adult life by joining the United States Army.

Being a cook or some engineer didn’t interest me much, so I decided to pound the ground like a good old infantryman.

Oh, and I jumped out of a perfectly normal aircraft and repelled out of a sweet helicopter.

Being Airborne and Air Assault qualified were some of the stuff on my bucket list, and I got them out of the way early in my military career.

I got stationed at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, immediately shipped out and headed to my first deployment.

The Army wasted no time, and I found myself patrolling the streets of Iraq.

I was in for a real treat and a bunch of life-learned lessons from probably one of the hardest but critical parts of my life.

From chai (tea) to learning a culture and language that I never saw happening, I learned the most about living in a country that I would never forget.

This also sparked my interest in starting a family, ultimately leading to that.

That deployment took only 11 months of my life, and I found my way back to the Middle East once again in 2005.

But this time, I decided to do things differently.

At least when it came to jobs I got “stop-loss-ed” just a day before my expiration of term of service (ETS) date.

I know it sucked, but there was nothing I could do.

airborne

Deployment #2

I deployed again and landed in Kuwait on September 26, 2005.

This was the same exact date that I raised my right hand to swear into the Army.

Regular old infantry stuff wasn’t my thing, so I decided that I wanted to try things differently.

I tried out for the Scouts and made it.

Not a 19D “Cav” scout that wears spurs and rides around on trucks but a real deal infantry scout that does recons and all that other good stuff.

The kind of scout that needed you to be the best infantryman.

Shooting, PT (physical training), land navigation, and knowing and understanding all the infantry tasks and drills.

But that wasn’t what got my attention.

It was the nice little headset that I saw when we first ran into the scouts when I was up to receive my combat infantryman badge on my first deployment.

These guys rolled up in trucks all bearded out, and the first thing I thought was, “Wow, that’s the special forces”.

Of course, I was wrong and found out that these were the scouts for our battalion.

Anyway, I decided to give that a try, and I deployed back to Iraq as a scout.

I was with a bunch of guys who were good at what they did, and we bonded like no other.

From the poker games in our tent to having each other’s backs when we went out the wire, I must say that I will never find a better group of guys.

This deployment was pretty rough, but we made it out with only a few losses, and I am forever grateful for these idiots.

After 12 months of fighting the war on terror, we finally landed back on US soil.

Back to Garrison Life

Life was pretty normal because I was with a bunch of soldiers.

At least to us.

This life consisted of a lot of drinking and classes that would help us transition back into society as normal people.

As much as I loved the camaraderie, Army life wasn’t for me.

After serving Uncle Sam, I decided to call it quits, and I hung up my boots.

Life was not the easiest, but it was something I could deal with.

Military life was tough but not as tough as normal life after serving.

Military Life to Regular Life

Deployments are tough, but nothing beats trying to blend in with the life you once had.

A year of dealing with a different culture and constantly keeping your guard up will have a huge impact on trying to live a normal life.

The constant dreams and never letting my guard down were stressful and almost took over my life.

Being an infantryman doesn’t make things any easier either as the “tough guy” attitude is hard to shake off.

Instead of being a good role model to my family, I think I was more of a problem.

Things aren’t going to be better when you throw some alcohol in the mix.

More drinking and more irresponsible-ness were a part of my life up until I had my first son.

Adulting

Having a child kind of put me in my place.

Kind of.

It did remind me of the time when I ran into this kid named Ali who lived in this town in Baghdad that we used to patrol.

All the guys knew how crazy I was about this kid and they helped me find him.

I wanted to take him back home with me in one of my duffle bags, but that wouldn’t work.

This led to my having my first kid and the one thing that would change my life.

I did manage to get a pic of Ali even if those days required you to have an actual camera to capture any moments.

Deployments and cameras were not allowed, but I did manage to sneak this one in.

Isn’t it cool how I had that fake son and now have one of my own?

Well, that’s how things went, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

From single crazy Army person to dad.

Wow.

iraq-2003
john-landen

Finding Myself and a Way to Make a Living

I think you know more about me than some of my closest friends do.

And no, I’m not kidding.

Military life was cool, but the transition back to civilian life wasn’t.

It did lead me to try to figure out different ways to make a living.

I held a regular old job, took advantage of the GI Bill, and even opened up my own bar.

The latter was a big mistake as I did nothing but do more drinking.

This was by far the hardest time of my life not even a deployment can compare to it.

Financial stress is a killer and I almost let it beat me.

But rather than throwing in the towel and “failing,” I decided to turn to the internet.

All I knew is that there were people making millions of dollars and I wanted in.

That ambition was great, but it only led me to a bunch of get-rich-quick schemes that brought me down even more.

