200 Combat Ops Before 21: Cole Fackler’s SEAL Journey

About this video

Ritland interviews a former SEAL Team 10 operator who recounts his path from competitive swimming to Naval Special Warfare. The guest describes his experiences through BUD/S Class 247, multiple Iraq deployments from 2005-2010, and time augmenting with the development group. He shares his perspective on major incidents including Operation Redwing, the shooting of Jason Redmond, combat operations out of Baghdad and Fallujah, and the evolving tactics during the height of the Iraq War.

Key takeaways

• The guest attributes his BUD/S success to his competitive swimming background, which made ocean evolutions easier while running remained his weakness
• As a communications operator, the guest describes being present for or aware of multiple SEAL Team 10 losses between 2005-2010, including Operation Redwing, and learning to compartmentalize
• The guest recounts that deployment tempo in Iraq reached nearly 200 operations over six months, with tactics and equipment continuously evolving to reduce casualties from direct action and IED threats

Episode details: published November 19, 2025 · 94.3K views · 23:01 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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