We had the good fortune of connecting with Damon Ortega and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Damon, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?

We all see the state of the world we are currently living in. It seems like every day there is a new video out about someone getting assaulted, robbed, kidnapped, or killed. The problem is, the vast majority of people do not know how to spot potentially dangerous situations or how to protect themselves. DFW Tactical Defense & Survival’s goal is to teach you how to do that.

Damon Ortega, the founder of DFW Tactical Defense & Survival served 8 years in the Marine Corps with multiple overseas combat deployments. He has trained all over the world, and is passionate about helping others learn how to be situationally aware and protect themselves from potentially dangerous situations. We want people to know that they don’t have to be weak, the victim, or another statistic. We all can learn the vital skills needed to protect ourselves and our loved ones. We believe having more well trained individuals to prevent people from hurting others, is what every community needs to lower the chance of violence on innocent victims, and our classes are here to do just that.


Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I grew up in poverty. I never knew if I would be sleeping in a home, outside, in a car, in a motel, or if I was going to be sent to live with my grandparents for a short time. My mother and most of my family is either addicted to drugs, addicted to alcohol, or addicted to prison. You could imagine the life this created and the level of violence I grew up around. My whole childhood was full of challenges, and it was up to no one but myself to get through them. The only thought that kept me moving was that I wanted to break the trend. I was the first person to graduate high school in my family. From there I joined the United States Marine Corps. I spent 8 years serving my country, having the opportunities and experiences most people won’t have their entire life. War is not black and white, it is a dark cloudy gray, and will provide you with teachings and life lessons you will not ever learn somewhere else.

Once I exited the military in 2016 I spent multiple years going to college and working hard to try and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. It wasn’t until I met my wife Crystal and she introduced me to some of her clients that were firefighters, that I knew I wanted to help people. I now work for the City of Coppell as a Firefighter/Paramedic and spend my spare time running DFW Tactical Defense & Survival.

I started DFW TDS because I have a particular set of skills and lessons that I have learned through out my life that make me a very dangerous individual compared to most. It puts me in a place of comfort knowing that if something was to happen to me or my family, that I stand a reasonable chance of protecting myself or them and getting everyone to safety. The world can be a not nice place, and I want to be able to help everyday law abiding individuals understand what it means to be a protector, and what it means to be dangerous, but under voluntary control.


Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

So the great thing about living in Denton (in my personal opinion), is that there is so much to do in the area. A good day would consist of getting some good breakfast eats at my favorite breakfast place, 7 Mile Cafe. From there, I would suggest a good run or bike on the rail trail if the weather permits. My favorite local pizza spot is, Pizza snob.  Its like chipotle for pizza! It’s located just off the denton square, so you could easily walk to any of the bars in town for a nightcap. Our local fav is Eastside, they have a great patio with food trucks and great drinks.


The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I’m thankful for my time in the Marine Corps, and for the unique experiences I have received. If it wasn’t for that time in my life this business idea wouldn’t be possible. If I was to dedicate the idea or principal behind my business to someone, I would 100% have to give credit to my wife, my son, and my son on the way. It is because of them that I wanted to start this journey. They are the reason that I want to be the most dangerous person in the room. Every man and woman that I know wants to protect their family, but a lot of individuals if put in that situation can’t, or don’t know how. I want to provide the tools and knowledge necessary for people to have the best possible chance to protect and provide safety to themselves and their loved ones.

Website: Working on one now!

Instagram: @dfw.tds

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dfwtacticaldefenseandsurvival

Youtube: DFW Tactical Defense & Survival (work in progress)

Other: Email – Damon.tactical@gmail.com Phone – 910-378-6169

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.