After dumping thousands of dollars into these scammer’s accounts, I finally figured that there was no way to make millions of dollars easily.

It requires a lot of hard work and determination but most especially the right program.

That’s when I ran into some dude who told me he was making around $2,000 from a program called the Wealthy Affiliate.

He told me it requires some time but it is one site that worked.

I followed the training and asked many questions from a community of online entrepreneurs and wuddya know…

I finally made money!

So I would like to give a quick shoutout to Scotty Newkirk, as he was the proof I needed to know that real money can be made online.

In just a year’s time, I was finally able to saying that I made more money than any job I’ve ever held, and I was one of the few that actually worked from home.

And that, my friend, is what led to the creation of Brokeveteran.com.

About This Site

With all the failures and trial and error, I figured that it was time to give back.

And with Brokeveteran.com, that is exactly how I plan to do it.

Whether it helps in getting compensated for a service-connected injury, making money online, or how to deal with life, I want to be able to help fellow veterans or anyone looking to make something more of themselves.

I have dealt with many different situations in my life, and I would love to share my experiences.

Working a regular old job was not working out for me as well and that is another reason I turned to the internet.

There are many things that we go through in life and although it might not be easy, there’s always a better way around it.

As much as I love to share what I know, I’m always looking to learn new things as well, so please do share, as I am not a Mr. know-it-all.

I do hope that the content on this site provides you with the information you are looking for, and I look forward to creating new content for you at least three times a week.

But before I end this little bio, I thought it would be best to update you guys on how things are going these days.

My Life Now

cruz-family

After all the grunt work and failed business attempts, I’m glad to say that I work from home full-time.

On top of that, I have added to my collection of humans, and I now have 4 kids!

Yikes!

And on top of the on top of that, I also added to my collection of pounds and PT is not as easy as it used to be.

Insert eye roll emoji here.

More weight and more kids, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I might have those days where I deal with post-deployment nonsense, but the drive and passion that my family instills in me is what allows me to keep going.

When times get tough (because they still do), I turn to my family, and everything gets better.

What I Aim to Do

With all the failed attempts at trying to make some kind of money online, I know exactly how you feel.

With this site, I hope to equip you with the right training and tools to beat the odds and actually make some real money online.

I have literally done it all.

Making money is truly an amazing thing but I also like to focus on saving money and overall management of it.

With this site, I hope to help you with exactly that.

In the meantime, you can check out my #1 recommended program for making money online and browse the site as you please.

I will be posting new content at least twice a week, so do come back regularly.

Conclusion

I do want to thank you for reading about my little life as I’m sure you have better things to do.

Like maybe creating your own online business?

But anyways, thank you so much for your time.

I also want to thank those that have served and continue to serve as they are the same reason I still get to do what I do.

Until next time, never give up, set goals, and always move forward.

Thanks for reading, and Godspeed.

– John

BrokeVeteran

55 thoughts on “About Me”

  1. Thanks for your service, John. You have a beautiful family. I stumbled upon this site when I was reviewing an MLM that a friend was interested in. I’m so glad I did, you hit it right on the head the concerns I already had.
    My business is expanding in Canada and I’d love your insights on starting a new business in a foreign country.
    Thanks so much,
    Dyan

    Reply

  2. Hello John…
    Thank you for your lovely kindness in sharing more of your ideas and experience with us, i just joined the affiliate market and i’m seriously looking forward if making my first cash out which i will like you to help me on that and if you have any other affiliate site to join in other to help me gain more income or fast experience

    Thank you and God bless you

    Reply

  3. HI John, I found your site due to your SEO work on NetworkPi (just so you know). I’ve seen many WA blogs on the same vein and they clearly work although when I joined WA (possibly about 10 years+ ago),I just couldn’t make it earn more for me that I was already making as a professional affiliate marketer.

    Anyway, here comes my unashamed pitch – I’d love to share an affiliate business with you that I’ve been with now for almost 5 years – so it’s here to stay! It pays 10x the amount of other affiliate programs I’ve promoted before but is not a high ticket item. If you’d like some details, drop me a message on my FB page https://www.facebook.com/lifesforliving

    Cheers, and keep up the great work.

    Reply

  4. When I found the Pi network, I accidentally found your blog, and your blog was awesome.

    I am also a blogger and have been blogging for 10 years. I hope to know you and become friends.

    Reply

  7. But how can we convince someone yet withdraws are not done ????
    Everyting is done but we are looking for successful withdrawals
    I almost have $10,000 to my acc till now i cant even withdraw am just reinvesting waiting for a day withdrawing will be done
    I tried but to no avail
    Waiting for your feedback

    Reply

  8. Hi John,
    Greetings from Panama, small country in Central America =P
    I want to thank you for what you write, and for your Wealthy affiliate review.
    I just entered the website and created my account and profile. Thanks again and I look forward to start this new adventure.
    Blessings for you and your family.

