Oscar Kush
Oscar Kush
Midwest Regional Manager
Oscar Kush was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. He has a Mother and Sister. His Father, a victim of street violence, passed away when he was only 3 months old.
Growing up Oscar excelled in the classroom as well as in sports. He wrestled and played football. Upon graduation Oscar decided to forgo college and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. That Fall he left for bootcamp.
Oscar went through the School of Infantry and graduated as an 0341 (mortarman). He would then get attached to 1st Battalion 1ST Marines Weapons Company. During his time on Active Duty he deployed overseas twice. On his first deployment in 2011 he set out on the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, and on his second deployment in 2012 he deployed to Afghanistan short notice where he spent time in Kajaki and Trek Nawa (Helmand Province).
Upon returning from his second deployment in November of 2012, while still on active duty, Oscar turned his sights to the martial arts world. He started wrestling again at a local MMA gym in 2013. Just a few months later, he found himself making his Amateur debut on March 16th, 2013. He would also make his Professional debut at the closing of 2013 and even fight for a regional title in the beginning of 2014.
That Summer of 2014, he finally EAS’d from the Marine Corps. He decided to stay in California to both purse his MMA career as well as go to college. He moved to Huntington Beach, CA to pursue these goals. During this time he spent much of it trying to gain knowledge in both the books and on the mats. At times it could become overwhelming for him trying to balance the two, but he made it work.
Oscar found out about Merging Vets and Players in the Summer of 2017 from a friend who had been introduced to the program. By this time, he was just making his way down to San Diego for new living arrangements, however he made sure to check into MVP first before he left. He attended his first MVP session that summer. Instantly, he understood why people liked it. He stayed connected and continued to do events as he could with the Team.
In the Summer of 2018, he moved back to his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. At that time, Oscar wasn’t in the best place mentally. Feeling overwhelmed by all the challenges leading up to this point dealing with loss and trying to stay afloat working and trying to fight, he decided to pack it up and get back home to his Family to sort of reconfigure his life and figure out what the next step was.
That Fall, MVP opened up in Chicago. “It almost seemed like a sign,” said Oscar. He went to the first session and never looked back. Oscar would be a regular member of the program and huge advocate in trying to get others out. “MVP has been a huge contribution to me figuring out my transition and supporting me mentally with the battles that come throughout that process.”
Having attended almost every session, since it’s open in 2018, Oscar stepped up in any leadership opportunities thrown his way with the program.
In July of 2020, he was hired on to be the Program Coordinator for Chicago. He is very enthusiastic about this program and emphasizes empowering his fellow Veterans and Athletes. “I was in some of the hardest points of my life and MVP both helped me and empowered me to be better. Now it’s my chance to help do the same for others.”
Oscar has had experience in both of our major populations, and has big goals for this Program and hopes to build Chicago’s Chapter into a powerhouse and help change throughout our communities of both the Athletes and the Veterans.
“Life is full of ups and downs, but together we can get through it all. By empowering one another and working together the world is ours. It starts in the gym and continues in our everyday lives. By using discipline and accountability as well as empathy and understanding. This Chapter in my mind is soon to the biggest on the map.”
Contact: [email protected]