    Reply

  9. Hello John,

    Thank you for all the information on your website. (I have not gone through all of it) but I am sure you have given your best and with the right ethics and honesty.

    I would like to know more of affiliate marketing, what is it really and how can we make our living from it.

    Reply

    • Thanks for the kind words Mike and I would be more than glad to teach you about affiliate marketing. I have done several posts on it throughout my site but I personally got my start with a program called Wealthy Affiliate. You can check them out as they have a free membership that will tell you exactly how affiliate marketing works. I am also a member there, so I can help you more on there as well. Hope this helps Mike!

      Reply

  10. Hello John, pls name I Celestine i need an online legit platform where I can make it in life , am really tired , or joining yah affiliate marketing
    Also I need explanation on how things goes
    Pls add me on Whatsapp
    +1230719912435
    Thanks dude

    Reply

  12. scams usually have have no office address ..no person or owner or head of that site indicated..as well as no phone or contact numbers…What they are after is to collect data for spamming…
    They are dangerous sites…

    Reply

      • Thanks for your service bro…I am a military veteran (USAF) myself and I am glad I found your website…It is funny how our stories have such similarities….Keep up the good work!

        Reply

        • Thanks for your service too man! I bet a lot of us have the same stories as we’ve all been through the same structured life but it’s great to know that we all can relate. I’m glad you found my site as well man so keep in touch! Cheers!

          Reply

  14. First let me say Thanks for your service. I started looking into this miracle rotator system program and I thought I would take a look at the video as well as ask a few friends about it. Well I’m glad I trusted my gut feelings and friends because when I would ask questions they would not answer.
    I thought why pay you 110 dollars to join and 100 dollars monthly but where and who is my money going too? They just insisted us to join. I want to say thanks for really breaking this down to me. I had to do my research because I’m on a TIGHT budget and I can’t afford my own Bill’s let alone giving you my money to pay yours

    Reply

    • Hey Joel, I’m not much of a network marketer but I do make my living through affiliate marketing. If that is something you might be interested in, you can checkout the post I did on that. It does not require recruiting but it does require work. Hope this helps! Checkout my list of programs to choose from and see if it is something you might be interested in.

      See list of affiliate marketing training programs here

      Reply

      • You are so full of shit!!!
        There are plenty of people making money with this system and if you did your due dilligence and research they do have training products and as far as the banks go yes you have to pay one hundred for each bank but when you get someone under you then you will be getting that 100 back and then you just buy banks as you go until you get through all of the banks.
        Plus if you get a ton of people under you your banks are taken care of!!
        They do have great training on how to get people from Social Media and all types of other resources and they do tell who the owners are and the creators.
        You are just as bad as a scammer because all you are doing is trying to get people to join your business because by writing something negative in hopes that people will join you because you dont know how to market LOL!!!
        There are tons o people succeeding so I would shut up if I were you just because this is the only way you know how to get people into your cheap little business!!

        Reply

        • Wow, my first negative comment and it’s not even on the right place. I’m guessing this is in reference to the “Miracle system”? When you use things like “when you get someone under you” and you will be getting that $100 back does not say anything good about ANY company. Then you say “if you get a ton of people under you”? How does that have anything to do with the so called products? All you’re saying is that this is a recruiting gig and nothing else. Now in regards to those products…what is that training for? “How to get people from social media”?

          Now I’m a “badass scammer” and all I’m trying to do is “get people to join my business”. I promote many products through this site and many other affiliate marketing sites that is my actual business. The products I promote are not my business and they are simply what I know works. Do you not think that I can make money if I told you that the Miracle System is legit? You damn right I can and a lot of it at that. But do you see me doing that? I’ve been apart of MANY companies like the one you are in my man and they are ALL the same. I’m sorry that I’m probably ruining your chance at getting people to pay you directly but I think everyone should know how that system and every other system works.

          Is recruiting others to some “training” platform a real business? If you’ve been apart of the online world for at least 3 years, you will know that there are many companies that get shutdown using the same exact model that the Miracle System is using. It is nothing new and they all have the same “products”. Now if the Miracle System does ever take off and gets into millions, you can bet that someone will make a complaint.

          At the end of the day, it is really on you to do whatever you want but don’t tell me that I don’t know what I’m talking about. In my business, I don’t sugar coat anything and I tell it like it is. As a matter of fact, I’m still a bit too nice as I don’t call many companies a scam. After all this is said, you call a spade a spade and that’s exactly how it should be. Whether anyone joins or not is entirely on them. At the very least, they know that they are in nothing but a recruiting based ______. Thanks for your time John and I like your name btw. Cheers!

          Reply

          • Yeah and you have to recruit also to make money so you are full of bullshit.

            If you had common sense there are all kinds of videos and how the comp plan works and it does have products etc.

            Why dont you go to youtube and watch it shows the products on there and the owners LOL which you are saying there is no mention of ownership LOL!

            And for your info. I am not in the business I am just defending it and look up Ontarion Hawkins because he is in this business and has more experience in Marketing than you ever will. I talked to him myself about the business and he does not use the rotator thing. He does not believe in it and you are just promoting Wealthy Affiliate

            I have noticed that every person in WA goes out and finds a company and bashes it just to promote their own business

            So you talk about Cash Gifting LOL

            Let me see if I can think of a way or a word to describe what Wealthy Affiliates do to promote their businesses. Is it called Bash Gifting LOL!!

            Get a fucking life just because your not making it in WA that’s the only way you know how to recruit!!

          • You are hilarious my friend! Bash gifting! That is a really good one! However, I do not cash gift, I do not recruit, and I do not bash gift, lol. I do what is called affiliate marketing, which is nothing more than selling other people’s products.

            I do promote WA (because they are really good) and I do earn a commission if anyone buys through my link. This is the same with my other niche sites that I have, like Mancarry.com for example. I talk about “man gear” and I promote them. If someone buys from any of the links, I make money. Amazon pays me, WA pays me, and so do many other companies that have their own affiliate programs.

            Now here’s the thing. I can make WAY MORE MONEY if I promoted that Miracle nonsense you are defending but do you see me promoting it? I have been apart of many programs that work the same way and I have learned my lesson. But can you please tell me what products they have? I don’t need to watch anything as I know what they have. Training/marketing material on how to promote the Miracle System. Is that not it? Please tell me what else they have as I am dying to see what kind of “products” they are actually selling.

            You are right about me not being a marketer as I am not one. I run affiliate sites and I HELP people. That’s exactly what I do. I provide information and I don’t try to market anything. So I’m sure your boyfriend is a way better marketer than me, lol.

            I do have a life and I am responding to this message at a coffee shop where I often do my business from. I will then be going to get my kids so we can go their school’s orientation. I’m content with my life and I absolutely love what I do.

            I hope all this makes sense to you John and I am sorry that you have so much anger over me explaining how a program works. What do you do for a living if you don’t mind me asking? If you are working for someone else, I can very much help you run a real, legit, affiliate marketing business. Even if you don’t use my link. Oh and I also make money through many other methods but affiliate marketing is what WA teaches. Hope you understand what I’m saying but please do explain the products and other things you deem necessary as I am also very curious.

    • Definitely not in Friends Funding Friends 2 Al as I don’t play the recruiting game when it comes to making money online. For making money online, I recommend something like Wealthy Affiliate so you can learn how to build YOUR business. If it isn’t building a real business and requires recruiting, I never recommend it.

      Reply

  17. hi john, i need help. im still waiting for my proceeds fro myincome.web.i used my paypal account. May i know when will i receive my proceeds and will i get an email for confirmation. How legit is this myincomeweb.co?

    Reply

    • Did you not read my review Angela? My Income Web is a scam and one that you need to avoid. They are not legit and no one is getting paid.

      Reply

  18. First of all-THANK YOU!…for your service to our wonderful country.This is way better than any other job in corporate.

    Reply

  19. hello john, thank you for all of your help and effort you are greatly appreciated bro, sorry if this is sorta out of there but i have no other lead on who to contact, i need help with societi, it will not allow me to cash out via amazon and i have 66 dollars sitting in there that i need to use for parts for my moped, could you possibly email me or call me/text me and help me get situated? my number is 717-487-0942 email is brandonroach254@gmail.com again thank you for everything i hope to hear from you soon

    Reply

    • Hey, I would like to know how to get a site to further my Education. I want to join a university but I don’t have the money. Do you know of any site that can help me make any money? My email is brianotieno133@gmail.

      Reply

      • There is no way to make money quickly Otieno. The real ways to make money online require some real work and determination along with an investment. Now if you are looking to make a few bucks without investing, you might want to checkout some survey sites like Swagbucks or something. Besides that, the money for college is going to require your time and effort, which is not something that can be done in a week.

        Reply

  22. First of all-THANK YOU!…for your service to our wonderful country.
    Second-thank you for sharing your experience and starting this site to help other veterans find their way.

    I’m nowhere close to knowing what you went through and how tough the adjustment to civilian life must be. But since you know first hand you are in the best position to offer your wisdom to fellow veterans.

    I look forward to reading more from you, and wish you success!

    Reply

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